Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication Date: August 2009
Hardcover: 400 pages
Stand alone or series: Stand alone novel (at least to my knowledge).
Why did I read this book: Although I wasn’t a huge fan of Ms. Stiefvater’s debut novel, Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception (to put it mildly), when I received an advance copy of Shiver I was eager to give the author another shot. A different setting, with different characters, and this time with a new take on werewolves…I was excited. Especially for Young Adult Appreciation Month.
Summary: (from amazon.com)
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.
Review:
When Grace was a young girl, she was the victim of a freak wolf attack in the woods surrounding her home. She thought she was going to die, when one of the wolves, one with brilliant yellow eyes, fended the others off to protect her. Grace lived, and in the winters ever since her attack, she has always looked into the woods behind her house, always catching a glimpse of those same intense yellow eyes watching her, keeping her safe. Grace has been obsessed with the wolves ever since, always looking for her wolf. When another freak attack occurs in town, and the wolves kill a teenage boy, a hunting party is assembled to shoot the pack in the woods – and Grace is terrified for her wolf. She tries to stop the hunting party, but when she reaches her house she finds a naked, shivering teenage boy on her porch – a naked, shivering teenage boy who has been shot in the shoulder, on her porch. Grace learns that the boy, Sam, is her wolf and that he has been watching her from afar for all these years. Every year during the warm summer, Sam is his human self, but once the temperature drops, Sam turns into a wolf for the winter. And each year, Sam’s summers become shorter and shorter – soon, Sam fears he will turn into a wolf, never to be a human again. Together, Grace and Sam fight to keep him as human, no matter the cost.
So, it’s no secret that I (and Ana!) was not a fan of Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception. Most of my dislike stemmed from a simple but undeniably important keystone for a novel: the characters. I find myself in a similar situation with Shiver. The idea and the premise is fascinating – I love Ms. Stiefvater’s take on the mythos of the werewolf, with the gradual transformation from human to wolf forever in winter. I also cannot deny that Ms. Stiefvater’s descriptions are lovely, and her prose evocative.
But that in itself does not a good story make, and I found myself bored with Shiver. The characters never felt real to me, and the plot – what little of it there actually was – felt shabby and cobbled together.
Grace and Sam are in love. Like, CRAZY in love. Like, they’ll do anything to be together forever and ever and ever in love. Similar to Lament, however, I could not for a second believe that these characters had any reason to be so blindly, worshipfully devoted to each other. Just saying that these two characters are in love and then immediately skipping to all the tortured romance stuff does not make for a believable story. While reading I was constantly asking myself, WHY do these characters love each other so much? This felt much more like obsession to me – and it creeped me out.
*NOTE: I should mention that I loathe tortured love stories of the obsessed nature. Take Romeo and Juliet, for example (which I believe Shiver is supposed to mimic, at least in its tone of desperation). It doesn’t do much for me – which probably makes me anathema in girl romance land.*
Youthful obsession masquerading as love…it bothers me. A LOT. Especially in the context of Shiver (which is essentially Twilight. Replace sparkly stalker vampire with yellow eyed werewolf and it’s pretty much the same story. The subsequent plot differences are mere details). Yes, I get that Grace feels a kinship to her childhood savior wolfboy, and that Sam is obsessed with hottie Grace. They certainly are completely co-dependent and obsessed with each other – but this doesn’t strike me as romantic. Rather, it’s creepy. And completely unhealthy. Beyond their unyielding forever love for each other, Grace and Sam had no other defining characteristics that made them human or remotely believable as characters. Sam is – of course – gorgeous, and sensitive, and he writes romantically corny lyrics in his head all the time, and he writes a song for Grace, and he’s protective and charming and shy and modest, and most importantly he has no other purpose in life but to live for Grace. And Grace is…well, besides totally head over heels in love with Sam…*crickets chirping*…apparently, she knows how to cook. Her parents have fun and don’t really take care of themselves or Grace, so it’s up to quiet, everygirl Grace to make Quiche dinners and check that the fridge is stocked. That is the extent of Grace’s character. The secondary cast of characters is negligible and even less fleshed out than these two protagonists. Furthermore, Shiver is written with alternating chapters from Grace and Sam’s point of views. I found this an intriguing concept, and I appreciated the effort to see the thoughts of both characters – but at times it could be confusing to remember whose head I was in, as Grace and Sam tended to sound exactly the same.
While the characters are sketchy at best, there’s the problem of plotting. Shiver revolves around Grace and Sam’s burningly desperate need to KEEP SAM HUMAN OR ELSE! They spend a lot of time heating up the house and heating up the car, and making sure that Sam only ever spends a split second in the cold running from the house to the car or the car to the house. There’s some half cocked story about a jealous she-wolf that wants Sam all for herself, but that rapidly fizzles out into nothing. There’s a subplot about a new werewolf in town, but honestly, I could care less. Then, there’s the ridiculous ending/resolution of the book. Just…no.
SPOILER: Come on, MENINGITIS is the magic cure!??!?!?! SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!?! Meningitis. *facepalm* /SPOILER (highlight the white space between spoiler tags to read)
So, unfortunately, Shiver did not work for me. From the weak characters to the poor plot and especially the ridiculous obsessed romance that gave me goosebumps from fear as opposed to delight, I couldn’t bring myself to like this book. I didn’t hate Shiver, but I certainly don’t care for it either.
Notable Quotes/Parts: Here’s chapter 1, from the Scholastic website:
Chapter One Grace
15°FI remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves. They were licking me, biting me, worrying at my body, pressing in. Their huddled bodies blocked what little heat the sun offered. Ice glistened on their ruffs and their breath made opaque shapes that hung in the air around us. The musky smell of their coats made me think of wet dog and burning leaves, pleasant and terrifying. Their tongues melted my skin; their careless teeth ripped at my sleeves and snagged through my hair, pushed against my collarbone, the pulse at my neck.
I could have screamed, but I didn’t. I could have fought, but I didn’t. I just lay there and let it happen, watching the winter-white sky go gray above me.
One wolf prodded his nose into my hand and against my cheek, casting a shadow across my face. His yellow eyes looked into mine while the other wolves jerked me this way and that.
I held on to those eyes for as long as I could. Yellow. And, up close, flecked brilliantly with every shade of gold and hazel. I didn’t want him to look away, and he didn’t. I wanted to reach out and grab a hold of his ruff, but my hands stayed curled on my chest, my arms frozen to my body.
I couldn’t remember what it felt like to be warm.
Then he was gone, and without him, the other wolves closed in, too close, suffocating. Something seemed to flutter in my chest.
There was no sun; there was no light. I was dying. I couldn’t remember what the sky looked like.
But I didn’t die. I was lost to a sea of cold, and then I was reborn into a world of warmth.
I remember this: his yellow eyes.
I thought I’d never see them again.
You can also hear Maggie Stiefvater read the first two chapters aloud HERE.
Additional Thoughts: Although I didn’t care much for Shiver, I absolutely love the book trailer that Maggie Stiefvater created herself (from paper cutouts and composed the music too!). Gorgeous.
And here’s the official book trailer, which isn’t bad either:
Verdict: Shiver simply wasn’t for me. The characters didn’t work and I’m uncomfortable with obsession love stories. Certainly Shiver is written well enough, and will appeal to fans of Ms. Stiefvater’s earlier work & to those of the romantic Twilight persuasion – but it’s not the book for me.
For another take on Shiver, I highly encourage all readers to give Angie’s Review (of Angieville) a try.
Rating: 5 Meh, Take it or leave it
Reading Next: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
89 Comments
Lenore
July 31, 2009 at 1:05 amYour points are very interesting – I can sorta see where you are coming from even I though I personally loved it.
I honestly didn’t see their love as obsessive, and I could completely understand why they’d fall for each other without having it spelled out for me (Grace makes Sam feel human, Sam makes Grace feel wanted). I haven’t read Twilight, but from what I know of it, Sam doesn’t seem anything like Edward.
Anyway, I thought it was sweet, and I’m no fan of romance. I do know that there is a companion book in the works called LINGER about the wolves of Mercy Falls – which I’ll definitely be picking up!
