Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver The Wolves of Mercy Falls

by Maggie Stiefvater

9 CDs, Unabridged
Narrators: Jenna Lamia & David Ledoux

Scholastic Paperbacks

Rating 2.5 stars

book 2: Linger   book3: Forever

From cover:

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.

My review:

Poetic and lyrical this book left me feeling that the author tried too hard. As an adult I am starting to forget some of what it was like back when I was a teenager. The one thing I do remember is that none of us spoke like the teens in this book. We, of course, thought we knew everything. I can’t speak for others. But my life has not been easy. I have been through things as a child and teenager that most adults are lucky to read about or watch on the news so Grace isn’t that foreign to me though my mom was nothing like Grace’s. I just know what it’s like to have to take care of yourself at an early age.

I can not tell you why I didn’t too much care for this book. It just did not pull me in. I didn’t get lost in the story. Getting lost in a story is how I know that it is good. The dialoug could be horrid. The plot could be thin. The character could be unlikable. But if it can pull me in to the point where I feel like I’m watching a movie not reading the book then more often than not I’m going to like the point. Shiver did not have that effect on me. On to the story…

Grace was bitten by wolves as a child and ever since has been fascinated with them. The golden eyed wolf holds a special place for her. Her wolf. What she doesn’t know is that the wolves that bite her and the golden eyed wolf are werewolves. Sam is the golden eyed wolf. He works in a book some during the summer months when he can remain human. In Shiver, the relationship between Grace and Sam is formed. She learns about what the wolves really are. In the end the impending cold threatens to take Sam away until next summer…unless they can think of a cure.

I thought the cure in the book was clever. I also like this take on werewolves. They are not the horror movie werewolves. Instead they are humans who become wolves. Losing their human thought capabilities and becoming mostly wolf for the exception of their human eyes. The end of the book couple when the fact that I generally like to finish a series I’ve started convinced me to move on to Linger the second book. If you like YA books, werewolves, and a teenage love story than you will probably enjoy this book. TBR list 4

#Series Sunday
Challenges:
2012 Paranormal Romance Reading Challenge
2012 50 State Reading Challenge
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge