August 17, 2009

And this ones for the girls - Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

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.

Ok so if Mudville was for the boys. Shiver is for the girls. I had been hearing a lot of buzz about Shiver from other book bloggers. So much so that I made a special trip to Barnes and Noble just to get it. It was well worth it! In short, this is a love story. I'm not real big on pure love stories but this is a love story with a twist. Grace and Sam began caring for each other 6 years ago, but they never spoke. Now they are together but they are living on borrowed time; time that is running out. The fight against time was what kept me reading. I had to see how, or if, they were able to win in the end.


What I liked best: how the story switched back and forth from Sam and Grace's viewpoints. This allows the reader to gain a better understanding of each character and in turn begin to care about them both. That is important because a good book for me has characters that I care about and characters that become real. Sam and Grace became real. I could imagine them as people I might know. I felt the frustration and fear and happiness they felt. It was not difficult to believe in them and their story. Now that the book is over, I miss them!


I also liked the quietness of this book. Sometimes it felt like it was almost told in a whisper. As if speaking too loud would break the spell. In hushed tones Maggie Stiefvater created a world full of description that pulled you in and let you become a part of it. A good example of this is when Sam takes Grace to a candy shop and has her close her eyes and smell. The description of what she smells followed by the description of their time there is perfect. It was a quiet scene that pulled the read straight into that place and brought it all quietly alive. This happens again and again up until the last scene.


Grade A-

Lexile 740


Similar books: Twilight and Need


PS - forgot! My daughter's name is Maggie so of course I thought the author rocked from the beginning :)

2 comments:

  1. This seems amazing. I also love books that take advantage of their characters, and the different points of view these characters must have.

    Thank you for the lovely (and rather poetic) review. It really makes me want to read the book.

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  2. Nice review! I've seen this book every where I'll have to pick it up, thanks!

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