Rhiannon Hart
July 31, 2009 at 1:25 amRe: Obsessive love for no reason? Hate it too. And I LOVE romance plots/sub plots. It’s just not romantic at all, and is usually accompanied by violently protective male characters and ridiculously beautiful female characters. I’m having the same problem with Claudia Gray’s books. I think I’ll skip this one and go straight to some Snyder and Pierce!
katiebabs
July 31, 2009 at 4:39 amThea, you raise a good question on whether Sam and Grace love each other or is it an obsession? I don’t think they are obsessed with one another so much that it is not unhealthy. They have a connection because of how Sam saved Grace when she was a child. I think their feelings for one another grew into something realistic.
Shiver also reminded me of Twilight in so many ways. Perhaps Sam and Grace are much like Edward and Bella?
I do have to say that Maggie did write the sexuality and topic of sex really well. I also thought the writing to be beautiful in some sections.
Carolyn Crane (CJ)
July 31, 2009 at 6:45 amWow, your YA month is totally rocking. I love those trailers!
Christine
July 31, 2009 at 8:01 amI’m sorry to see you didn’t like Shiver, Thea. I’m still going to give it a try, though. I read Lament a week or two ago and really loved it, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy Shiver as well.
Angie
July 31, 2009 at 10:56 amIt’s so interesting how different reader responses can be. For instance, I found Sam and Grace to be so not like the characters in TWILIGHT. I thought Sam was rather the opposite of an alpha male (which was so refreshing to find in a werewolf). And Grace seemed the more dominant character, very set in her ways and very unsentimental/romantic about life in general. Sam being the exception. Hence, I found them charming and interesting. And I’m partial to her writing style. But it sounds like Stiefvater’s just not your thing. You did the valiant thing and gave her another shot! Time to move on, I’d say. So many wonderful books out there to discover.
Thanks for the linkage! You guys are awesome. 🙂
Adrienne
July 31, 2009 at 11:50 amDarn it! I waited for you to review it (naughty I know but 14 bucks is pricey when there is a lot out there to read) and so disappointed! I agree with the obession-creepy and really not good for a story. What is it with the “we have to love each other forever or I will just die” plots anymore?
Maybe the library has a copy I can skim through
KMont
July 31, 2009 at 11:50 amHmmm, I’m sorry this one didn’t work for you. So – on to the next one! I haven’t heard of the one you’re reading next.
Elise
July 31, 2009 at 5:51 pmI read it too, and completely agree with you. I liked it, but I didn’t understand WHY they loved eachother. Something was really getting on my nerves when I finished it, and I think that’s exactly it. The romance was sweet and all, but it definitely lacked a proper build up. They didn’t even get to know eachother BEFORE they were madly in love. It’s irksome and it really bothers me when stories do that. Nice review!
Shishi
August 1, 2009 at 2:39 pmI haven’t read this book so I can’t really say something – but from your description it sounds almost like a copy/paste of Twilight (even the golden eyes!). I am not inclined to read.
Llehn
August 1, 2009 at 8:00 pmI believe Shiver is the first of 3 books. I thought you gave a sound, impartial review. Thank you.
Sia
August 7, 2009 at 11:52 pmHonestly I thought the book was ok. I don’t get the rave reviews because this isn’t a book we haven’t read before and I wish authors would come up with something more original. But I do love and adore the Twilight books so it has nothing to do with the romance/Romeo and Juliet aspect I JUST DIDN’T CARE FOR THE OTHER CHARACTERS AND IT did bore me at times.
Grace
August 9, 2009 at 8:50 amI love this book. It’s really poetic but gives you the right amount of information it’s really hard to write like that, I’ve tried. Sam and Grace are adorable, do we have to know why they love each other? Love is love we don’t have to have a reason for it. Sam has sexy eyes and Grace is just sexy! Ooh, I also like that her name is Grace. Not a lot of book characters are named Grace :/ My name is Grace! So it’s disappointing. I almost cried when Jack died, but I got over it when Sam came back as a human.
:))))
LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVETHIS BOOK!
nadja
August 30, 2009 at 1:29 pmi aboslutly love this book ………….but ife it wasnt good for u should try another book like the 😀 😉 inmortols by alison noel .the frist book is evermore 2.blue moon 3.shodoland but that book comes on in jan 2010………….. sadly 🙁
nadja
August 30, 2009 at 1:29 pmi aboslutly love this book ………….but if it wasnt good for u should try another book like the 😀 😉 inmortols by alison noel .the frist book is evermore 2.blue moon 3.shodoland but that book comes on in jan 2010………….. sadly 🙁
Sami
September 14, 2009 at 6:56 amI totally agreed with you about this book. Although for different reasons, but the obsessive love was also something that bothered me. However I understood the love Grace felt was that Sam saved her life, but Sam’s side was quite a bit harder to understand.
Emily
September 19, 2009 at 12:56 pmWell, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I can see what you mean when you say that it was similar to twilight. Yeah, it had some similar traits, but I thought it was REALLY good! I thought the ending was pretty good, but it maybe could have been more described… it was: BAM. Its’ done. I really would’ve liked to hear from Sam’s POV. Either way, it blew me away and I can’t wait for the next book to come out!
Gracie
October 14, 2009 at 5:21 pmI have a question for anyone who would be kind enough to answer it.
In what month(day would also be helpful) did this book occur in?
Thanks!!
Anonymous
November 3, 2009 at 12:28 amWow, I couldn’t read ANYTHING you said in this review EXCEPT the huge spoilers. Why did you make that the only visible part? 😡
Anonymous
December 28, 2009 at 1:54 pmWell, I personaly loved this book. I love books about Werewolfs and Vampires. I have read all of the twilight books and loved them!!!!! So i tryed this book and loved it to!!!!
I couldn’t put this book down! I have recomened this book to all of my friends and they have loved it!
Cant wait for the next one! thought it was AMASING !!!! 😀 😉
Jennifer
January 5, 2010 at 4:20 pmI ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK.
ive read twilight, and to me it was nothing like it.
shiver is beautifully and increidbly written.
i finished it last night and am re reading it.
i highly recommend this to EVERYONE.
it made me cry, laugh, smile, you know name it:)
Jennifer
January 5, 2010 at 4:22 pmthe book starts off in september…
or at least thats when the plot REALLY takes off..
Cinnamon
February 4, 2010 at 7:14 pmI agree so much that I actually have to RANT about it.
You know, I wanted to love the book, but… well I couldn’t even finish it. I thought the side characters seemed interesting, but Sam had a tortured past – which is a HUGE turnoff – and Grace had no hobbies to speak of.
Also, she was in love with a wolf.
I thought the romance was extremely boring and completely irrational. There’s no possible way they could really love each other like that instantly – there were no given reasons other than that they found each other pretty. So, yeah, I just couldn’t love this book, and I actually like Twilight. (shrug)
M
February 21, 2010 at 1:42 amI liked the book. I thought the writing was really vivid so much that you felt that you were there.
Grace, I was not to crazy about. I didn’t like that her character was really logical, but she was better than Twilight’s Bella who in my opinion was flat out neurotic.
I could write pages and pages on Sam. I fell in love with Sam. The thing I like most about him was that he was not perfect, unlike Edward in Twilight. Also he had personality and sarcasm which I irresistable!
The progress of thier love was a bit fast for me, but once it happened I did not find it to be unrealistic at all. They just fell in love and that was really sweet!
Jody
February 21, 2010 at 10:41 amI love this review! I only wish I had read it before I started the book.
Aislin
February 28, 2010 at 3:28 amOk ..Yes You have some(very few) Interesting points. But this book is not meant to mimic romeo and juliet. It is based on a link to The Twilight Saga! Which I personally love .
And I hav not read shiver….Although My best friend did and he really likes it…He also loves The Twilight Saga…I was looking to find good reviews because so far I had found all good reviews until now. Bu One thing weird is…..If you dont like dramatics..or love scenes….Like these and romeo and juliet then why read them? ❓ Thank you,
Priscilla c
March 1, 2010 at 5:36 pmi really dont understand how your could say its overal not that very interesting…….i understand your points. But i guess it all matters on quickly you see things. And its very obvious that they made a connection not an OBSESSION.
Anonymous
April 6, 2010 at 1:16 pm8) 😆 😳 😛 ilove shiver 🙄 😥
E.S
April 16, 2010 at 7:34 pmI have read both Twilight and Shiver, and I couldn’t help noticing the similarities between the two as I read. Question: what is it with this breed of mundane, transparent YA novels with a masochistic heroine falling for a *insert somewhat plot twist here* who is emotionally distant with a crisis looming in the near future?
