Review: Shiver

Book: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Pages: 392
Published: August 1st 2009 by Scholastic Press
Source: Bought

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.

General Overview: I nearly cried at the end. This book amazed me and far surpassed my already high expectations. I hadn't read very many werewolf books before Shiver (with the exception of Twilight, which I hated. Sorry to all my Twihard viewers!) and this book really got me into the concept of people who could shift into wolves. Maggie Stiefvater provided an original, new type of werewolf.

Characters: I loved Sam and Grace! I thought Grace seemed like a very sympathetic person and was definitely different -- in a good way, though. Sam was the one who took my breath away. He was sweet and caring and I loved how much he cared for Grace. Though their relationship moved rather quickly, you understand why, reading about their fascination with one another, even though they didn't actually know each other before they met. Before Grace found out Sam wasn't just a wolf. Jack, the main antagonist of the book, kind of freaked me out. That dude was just crazy. He had some issues.

Plot: Shiver kept me on the edge of my seat, let me tell you! The romantic tension between Grace and Sam is almost palpable, and I kept hoping and praying that nothing would come between them and that everything would end up okay. There were plenty of challenges they had to overcome and lots of people and things stood in their way, but they didn't let anything stop them, and I loved that. Everything that happened in the book, happened for a reason, and I loved that in the end all the things that we learn kind of come together to help Sam and Grace overcome the most challenging hurdle yet.

Writing: As I've mentioned before in my review of Lament, Stiefvater is an amazing writer. Her books flow remarkably well and she knows how to switch between the point of view of a girl and a boy (if you didn't guess from that, Shiver alternates between the narrations of Sam and Grace) and let you feel the difference. So often in books, when the author switches perspectives, the voices start to blend together and you can't tell who's who -- that is most definitely not the case with Shiver.

Cover: I LOVE THIS COVER!!! I didn't realize before but the red in the dotted 'i' really sticks out. You can't tell so much on the computer, but when you actually have the book in your hands…It's gorgeous. I love the texture of Shiver and the colors used. Brilliant.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars