Review: Shiver By Maggie Stiefvater

What’s Up?

So…I read this awhile ago and had a strong urge to finally post the review.

I switched up the colors in this review a bit because of the Shiver cover, which I loved by the way, so pretty.

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Summary (from back of book):

The Cold.

Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf- her wolf- watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

The Heat.

Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

The Shiver.

For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human- and Grace must fight to keep him- even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

My Review: Forget the Quileute tribe, I’ll take Sam, thanks. If you’re looking for a new spin on the werewolf legend but one that’s not so overpowering that you feel the need to burn all werewolf books because you're so sick of then Shiver is just right for you. In this tale, the wolves don’t change at will like in some other stories and it was nothing to do with the moon. The werewolves are only wolves in the cold weather hence the title Shiver, I assume. That was the key selling point for me. I read this in or around February and I love in Western New York where our winters are seriously cold. I was about half way through the book when I walked over to my friend’s house to study for something or other. It was snowing and the snow was already up to my shins and it was FREEZING! On that 3 block walk all I kept thinking about was Sam and how Grace must have felt when he caught the slightest of cool breezes.

This is a great book and one that I’m planning on buying so I can re read it again and again.

***Look for my Review of Linger, Shiver’s sequel, due out in bookstores July 2010.