I thought that it was a quick read that will pass the time waiting for the bus or the end of class, but nothing substantial.
alex
May 2, 2010 at 10:54 ami have a boo report due in three day anyone know the plot for this book it would really help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
alex
May 2, 2010 at 10:56 amoh also how would u describe grace with an object like to get it to realate to the story
Riaah
June 12, 2010 at 12:32 pm😀 Ohkaay, So I Have To Read This Book For A Project .. Thinkinq If It Would Be Borning , I Didnt Read It Yet … But From The Looks Of The Trailer And The First Chapter ! It Kept ME WANTING MOREE ! I Have To Get This Book ! && I Suggest Everyone should read it tooo !
Tirzah
July 14, 2010 at 7:32 amI didn’t see they’re love as obsessive at all!
If you want an obsessive love story, go read Twilight!! I think that you miss took a love worth fighting for, for an obsession.The only problem that I had with the book is that there’s no action, no fight scenes. But still by far one of the best book’s I have ever read. I think that Maggie Stiefvater is a great author! 😐
B.D.
September 20, 2010 at 4:57 pmShiver was okay for me. I didn’t exactly hate it but I didn’t love it. I’m definitely not going to read it again. For me it was too boring with nothing much going on. I’m a girl who loves love stories and fluffy romancey moments, but I was so bored with this story that it was painful to finish (I always finish every book I read). I loved twilight because of all the conflict and constant going ons, but Shiver made me want to close the book and do my homework. It was unrealistic and painfully boring.
Anonymous
October 10, 2010 at 7:43 pmI LOVE THESE BOOKS!!!! 😀
Sofia
October 13, 2010 at 7:20 pmI completely agree with you! I think this was one of the worst books I have ever read. I did not understand why Grace and Sam were in love, and I did not get the character of Grace. She changed personality about three times in the book. I was laughing part of the way through and crying the other half out of boredom.
Gina
November 28, 2010 at 1:27 pmI found that I agree. Their love seemed like an obsession. Sure other parts were good and all, but their love she gave them scared me. Also I have no love for this book and don’t plan on reading Linger… Sorry Its just this book isn’t for me… 🙁 One more thing I completely agree with Sofia I took me forever to read it, because I didn’t want to read it. But I did it for my best friend 😆
Anonymous
November 28, 2010 at 1:36 pm😀 😀 😀 😀 I LOVE THIS BOOK IT WAS AMAZING 😀 😀 😀 😀
I will soooooo read Linger and Forever once they come out ❗ ❗ ❗ 😛 😛 😛 
😉
theringmaster
December 4, 2010 at 8:05 pmWell, this is a really nice review, and you pointed out most of the major flaws but to be honest I actually kind of liked it. I’d say that Shiver is the kind of book I’d like to read if I’m not feeling like I want to think too much. Grace and Sam’s love, for example. I can see perfectly Grace’s side as to why she’s even in love with Sam, but Sam’s point of view is a little hazy, and that’s a problem I was willing to think about only after I’ve finished the entire thing. I’m not a fan of sappy love stories, well, LOVE STORIES in general, so I haven’t really got any experience enough to say whether it’s good or not. But it’s simple in it’s good and unique way.
On the other hand, I find Ms. Stiefvater’s writing beautifully descriptive and poetic. Very nicely done, except for the lack of story build-up in some points.
And as for the obsessive parts, I don’t think it’s actually obsessive, despite the lack of reason behind Sam’s love for Grace, is because Sam has limited time as a human and he has to make the most of it with Grace, and ta-da, you get something that looks a little like obsessive, but then and again…
I somehow see the Twilight references, but I don’t think Sam is anywhere near Edward and Grace is so much better than Bella. She’s actually dominant and isn’t so wimpy, whereas Grace can actually assert herself and does not have to always rely on Sam, as per Bella.
Well, so sorry the book didn’t work for you but nice review anyways. 😀
Anonymous
January 10, 2011 at 1:47 pmyour review of the book really helped me alot so thanks i love shiver
so good
xxxxx
Anonymous
January 10, 2011 at 2:39 pm😀 🙂 🙁 😮 😯 😕 8) 😆 😡 😛 😳 😥 👿 😈 🙄 😉 ❗ ❓ 💡 ➡ 😐
BookWorm
January 12, 2011 at 2:49 amI loved this book and I just couldn’t put it down! I’ve now read it about 10 times and I still want to read it again!
