Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 400
From: author for review
Interest: author& plot
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.
I first fell in love with Maggie Stiefvater’s writing after reading her debut novel Lament. And when I heard she was writing a “werewolf” novel, I could hardly contain my excitement. Initially you think this is a story about werewolves, but I think the werewolf label is insufficient. This may be a story about werewolves, but it’s mostly about love. The strength that love possesses and the boundaries we’re willing to overcome to keep it.
Shiver is told with alternating perspectives between Grace and Sam. I love when a novel is written this way. Being able to see a relationship evolve from both sides is priceless. Steifvater has this unsurpassable knack of creating this perfect balance of relation and chemistry between her characters and it couldn’t be more apparent in this novel. Surprisingly this chemistry isn’t limited to just Grace and Sam it’s even evident between Grace and her wolf. You can’t help but experience it with them, longing, loss, passion, ahhh, it’s incredible.
Shiver is so beautifully written. So much gorgeous imagery with Steifvater’s lyrical prose, it’s just a truly fulfilling novel. Steifvater also has this amazing talent of creating fantasy worlds that are completely believable.
Unique and alluring plot, extraordinary characters, exemplary written. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.