ceciliacb 's review for:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

4.0

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I have read Shiver about three times now, and it hasn't lost any of its magic. It's just beautiful!

Writing

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is absolutely gorgeous. It has this mystical undertone when describing the most mundane and ordinary things. Shiver also has a bit of a poetic tone, which is great because who doesn't love poetry?

He was peeling free. He was shaking out of his fur. He was wolf and he was Sam, and then
he
was
just
Sam.

Characters

Grace is a stunning study of logic. She is a math whiz, practical thinker, and nonfiction lover. (In other words, not me at all!) She makes the tough decisions, even when it might hurt someone she loves. For example,

Spoiler

she shoves Sam into a bathtub to keep him warm, even though he is traumatically afraid of bathtubs because of that whole unfortunate incident with his parents.

Sam is Grace's polar opposite, so it seems that Stiefvater was playing with the age old idea of 'opposites attract'. He is creative, musical, sensitive, and unsure of himself, uncomfortable in his own skin. (Now, this sounds a bit more like me) I know from reading Stiefvater's blog that she is really into art and music, and I love that she wove that into her characters. It makes them feel more real and relatable.

Rachel and Olivia, Grace's friends, are very fun. Rachel is like that funny friend who dispels all the tense moods that build up from things like grades, family troubles, that guy you both like, and in this case, werewolves. Olivia was a little annoying because

Spoiler

why would you help a werewolf guy who was super mean to you and get bitten and still be nice to him? That confused me but her bounding off into the woods after the fact was a beautiful description of freedom.

Isabel was hateful at first. I say at first because I grew to love her. She was the voice of reason that took over for Grace when she fell apart. There was never a time when all the characters were emotional wrecks and that was because of Isabel. Despite her hard edge, she's actually pretty nice.

"I'm in the garden shed. Sam! Sam, it's Isabel, if you're a wolf in there, don't rip my face off." I could hear her breathing into the phone. "The door's stuck like the other one. I'm kicking it with my expensive shoe and it's pissing me off."

Plot

The villain: Jack. That's the simple answer. But, the more complicated answer? The wolf disease. It's what keeps Sam and Grace apart and what threatens even Jack. It's what makes Jack the villain, therefore, it is the greater villain.

Sam's eyes flickered around the screen, as if he was actually watching the futile intergalactic battle, but I sat there and tried to figure out why Sam had to change and I didn't.

"...I'd rather risk whatever could happen-"
"Death-"
"Yeah, death-than watch all this slip away..."

The Romance

The romance is sooo sweet. Grace and Sam are completely inevitable. From the very beginning you knew they would be together no matter what.

Sam came around the back of the car and stopped dead when he saw me. "Oh my God, what is that?"
I used my thumb and middle finger to flick the multicolored pom-pom on top of my head. "In my language, we call it a hat. It keeps my ears warm."
"Oh my God," Sam said again, and closed the distance between us. He cupped my face in his hands and studied me. "It's horribly cute." He kissed me, looked at the hat, and then he kissed me again.

And that quote basically sums up the fabulousness that is Sam and Grace. Because who wouldn't fall in love with a wacky hat?

Final Verdict: Everyone must read this book! It is beautiful in a simple, poetic way, and a definite must-read.