Thursday, March 11, 2010

Shiver


Okay, I'm just going to say it...I've been becoming a wee bit tired of "my boyfriend is SOOO dangerous he wants to kill me, but I love him anyway..." and tired of wimpy female protagonists. Which is why I was hesitant to pick up Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. Before I tell you what I thought of the book, I'll tell you more about it:

From Publisher's Weekly: For years, Grace has been fascinated by the yellow-eyed wolf that saved her from its pack when she was a child. Sam, bitten by a wolf as a boy, is that wolf. Long obsessed with each other at a distance, they finally meet after a wolf hunt (inspired by the apparent death of a local teen) sends a wounded and temporarily human Sam into Grace's arms. Their young love is facilitated by Grace's hands-off parents (“Once upon a time, I would've leaped at the rare opportunity of curling up with Mom on the couch. But now, it sort of felt like too little, too late,” Grace muses), but threatened by two linked crises: the fact that Sam will soon lose the ability to become human and the instability of a new lycanthrope.

My review: I loved this book. LOVED IT! I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful, fresh descriptions, and the honest-to-goodness good writing. I loved that Grace knew who she was and what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to be strong. I loved that even though Sam was a wolf, he had a very tender side. As for the "werewolf factor" I was so relieved that it wasn't werewolves-as-superheroes. It was a very realistic take on what turning into a wolf would mean to a human, and what sacrifices it would require. If I had to think of things to complain about, only one comes to mind. There were times when the plot lagged ever so slightly, and I wished it would move a bit faster. But overall, THIS ONE IS WORTH BUYING. (And I don't say that lightly!)


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Profanity: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: None
Sexuality: Mature but tastefully alluded to
Violence: Some, but surprisingly tame for the subject matter
Book-a-likes: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (both are beautifully written) and The Dark Divine, which is also has a main character named Grace who falls for a werewolf.

~Suzette~

14 comments:

  1. Thanks Suzette. I honestly think this is one of the best reviews I've ever read. I'll definitely be picking this one up.

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  2. I just got this book from the library this week. I'm excited to read it now. I know we have similar feelings about paranormal romances. I'm glad this one was good. Fantastic review!

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  3. I love these reviews. They're so helpful. Thank you!

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  4. I love your summed up statement of books with dangerous killer boys that the MC loves anyway. Hilarious. I'm kind of feeling the same way about a lot of books with that theme. I read Shiver a few months ago and felt much the same you do. Maggie writes beautifully. It is similar to FHT, and I just picked up The Dark Devine at the library this week. I was a little turned away by MC Grace, who is ALSO from Minnesota, who ALSO falls in love with a werewolf. But it got great reviews and is apparently a very different story. I'll stop commenting now. Hi, I'm Jessie.

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  5. This is actually the next book on my to-read pile. I'm so excited to read it and am glad to hear that it's not that same 'falling in love with the bad boy' story. Have you seen the trailer that the author put together? It's beautiful!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX82ggGCF7c

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  6. I liked Shiver as well and have been recommending it as much as I can. I liked it for the same reasons you did--realistic portrayal, strong characters, beautiful imagery. I also think she did a good job of making the characters sympathetic.

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  7. Interesting. I picked this up in the store and read the first paragraph, and it didn't grab my attention. Maybe I'll give it another shot.

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  8. This semms like a rally fun book I'll have to read it some time :)

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  9. This book sounds very exciting and intense. it's would be nice to read a book about a wear wolf where the pathetic girl doesn't have to choose between him and a irresistible vampire. How exciting though that she is falling in love with a boy that could be so dangerous that he could kill her. I think I am going to to straight to the library to check it out.

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  10. sounds really interesting i usually don't like these kind of books were the person can change into an animal but i love the review so i think i might give it a try!

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  11. It sounds like a lot of the books that have come out recently. According to the review though, it's good. I might try it, though I'm not too big into love stories, especially modern ones.

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  12. I thought the books very bad. it was not well done.the story was bad and there where some things what where just not good about it. to see my post on it go to my blog by hiting my name

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