The first of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series ‘Shiver’ free on fReado! | Freado Blog
February 13, 2011 at 11:51 pm[…] The Book Smugglers Share Posted in Prizes Tags: adventure, Fantasy, werewolf, Young adult « One of fReado’s favorites open for bidding again – Tempt me at Twilight by lisa Kleypas You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. […]
Rachel
February 19, 2011 at 8:14 pmOk so I read your comments after I read the book and most of your review were negative which I just couldn’t believe from what I got from the book I didn’t get it at the start but I don’t normally read books in a day but this I couldn’t let go it was just so good I loved the book and get it if you are able to read romeo and julet u may not like this book I loved this book and just wish I had people who agreed with me.
Jessica
February 21, 2011 at 11:49 ampity the book dint work out for you, but i agree with some of the things that were mentioned in the review. And also i disagree, like the talk about the obsession. The obsession was love, something the gerneration of today doesnt understand, because theyre nor willing to be devoted to just one person. Anyways, thanks for this review, i think it was really well written, and appreciate the opinions so that i could see how different it was from mine. Thanks again because this review had helped me on an assignment that i was struggling on, and my praises to the author, for such an awesome book. and presenting a new world and meaning of love stories . 🙂
Anonymous
March 13, 2011 at 8:08 pmI feel Shiver was much, much better than you gave it credit for. Twilight was bad. I agree. However, this book made the characters equals, they both cared and protected each other in the same way. There were reasons that they loved each other, but they were subtle and easy to miss if you werent paying attention.
I think my favorite part was the writing. It was articulate and clear. Maggie Stiefvater used words that accurately conveyed her meaning.
Personally, I loved it.
Rose
April 14, 2011 at 1:36 pmI thought that the review was mostly correct. All of the characters were just empty shells who have one defying aspect (be it cooking to eye color) and my main thought was: WRITTEN IN A RUSH TO CASH IN ON NEW MOON/TAYLOR LAUNTNER/TWILIGHT. But, hey; I’m sure that the writer is now richer for selling me a bad book.
Another thing that stood out to me, but seems invisable to other reviews and comments, was how bland and rushed the writing style was. I honestly thought that the entire book was writen without passion to make a living.
Emily
April 14, 2011 at 4:50 pmI actually got this book from my school library today, before first period, and i DEVOURED the book. I already finished it and cant wait to get linger, and for forever to come out. I think this story is NOT about Grace always trying to keep Sam warm, But about true love, and knowing that they are meant to be together and that, they will do anything to be together.
Anonymous
April 17, 2011 at 8:57 pmbest book
Anonymous
June 1, 2011 at 6:20 pmI REALLY didn’t like how this review didn’t highlight any of the good qualities, so maybe try to find good things in a book too.
Personally, I am a fan. At first I thought it paralelled Twighlight, but after I read it, I thought it was a love story, but that was the only thing similar to Twighlight 😀
Anonymous
June 7, 2011 at 4:20 pmi cant help but be confused as to how anyone thinks this is like twilight 😕 .
1)yah theres were wolves but lots of other books have them too,
2)they change when its cold not whenever they want.
3)there are no vampires
4)Sam has a laid back, shy attitude, unlike jacob from twilight.
5) Grace isnt a new student, her friends didnt call her crazy and get pissed at her.
So yah, you can say its like twilight, and roll around in that pool of crazy all you want. i hate it when people critisize writers for moochiong off other peoples writings when they dont.
okayyyyyyyyyyyy. yah. i could name facts all day…
Anonymous
June 7, 2011 at 4:25 pmoh another thing how is a tourtured past a turnoff? if they just said his parents were fine with him turning into an animal, soon to never change back and went on a overdramatic slowmotion skip holding eachothers hands in the park i would have put the book down and burned it. his tourured past gives the book more interest. it doesnt make it unapealing unless your a prancy who cant take some violence 😈
Anonymous
June 7, 2011 at 4:36 pmps: wolves do have brown/golden eyes so its not a copy! she was using wolf traits and making a more realistic werewolf. light blue, gold/brown, eyes are wolfs color eyes. you cant hate on that just because stephenie meyer decided to give her vampires gold eyes. ps: it would have been a copy if idk 😡 their eyes changed when they were about to change. how about the twihearts stop hating and banging on others book just because they share like one trait wioth another book. you twihearts act like if i have a character named jacob in a book then i “HAVE TO HAVE” suddenly mooched it ff twilight, no matter how dull and unlike jacob from twilight is. okay
1) NOT LIKE TWILIGHT
2)tourtured past: NOT A TURNOFF (unles youre a pransy)
3) and golden eyes NOT stolen from twilight.
