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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The only reason I gave this 2 stars is because 1 looked really mean.
Also, the author does two things very well: she writes beautifully, and she creates main characters that you care about. She writes so beautifully that the plot massacre sounded wonderful, and she creates main characters that are so good you still care long after you shouldn't.
I am firmly of the mind that you should trust the author, because the author is writing the book, and you are not. However, that doesn't mean that authors don't make mistakes. This was a mistake. If I had bought this book, I would have returned it and demanded a refund. At the end, I felt like I had read two books for nothing, so circular is the plot. It's literally unfair, even in a fictional world, and it doesn't make the least bit of sense to me. Everything that the author has built her alternate world on collapses, so that you don't know what collapses are planned, and what collapses are due to poor construction.
Right now I will say that I won't read the third book in the trilogy. And if it came out tomorrow, I probably wouldn't. Perhaps time will dull my hatred, and I will check out (not buy) the third installment to see if the author rescues it in the end.
Also, the author does two things very well: she writes beautifully, and she creates main characters that you care about. She writes so beautifully that the plot massacre sounded wonderful, and she creates main characters that are so good you still care long after you shouldn't.
I am firmly of the mind that you should trust the author, because the author is writing the book, and you are not. However, that doesn't mean that authors don't make mistakes. This was a mistake. If I had bought this book, I would have returned it and demanded a refund. At the end, I felt like I had read two books for nothing, so circular is the plot. It's literally unfair, even in a fictional world, and it doesn't make the least bit of sense to me. Everything that the author has built her alternate world on collapses, so that you don't know what collapses are planned, and what collapses are due to poor construction.
Right now I will say that I won't read the third book in the trilogy. And if it came out tomorrow, I probably wouldn't. Perhaps time will dull my hatred, and I will check out (not buy) the third installment to see if the author rescues it in the end.
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Much better than the first in the series, but there were definitely times that the tale draaaaaaggged oonnnnnn... I'll probably read the third when it comes out.
It had been quite some time since I read the first book in the series, Shiver, before I picked this up. I'm not sure why I waited so long. I suppose the end was satisfying enough that I didn't feel the need to move immediately forward. It could also be that besides really loving the sweet and quiet story and Maggie's writing, I just wasn't in love with the first book, at least not enough to care to continue it immediately. Whatever the case, one night I found myself yearning to continue Sam and Grace's story, so the next day I went out to the book store and procured the lovely paperback with its green writing, and prepared to lose myself to the sad story of the wolves again.
Unfortunately, this book did not deliver for me. I get the appeal of a quieter story not filled with action, but does this book really move the plot forward at all? Do the characters develop a lot at least? For me, I don't think so. Sam and Grace are just as in love as before (and dare I say a little co-dependent...) and Sam is still the creative and emotional one to Grace's more logical personality. Other than Grace standing up to her parents there was no real development for either of them. The focus of this story is Sam and Grace just trying to hold on to each other. Grace is sick and her absentee parents have finally decided to step in and try to keep them apart. Most of the novel is spent between the two of them just wishing they were with the other. I wish they had been able to at least form deeper bonds with other characters in this book, but they didn't. Grace kept Isabel at a distance and Sam was distrustful of Cole from the start. This is slightly resolved in the end at least, but it didn't have the impact that it could have had if there had been a bit of build up to it, and Sam and Grace had been at least a little more open to other relationships throughout the story.
I thought the addition of Isabel and Cole's perspectives was kind of messy. I didn't really like or care about Cole until the end. I've never been a fan of the bad-boy-who-just-doesn't-care. It was nice to see a different side to Isabel though. I don't normally mind switching perspectives but I wish they had been contained to chapters. Often we would witness a scene through one character's eyes and then move on to another character's perspective a few paragraphs later. It was hard to keep track of who was who, and it caused me to feel like the characters were kind of losing their distinct personalities, and merging into one voice.
Maggie's writing is still nice here. A little purple-y during Sam's random lyrics, but otherwise just as lovely as ever. The somber tone to the story, of these humans who turn into wolves and lose themselves, who still come to witness funerals and watch over the sick, is simply beautiful. I also like that Sam isn't a jerk, always nice to see in a YA book. I'll probably wait to read Forever when it's in paperback so it can match the other two books I already have. I'm not dying to read it after reading this but I will be reading it. I do want to see how Sam and Grace's story ends.
Other Reviews @ My Blog: The Night Bookmobile
I absolutely LOVED this book. It has the same soft and dreamlike quality of the first book, but instead of portraying a quiet feeling of hope, it is almost unbearably sad. It is not very often that I am taken on this kind of a journey in a story, and for that alone I am so grateful to have read this book.
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver trilogy was one of my favorites when I was a teenager, so I thoroughly enjoyed this re-read. This second book introduces some new character viewpoints, and you can't help but love them too, despite their flaws. Maggie has a stunning ability in creating rounded characters full with humanity shining through.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Little bit better. Enjoyed it more than the first book.
But if you want a full review of the entire trilogy, click this link to visit my blog! YA, By the Way
Little bit better. Enjoyed it more than the first book.
But if you want a full review of the entire trilogy, click this link to visit my blog! YA, By the Way
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes