Review: Shiver

Book: Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 1)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks

Pages: 400

Date Read: 1/6/2011

From Amazon:

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.

Yani's Analysis:

Shiver is a beautiful poetic story about of love. As clichéd as that sounds, there is no denying that the emotions of the young adult in this novel was just that. Hearing that this book was about werewolves made me avoid it. I believed it would just be another paranormal novel on “love” which was really just lust. There were so many beautiful moments that had nothing to do with the supernatural aspect of the story. I never expected to fall in love with this book, but it captivated me to the very last page.

I really enjoyed the back and forth narrative between Grace and Sam. It felt like an elderly couple, sharing the story of how they met. Lately, I have been disappointed with the romance side of novels. There was never enough action. I never understood where the love came from.

I know many people feel Twilight is not well written and its cheesy, but that happens to be one of my favorite books. The funny thing is, is that there really isn’t that much action and the love was almost instantaneous between Bella and Edward. However, just like Shiver, you cannot deny their love. That was not the only similarity between Twilight. Both males leads where chaste, while both female leads where more scared of losing their partner’s love than the physical danger in being with them.

But Shiver had something Twilight did not. Inside the romantic story of Grace and Sam was an emotional and gripping tale of Sam’s past. I don’t think any author has created a paranormal love interest that is so well developed as a person outside their supernatural side. Sam could be that cute emo guy across the street – I’m definitely looking at him differently now – or that cute guy in your music class with sad eyes. He just felt so normal to me.

I don’t think I could say enough good things about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the poetry –which I usually do not understand- was woven in perfectly. No wonder so many people have called Shiver lyrical. Will definitely be starting Linger ASAP! Watch out Twilight, Shiver might just beat you out.


Ratings:

Plot: 4/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Uniqueness: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

 

Similar Titles:

• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Blood and Chocolate by Anette Curtis Klause
  

Memorable Quotes:

"I sat there silently, hiding behind my book, knowing that she needed words from me -- words I wasn't willing to give. I wasn't sure which of us was being more selfish -- her, for wanting more that no one could promise, or me, for not promising her something that was too painfully impossible to want." -Sam

"Humans disappeared. Humans made monsters out of us." -Sam

"I wondered if he realized that the way he looked at me was far more intimate than copping a feel could ever be." -Grace