Published: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Back cover blurb:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.
My review:
I’m not Team Jacob by any stretch of the imagination, but after reading this beautiful book, I have to admit I am Team Sam. I just loved it, and by the end – ugh! – I had tears in my eyes. The author has a lovely turn of phrase and paints a vivid picture of young love under pressure of time and circumstance.
It reminded me a lot of the aforementioned Twilight, mainly because of the sensitive Sam and the independent Grace with her flaky parents. Like Bella, who wishes Edward would “turn” her, Grace wants to be like Sam so they can be together, but she is the one person in their small town who is now immune to a wolf bite. Instead she must try to keep him warm so he can maintain his human form for her.
In so many YA novels the initials seem to stand for Youth Abstinance, and I’m so glad this wasn’t the case here. The fact they gave in to their lust made their relationship much more real, and of course in my part of the world you are legal at 17 and 18. Pity it was fade to black… (rawr!)
Stiefvater has written a couple of sequels, which I will definitely be reading. Not straight away, though – I want to savour this book for as long as possible.
My rating: 5/5, and I can’t wait for the film (it’s been picked up by Unique Features/Warner Bros)!
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