Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Publisher: Scholastic Hardcover, 400 pages
Publisher's Blurb For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf - her wolf - is a haunting 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. Its her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears and the temperature drops, Sam must fight to stay human or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
My Thoughts Before I digress into the particulars, I would like to begin by saying that upon reading two of her novels this year, Maggie Stiefvater is already among my favourite authors. Her lyrical prose is unlike any I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The imagery was vivid and the emotions portrayed through the written word transcended beyond the pages. Every sentence seemed effortless and yet I know it would take me ages to even attempt to emulate her style.
The narration shifts between Grace and Sam. Their voices are distinct and I enjoyed the varying perspectives because between the two of them, I had an all-encompassing interpretation of their story. They were both equally amiable characters, as were many of other characters in the story (even the seemingly not- so- nice ones).
I was enthralled by story itself from the very first pages. I will admit that normally, I’m hesitant to pick up a book in which the majority of the focus is on a given relationship. The reason being that I have come to find that these stories are either really amazing or terribly disappointing. I’ve often felt that a great many of these have severely lacked in substance and that their story need not have succeeded 300 or more pages. In regards to Shiver, that was simply not the case. I never once doubted the relevance or necessity of any scene.
The twilight comparison. I don’t particularly care to address it but seeing as how it is remarked on in 80 percent of the reviews, I will mention it. Although I do not doubt that many fans of the twilight saga will undoubtedly love the story, I’m much more interested in the fact that readers who aren’t fans of it will also love it(i.e. me!). For those who are going so far as to suggest that Maggie ‘borrowed' from the Twilight series, I would like to point out that her first draft was written before Twilight’s release. There is no use in saying more on that matter and so I will leave it at that.
The ending of Shiver left me aching for more and I’m eager for the release of the second novel in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series! Shiver was an incredible start to which I truly believe will be an amazing series. I highly recommend it, especially to the hesitant romantics like myself.
Overall Rating 
Writing
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