Review: Shiver

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: YA Fantasy



Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

--See it at Goodreads



My first time reading Maggie Stiefvater was actually her newest release, The Scorpio Races. It was one of my favorites of 2011, and quite possibly one my favorites overall. So naturally, I had to go out and pick up more of her other work!


Now here is where I’m going to make a confession. Shiver didn’t wow me. Perhaps it was because I was already stunned by The Scorpio Races and this book just didn’t produce the same kind of wow-factor for me as the other had. Also perhaps because I’ve never been a huge werewolf fan to begin with--though I really did particularly like Ms. Stiefvater’s version in this book.


As always, I do love the detail that is put into it. So much vivid imagery and lovely characters. The only thing I may not have liked much were the detachment of her parents. This is an annoyance mostly, as I’m getting a bit tired of reading modern-world teen characters abandoned by parents/no parental influence ninety-five percent of the time. It’s different in other certain character situations (dystopian worlds, supernatural/paranormal worlds), but in most cases with human, modern teens, this bugs me. And her parents weren’t in the scene a good three-fourths of the book, while she had him staying over all the time. Like I said, just a quirk.


Otherwise, I really enjoyed this-- it’s not a high-action read and it has a bit of a slow start. Once it picked up, I couldn’t stop reading. It’s fresh and unique compared to so many others in this genre. I look forward to continuing on with this series, and I certainly look forward to reading more of Ms. Stiefvater’s gorgeous and crafty writing.


4 stars!