Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

After much prodding I finally realized that I was going to have to pick up this book. Many people I respect said that it was fabulous and worth the time, but I found myself dreading another Twilight read alike that would fall short of the original. This book, however, did not disappoint. Enjoy the review!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When she was young, Grace was attacked by wolves and rescued by one wolf with yellow eyes. Ever since he has been her wolf and for years she has watched him in the forest not knowing that he was more than he appeared. While Grace was watching him, her wolf, a young man, Sam, trapped as a wolf in winter and a boy in winter has watched her, wanting to be close to her. When a high school student at Grace’s school is mauled by wolves, Grace and Sam’s fates begin to entwine as never before.

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when I first started reading this book. On a lot of levels it reminded me of Twilight and I was afraid that it was going to be another sappy werewolf/human girl romance. Shiver surprised me though. While it had a bit of a slow start, its story drew me in and I found myself cheering for the characters and hoping everything would work out. The ending even felt right. Stiefvater found the perfect moment and the perfect words for the ending of Shiver and although I know there are more to come (Linger due out in July), I felt that this one had a satisfying ending. Stiefvater’s language is poetic and her descriptions lush and vivid. Her characters are likable, yet flawed and feel like real people. The mystery pulls you through the novel and leaves you wanting more. A wonderful read.

On another note, since everything is getting compared to Twilight these days, I do have to say that this one will appeal to those Twilight fans looking for what to read next. I think, however, they will find more here than they did in Twilight.

Cautions for sensitive readers: There is no language in this book, but you will find some violence. It is implied that the main characters have sex, but there are no explicit details that would disturb sensitive readers.

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