Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver was one of the most talked about teen books this year. An intriguing story about a girl who is in love with a werewolf, this novel was a challenging read for me.
At 7, Grace was dragged into the woods by wolves and nearly killed. She's only alive because one of the wolves saved her. Since that day, she's watched the wolf every winter and he's watched her. She's always felt a connection with him. When circumstances in her town become perilous for the wolves she, in turn, saves her special wolf, but he's not a wolf anymore; he's a human. Sam has been shot and has changed into a man. Now a teen, Grace takes him in and they begin an intense and dangerous romance.
I liked nearly everything about this book except for the romance aspect! The author created an action-filled plot that takes some surprising twists and turns. Her explanation of werewolves and how they change and live is captivating and her character development is admirable. However, I sometimes felt that this was just another unrealistic and annoying teen romance a la Twilight. I fear for the teen girls who read these novels and hope that they realize that relationships are not really this intense or drama-filled. I know that real relationships do not make for good literature, but I really cringe reading about these obsessive connections. I almost gave up on this book about 2/3 of the way in, but I feel the author did a good job of pulling back from the "staring into each other's eyes" moments and amped up the action. The ending was good and I would like to see where the sequel takes us.