FACE IT twilight isnt that awesome that, other authors need to steal from it. it just isnt guys.
Madison
June 16, 2011 at 12:17 pmI honestly, completly agree…I really loved the whole idea of the story. I like how it was a “forbiddon love” kinda thing. Of course you have the pretty girl and the dangerous guy…Thats when I started to question it. Even though the characters were nothing like Bella & Edward, it sorta reminded me of Twilight (alot).
-She has an old truck
-Her BF is a hot mistical creature
-They were obsessed with each other
-etc…
Maggie also had a lot of interesting plots she could of runed with. Like what happened to that she wolf? Or the “new wolf”???
The ending was very bland and dull (just like the rest of the book), and there was NO CLIMAX. Thats a major setback for me. There may have only been 3 tiny thrillers in the whole dang thing…boring. 😐
My favorite part would have to be the ending…I’m really into love stoies, but come one! Twilight was better than this. I would not recomend this to any of my friends.
Anonymous
July 2, 2011 at 11:15 pmI loved this book and i only read it cause my friend had read it and she loved it to.:lol:
it was a big change from the books that i normally read but it was still verry injoyable and so was Linger and now i just have to wait for forever and i will definatly read that one as well.
Nobody important
July 8, 2011 at 7:03 amThe whole story long I kept wondering why they didnt just move to the tropics. The whole story. Didnt like it, it was like a replica of twilight, with different people who had no character what so ever. I found it a waste of my afternoon. Great review!!
Just read the book
September 18, 2011 at 11:16 amI agree! The writing was beautiful, and I loved the descriptions, but I was not a fan of the plot (which was just kind of boring) nor the characters. Sam was all right…it was nice reading about a “sensitive, thoughtful” kind of guy instead of some angsty, dark teenager. And at least the author didn’t out right say he was hot. But Grace got on my nerves a little. She reminded me of Bella, plain and normal minus the whining.
I would read the book again for the imagery, though. Fave part–candy shop. I actually drooled ^.^
No one you should know
October 12, 2011 at 3:31 pmlove this book read it any time
😛 ❗ 😀
Anonymous
October 24, 2011 at 5:38 pmi love this book
Anonymous
October 29, 2011 at 1:04 pmhey i totally agree this book was okkkkkkk but i love how you wrote this……………..
Anonymous
November 1, 2011 at 11:39 pmi liked this review i do agree with what has been said because the story and characters are basically thrown all over the place like when we see sam naked in front of her place and then the next day their making out in front of the fridge “hello” what ever happened to getting to know the person she like fell in-love with him because of only his eyes (obsessed much) but since my mum bought all three books for me im going to finish reading them im hoping that it might get a little more better.
have a good day 😛
Anonymous
November 11, 2011 at 4:13 pmI really want to read this book series, i have like 10 different books i have wanted to read but from the reviews and the exerpts that i have looked up i think i am going to put this at the top of my list 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Anonymous
November 14, 2011 at 6:59 pmLOVED IT! 😆
KitSydney
November 28, 2011 at 9:45 pmI just took time reading “Shiver” last weekend even though I had bought it way back in March this year. Basically it was because I thought the story was kind of cliche and overrated and I actually happened to have already read a werewolf-themed book before. So when I finally picked it up, I can’t help but be reminded of Bella and Edward from “Twilight”—minus the vampires, of course. I can’t say that I totally loved the book as much as I did with the previous werewolf-centered book I’d read but what made me totally into it (so I was able to, at least, read through it ’till the end) was the way it was written, with all those lyrical and, at times, poetic descriptions and narration. I’ll still be recommending this book though, but not before I’ll have the rest of my fave YA books lent first. 🙂
Anonymous
December 11, 2011 at 7:58 pm😕 i didn’t really care for this book it was hard for me to absorb the settings and picture them i had a hard time reading and understanding this book 🙁
Koka24
December 29, 2011 at 2:29 amI love this book and I cannot wait to read Linger, Forever, And Litter
😀
🙂
😆
😉
Shiver | One More Page
January 2, 2012 at 9:03 pm[…] reviews: Chachic’s Book Nook Good Books and Good Wine Book Harbinger The Book Smugglers Angieville No related posts. This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged 2011, Grace, […]
Paige Bee
January 31, 2012 at 8:37 pmI don’t agree at all, to be honest. 😡 The thing is, this story was NOTHING like Twilight, and to me, the characters seemed very much real. I thought the plot was strong, not weak. I guess you can just say that whatever this person wrote in this review, I’m thinking pretty much the opposite. 😛
I LOVED this book!
