Review: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 392
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Fall #1
Source: Purchased
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Summary:  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.

My Favorite Lines:  

“I'd found heaven and grabbed it as tightly as I could, but it was unraveling, an insubstantial thread sliding between my fingers, too fine to hold.” 

“As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air.”

I will stop now because there are so many, I might overwhelm you.  Ok I would overwhelm you.  

Why I Loved It:  For me, this is one of the best love stories I have ever read.  It's messy and complicated and chaotic and incredibly sweet.  Maggie Stiefvater might just be one of the best writers I have read in a very long time.  And I definitely believe she is one of the most gifted writers among the YA community.  Shiver is written with this graceful and flowing style that has an almost lyrical feel at times.  The story alternates between Sam and Grace's POV throughout the story, which I still think takes a lot of skill to pull off well.  Maggie pulls it off well.  Very, very well.

Quick recap:  Sam is a wolf.  I suppose we technically call the act of changing from a human to a wolf a werewolf.  But Sam, when it gets cold, just turns into an actual wolf.  No superhuman thing.  And Grace, over the years, has grown to love this wolf.  Ok it's not some creepy "she loves-loves animals" type of thing.  The book might have some steamy moments at times, but it's not kinky.  It's more of a fascination with this beautiful creature with a love that humans tend to love animals.  But then one day, Sam ends up on her porch, wounded, and he is no longer a wolf.  He is a teenage boy.  A very cute and, unfortunately for Gracie's nerves, naked boy.  Gracie being her practical self, takes care of him, and the romance begins.  I will limit my recap to that because I refuse to spoil.

Me and Maggie.  Cause I am this much of a fan.

This book made me "ahhh" and laugh and cry.  There was lots of crying.  I happen to know that Maggie would love that.  The idea of the book was beautiful.  She doesn't do werewolves in the usual way, but with her own unique twist.  And her character development is superb.  

Who Should Read It:  I seriously love this book enough to add it to my suggest to fantasy peeps list.  If you like werewolves and wonderfully written stories, I would recommend this one.