- Reading level: Ages 13 and up
- Audio CD
- Publisher: Scholastic Audio Books (August 1, 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0545165067
- ISBN-13: 978-0545165068
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0
Review:Product Description: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
These are YA characters but the story is very engaging with real emotions and an ethereal tone.
Grace is dependable and strong, a good student and reliable teen. Her parents are mostly absent as her dad is at work and her mother is an artist absorbed in her studio. Grace was bitten by wolves as a child. No one knew they were shifter-wolves because she did not shift. What made her different?
Even though Grace survived that trauma she looks to the woods and almost yearns for the wolves. Especially the one with the yellow eyes.
Sam has been a winter wolf for a long time. His parental situation is so sad but it brought him to Beck, the wolf leader, who has raised him to lead the pack when Beck is gone. Sam writes lilting, emotional songs that fit the loneliness and confusion of a boy caught between two worlds.
Sam has been enamored of Grace for several years. He saw her in the bookstore where he works in the summer but she didn’t recognize his interest ... until now. They spend a glorious summer together but as winter approaches, when Sam will shift again, they struggle for a way to stay together. There are dangers facing the pack as certain members of the community hunt the wolves in the woods. Some other teens have disappeared and Beck has brought some strangers back to renew the strength of the pack.
The biggest problem is that this may be Sam’s last year of shifting. The wolves only get about 15 years of human shifting and then they remain in the wolf form. Sam doesn’t want to be separated from Grace but what can they do? Can Sam and Grace find a way to be together?
I really like the Audio version of this book. As the chapters rock from Grace to Sam there is a female and male voice. Both narrators do a wonderful job portraying the gentle kindness of Sam and the strong minded but tender Grace. They also capture the other characters: Grace's parents, Beck and Grace's friends, the wealthy and somewhat arrogant siblings, Jack and Isabelle, and Grace's curious friend, Olivia, who loves to photograph the wolves. I also enjoyed that Sam reads poetry and his song prose is haunting. I highly recommend the Audio version!
This was a SYNC YA Listening download from AudioBook Community. I am so thankful I got this as I might not have read it otherwise.
