Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

"the cold.

Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.

Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.

For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human--and Grace must fight to keep him--even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future."

Originality (5/5): A lot of people automatically condemned this book to being a part of the post-Twilight craze genre. They're missing out. The originality of this book is not blatant--it is very subtle. On the surface it seems like a classic boy-meets-girl but, oh wait, boy-is-supernatural story. And, on the surface, that is exactly what the book depicts. But it is so much more. Having read and loved Maggie Stiefvater's debut novel, Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, I was afraid that Shiver would fall short in terms of innovativeness and creativity. It did not. Though the entire premise and setting is extremely realistic, the concept is entirely fresh and untainted by previous novels. In short, this is a beautiful novel that stands all on its own.

Plot (5/5): Lovely plot. Though it is definitely not one of those "out-there" plots that stretches reality, it flows along with the writing and characters smoothly. It was heart-wrenching and heartwarming--all at the same time.

Characters (5/5): I adored every single one of the characters. Starting with Sam. I found his boyish, sweet, gentle nature beyond heartwarming. He is quite possibly the most perfect blend of nice-guy and bad-boy I've ever seen. Scarred by his past, he is tentative and unsure of himself with people other than his pack. Then Grace comes into his life, and she pulls him out of his shell. She helps him remember his humanity, makes him happy. To him, she is the most beautiful girl in the world, the girl he has watched for years from a distance. And once that distance is crossed, it is like a whole new world to him.

Sam has quite a few adorable quirks, such as his habit of sporadically composing song lyrics ("You're my change of skin / my summer-winter-fall / I spring to follow you / this loss is beautiful."). Or his innately romantic nature. Basically, Sam is the perfect guy. Not to mention he's (to me) drop-dead gorgeous.

When I found myself liking Grace's character, I was momentarily shocked. I usually never like the heroines in these kinds of books--they tend to be needy, dependent, damsel-in-distress types who whine and complain whenever their macho love interest isn't there to aid them. Grace is completely different. She's strong-willed, direct, honest, and generous. And unlike the girls who play hard to get, she herself is the one pushing things with the ever-tentative Sam. She saves him at the very beginning of the book, no questions asked, and throughout the novel does whatever she can to save their love. She's determined and never gives up on Sam. Never. I found myself having a kind of "girl crush" on Grace. She is a rare breed in the literary world--a girl who can be tenacious and independent while still loving and warm.

The smattering of other side characters captivated me as well. From Isabelle the prissy girl with a soft spot, to Beck, Sam's mentor who is not the saint he appears to be, I loved them all. Maggie Stiefvater did an amazing job creating these wonderfully three-dimensional characters who are both likable and relatable.

Romance (5/5): Wow. I was definitely feeling the butterflies in my stomach while reading this. It was that good. I wish I could rate this above a five, because this couple definitely deserved it. Sam and Grace's chemistry practically radiates off of the pages. They fit together so perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle, and each brings out a whole new side of the other. They perfectly encompass teenage sexual tension and a love that goes far deeper--soulmate status.

Writing (5/5): Probably the best writing I've ever seen in a young adult novel. The words aren't particularly complex, the style is fairly simple, but the simplicity is undeniably beautiful and impossibly fluid. There are simple phrases throughout the book that sound impossibly lovely ("I was wild and tame and pulled into shreds and crushed into being all at once.").

Cover (5/5): The simplicity and subtlety of this cover matches the style of the book perfectly. I love the semi-hidden wolf! Yay Sam <3!

Overall (100/100): 100%!! (It really should be at least 120%, but what can you do...)

Favorite Quote: "I was idiotically entranced by the way he said "Grace." The tone of it. The way his lips formed the vowels. The timbre of his voice stuck in my head like music." (p. 278)