Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater
392 pages

There was a lot of buzz about Shiver, but I don't think it lived up to it. Don't get me wrong, it was a good quick read, but I found it really predictably (even for a ya book) and the characters were only OK.

I did enjoy Maggie Stiefvater's writing and thought using two different points of view to tell the story worked well here. The sequel, Linger, comes out in July and I will probably give it a skip.

Shiver is the story about Grace, a girl who has always been fascinated by the wolves who live in the woods near her home. As a child she was attacked by a pack of wolves, but somehow survived. Since then she feels this strange bond to the animals. There is one wolf in particular that she is drawn to and one day she finds out he is more than just a wolf. Sam was bitten by a wolf as a child and since then every year when it starts to get cold he changes. Sam has always loved Grace from a distance, but this is his last chance to be with her. This is the last year that he will be changing back into a human.

Shiver is really just a love story with a werewolf twist. Sam and Grace are trying to hold on to each other as long as they can, but both know it is only a matter of time until Sam will turn back into a wolf forever.

I think the reason I was disappointed was because I felt the love story was very unrealistic. I just thought it felt rushed, they just met and yet they are head over heels in love acting like a couple of 20 years. I enjoy the build up in a love story and I don't really think this one had any. It also lacked the action I expected. Over all a decent book, just not one of my favorites.

The verdict is: Read it and make up your own mind