Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

SHIVER by MAGGIE STIEFVATER

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (August 1, 2009)
Language: English
Buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million

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.

What can I say about Shiver that hasn't already been said by oodles of reviewers? Well, I can tell you about my own experience. When I was reading Shiver, I was so engrossed in the story that I actually went over my lunch hour because quite simply, I refused to put the book down. And as for the remainder of the afternoon, I mostly spent it trying to figure out if the coast was safe enough for me to peek inside the book and gobble up a few snippets here and there without being detected by my coworkers.

Maggie has an imaginative and melodious writing style that draws you in, and makes you so emotionally attached to her characters, that you feel as if their emotions are your own. You laugh with them, cry with them and long after you have finished the book- they remain in your thoughts and your heart. It was a smart choice to alternate the chapters between Grace's narration and then Sam's. It gave an added depth to their characters and made the story more fast paced. The temperature indicators at the onset of the novel and the chilly blue typeset added to the suspenseful atmosphere as well. The fact that Grace and Sam seemed to be doomed really made my pulse race, and I desperately wanted to keep Sam from turning back into a wolf. I was terrified of him becoming so cold that he'd change, or even worse- that the local townspeople would go a wolf hunting spree and unknowingly murdering him.

If you love paranormal tinged romances about star crossed lovers determined to stay together, then you will love Shiver. Maggie Stiefvater has composed a magnificent storyline around forbidden love, magical creatures and mystery. I'd highly recommend it and think it appeals to both teen and adult audiences. Definitely one of my favorites this year!

About Maggie Stiefvater-


All of Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have been based around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists. She's made her living as one or the other since she was 22. She now lives an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, two neurotic dogs, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.
Visit Maggie on her Official Website, Facebook, Twitter and Live Journal.
You can purchase Shiver at Amazon HERE.