Pages: 400 pages (paperback)
Description: 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.
Shiver is written in two alternating points of view; Sam and Grace’s. It is a story on genuine true love despite the hardship these two characters have to face. I felt myself, slowly but surely getting attached to Grace’s character. Her quirky and strong personality is very likable and at times funny too. Sam and Grace are quite different in personality, they have flaws, strengths and weaknesses which makes them more realistic. I can imagine them living somewhere in our world despite the fact that Sam is a werewolf (hopeful thinking?!..).
The plot starts off very slow, and does take quite a bit of time to develop and become fast-paced. There were a few times when I was contemplating giving up reading this book; due to the pace in the book. However, I’m glad I didn’t, it was all worth it in the end. The slow prose allows the reader to form a bond with the two main characters, whose alternating points of view transition seamlessly.
Despite the fact, that Sam is a werewolf, on the verge of changing on many occasions due to the cold, the author manages to make it realistic and not over done. It seemed like being a werewolf was secondary to the story; more important was the love between ‘yellow eyed’ Sam and ‘quirky’ Grace.
Maggie Stiefvater is a master at portraying the love between the two characters. Their love is poetic, cute and genuine. At times it becomes awkward without it being overtly intimate, I simply felt like I was watching from a distance and intruding.
As soon as I started really getting into the plot, it ended. However abrupt the ending was I was still nevertheless delighted with it, and left asking for more. I look forward to reading the next book in this trilogy. Overall this book gets a satisfying 4/5.
Glad to hear you liked it overall. I'm going to have to pick it back up. I listened to the first half on audiobook, which may have been part of the problem, although I remember liking the narrators' voices. Maybe will try the print version this time and see if the experience is different.
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