Shiver
Scholastic Press
2009
Two apologies to start off this review:
1. I'm WAY behind the times in reading this book. And for that, I'm sorry.
2. Dear Maggie Stiefvater: I'm sorry I read this book when I did. I know you've written a great novel (er, trilogy), and I should have read this book years ago. Any book that followed the high of Daughter was bound to get a meh reaction. That’s just the way things are. But I'm still a little sorry.
With Shiver Stiefvater has taken the “forbidden love” plotline and threw a big, rather hairy, wrench into it. Grace and Sam have always admired one another, but from afar. Grace has always admired Sam from her kitchen window, and Sam admired Grace when she came into the bookstore where he worked during the summer. So why don’t the two just talk to each other? Because Sam isn’t a typical teenager: he’s a werewolf. When the weather gets cold enough, he turns into a wolf and stays that way until the weather warms enough that he can turn back into a human. In their small town of Mercy Falls, MN, there has been lots of wolf activity recently – a student was mauled and killed by the wolves. When a hunting party shoots Sam, he is able to turn himself into a human and luckily Grace is there to save him. Finally united in their human form, Sam and Grace make the best of the time they have together while trying to find a cure AND save the town from Jack, the oh-wait-he-didn’t-actually-die new werewolf in town.
Being a non-fan (antifan?) of the romance genre for the most part, I thought I was destined to dislike this book. It sounded Jacob-gets-Bella-esque from the description, so I was leery. However, the super creative twist (think Ladyhawke only sans Ferris Bueller, and for teenagers) made it completely readable to us Nicholas-Sparks-loathers. I will say that the plot dragged a little for me, and there were times when Grace and Sam were gazing deep into one another’s eyes and I kind of hoped for a wolf to jump out and bite them, but again, I blame the timing. I’m pretty sure if I’d read this book in the fall, or even six months from now, things would be different. But I digress. In general, it was a pretty good read. I can absolutely see the teen attraction, and the last chapter or so hooked me. I would love to say I’m going to read the rest of the trilogy: Linger and Forever, but unfortunately, I just don’t have time. The pile of books-to-be-read grows daily, so I rarely read sequels (Laini Taylor, if you’re reading this, that sentence does NOT apply to your books. Just sayin).
Regardless of whether or not I find out what happens to Grace, Sam, and all the other great characters from Mercy Falls, I would highly recommend (and already have, twice) this book to just about any teenage girl who loved Twilight.
1. I'm WAY behind the times in reading this book. And for that, I'm sorry.
2. Dear Maggie Stiefvater: I'm sorry I read this book when I did. I know you've written a great novel (er, trilogy), and I should have read this book years ago. Any book that followed the high of Daughter was bound to get a meh reaction. That’s just the way things are. But I'm still a little sorry.
With Shiver Stiefvater has taken the “forbidden love” plotline and threw a big, rather hairy, wrench into it. Grace and Sam have always admired one another, but from afar. Grace has always admired Sam from her kitchen window, and Sam admired Grace when she came into the bookstore where he worked during the summer. So why don’t the two just talk to each other? Because Sam isn’t a typical teenager: he’s a werewolf. When the weather gets cold enough, he turns into a wolf and stays that way until the weather warms enough that he can turn back into a human. In their small town of Mercy Falls, MN, there has been lots of wolf activity recently – a student was mauled and killed by the wolves. When a hunting party shoots Sam, he is able to turn himself into a human and luckily Grace is there to save him. Finally united in their human form, Sam and Grace make the best of the time they have together while trying to find a cure AND save the town from Jack, the oh-wait-he-didn’t-actually-die new werewolf in town.
Being a non-fan (antifan?) of the romance genre for the most part, I thought I was destined to dislike this book. It sounded Jacob-gets-Bella-esque from the description, so I was leery. However, the super creative twist (think Ladyhawke only sans Ferris Bueller, and for teenagers) made it completely readable to us Nicholas-Sparks-loathers. I will say that the plot dragged a little for me, and there were times when Grace and Sam were gazing deep into one another’s eyes and I kind of hoped for a wolf to jump out and bite them, but again, I blame the timing. I’m pretty sure if I’d read this book in the fall, or even six months from now, things would be different. But I digress. In general, it was a pretty good read. I can absolutely see the teen attraction, and the last chapter or so hooked me. I would love to say I’m going to read the rest of the trilogy: Linger and Forever, but unfortunately, I just don’t have time. The pile of books-to-be-read grows daily, so I rarely read sequels (Laini Taylor, if you’re reading this, that sentence does NOT apply to your books. Just sayin).
Regardless of whether or not I find out what happens to Grace, Sam, and all the other great characters from Mercy Falls, I would highly recommend (and already have, twice) this book to just about any teenage girl who loved Twilight.
Hi Ms C! Thanks for the review! By the way, did you know Maggie S will be a Keynote author this March at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference? That should be fun! Perhaps I'll see you there! ~phil G
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