By Angela Maria Hart

Shiver is the first book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. As a child, Grace is attacked by the wolves in her backyard. They pull her out into the middle of the forest and bite her several times leaving her scarred. The wolf attack would have killed Grace except her favorite wolf intervened and saved her life. Ever since that moment, Grace has had an affinity for wolves and felt a connection to the wolves in her backyard, one in particular.

Sam has spent his life watching Grace from afar, the length of her backyard to be exact. Sam had two lives, one as a wolf and one as a human. He hardly ever enjoyed his time as a human knowing he would become a wolf as soon as the temperature dropped.

As a character, Sam is extraordinarily shy and reserved. He is introverted and becomes extraordinarily nervous whenever he sees Grace. The pair would probably have never met face-to-face unless a hunter intervened and injured Sam. Grace’s parents had a tendency to leave her home alone and let her exist along the parameters of their own lives. Grace and her parents hardly ever interacted on a deep meaningful level, leaving their daughter on her own. While home alone, Grace heard a thud from the porch and found Sam badly injured. This offered the pair a meet cute as humans.

Linger and Forever continue the story that Maggie Stiefvater eloquently began in Shiver. I will not divulge too many details because that would detract from the reading experience. As someone who has a vested interest in not only reading but writing, I was amazed at how well done this particular series is. Maggie Stiefvater is a master of her craft and I highly recommend her books to anyone interested in creative writing. Her books are the embodiment of “showing and not telling.”

Personally, one of the most well written scenes for me was when Sam brought Grace to his favorite candy shop. I could practically smell the hot chocolate coming off the pages and felt the shop’s warmth around me. Maggie Stiefvater is one of the most talented writers I have come across this year. I highly recommend these books not only to readers but people interested in seriously pursuing writing.

I will also make note of the fact that these books have alternating narrators. I previously discussed my thoughts on alternating narrators in a BookTube video. Unless there is a reason for alternating narrators, I find that inclusion frustrating. In this series, I did not have any issue with the alternating narrators. Maggie Stiefvater’s ability to effortlessly move back and forth between Grace and Sam’s perspective was flawless. Each character had a unique voice and offered a wonderful reading experience. I look forward to reading more works by Maggie Stiefvater in the future.