Review: Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis
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.

Review
Since this book was released back in 2009, I’m not gonna ramble. I’m sure there are already a ton of reviews out there for Shiver. I just wanted to quickly share my thoughts as a keepsake for myself in my catalog of books I’ve read this year.

So, this is what I think, Shiver is Absolutely Amazing!  There have been many times where I have literally felt like kicking myself for waiting so long to read a book, and this is definitely one of them.

From the moment I started reading Shiver, I was completely captivated. Every word seemed so beautiful to me. Simple and beautiful. Even though it wasn’t anything ground-breaking, I loved the love-story. I loved that it was just about Grace and Sam. Just them. No stupid love triangle. No doubts. Just love.

I loved the wolves. They were actual wolves. Not monstrous, half human deformities, just wolves.

And I loved the way everything was described. The world Stiefvater created was fascinating because it was rich with illustration. Also, Stiefvater’s play on words was curious to me. I remember reading some lines and thinking what a creative way to use an adjective or I wonder why she didn’t make this plural.

I don’t think I’ve ever feared the cold so much, but I was terrified of it. Because of what it could do to Sam. Every time he shivered, I just wanted to wrap him up in an electric blanket and keep him warm.

As with most teen romance stories, Sam and Grace spent a lot of time simply staring at each other, happy to just be together, and it was sweet. Though I didn’t find Grace to be very remarkable, I really did fall for Sam. The way he was always composing lyrics in his head, he is the definition of tortured artist. *le sigh*

I can’t wait to read the next book, Linger. This time I won’t wait so long.      

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Posted at 5:52 pm  •  Labels: 2010, 4 stars, Book Review, paranormal romance, werewolves, YA, YALSA's Teens' Top Ten 2010