John Locke
February 3, 2012 at 8:53 amTHIS BOOK SUCKS!!!!!!!!! Consequently so do vampires, much like the vampires in the Twilight books which this novel was clearly based off of. I sincerely hope that this book does not influence young girls to engage in acts of bestiality, but it undoubtedly will. As long as these girls do not start rejecting the idea of personal hygeine because “bathtubs are scary” the world may still have a chance, albeit a furry one. Note, do not go wandering into the woods. You might find a real wolf, and it might just bite you. You will not turn into a wolf, you will die, a slow and painful death. Furthermore, shape-shifting is impossible because mass cannot simply disappear. If someone was to shape-shift into a wolf, they would be an extremely large wolf that would more than likely be mistaken for bigfoot, and bigfoot isn’t sexy. Mexicans are sexy.
p.s. Have you seen the author’s website?! Clearly not the work of a professional.
Young women of the world, you have been warned!!!! 👿 😈
Anonymous
March 31, 2012 at 6:18 pmWAY BETTER THAN TWILIGHT
The Anonymous M
April 11, 2012 at 2:29 amI think this book is great. O.K, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it was mine. I love the plot, which does differ from Twilight in a lot of ways. The characters are strong and lifelike with their own personalities. And to everyone that argues that this book gives people the wrong idea about shape-shifting and it being impossible, lighten up. Who really cares if vampires and werewolves are fantasy? It’s just some fun and I think that people should chill and if they don’t like it, then fine, but there’s no reason to absolutley slate it just because the plot consists of mythical legends. 😆
Vikki-T
May 10, 2012 at 3:10 pmI LOVE SHIVER SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous
July 7, 2012 at 9:03 pmThis book is nothing like twilight although it is very good.
There are no werewolves in twilight, they are shape-shifters.
Book Writer
September 6, 2012 at 10:23 amI would like to say a few things due to the comments on here.
1. This book wasnt based off of Twilight. Yes it has wolves in them. but the Twilight books had Jacob and the pack being shape shifters, if you read all of the books, you would read that they could have changed into anything but a wolf was what they chose. 🙂
2. Maggie never tried making Sam or Grace sexy looking, she told the readers how they looked and you chose whether or not that was hot. Of course Grace thought sam was hot and of course Sam thought Grace was sexy. But Maggie didnt say in the book that Grace is totally sexy and the same with sam.
3. The “bath tub”. For one certain comment on here, no this book will not make other people scared of the bath tub and not want them to have showers or baths because of this book. It clearly tells you in all three books that Sam took showers in the upstairs bathroom at his adopted fathers home due to them having a shower, no bath tub. No this book will not tell people to go make love with wolves because lets face it, people have more brains then that no matter what this world is like now. Or any other animal for that matter. And the last thing i have to say to the person that left the comment, no it never says that shape shifting is capable. OF COURSE WE KNOW ITS NOT TRUE! this book isnt real, so things that cant happen in the real world can happen in books. anything is possible. Anything people dream up can happen. obviously you havent read any of Darren Shan’s books. But thats another matter.
4. The love that Sam and Grace have is very real! people might think love at first site isnt real but very much is. For example…online dating, people talk online and then finally decide to meet…and who knows..they could be in love with their words..and when they first meet, be in love with the way they look. I’ve done it with my fiance. talked on the computer for 2 years never meeting but only being a town away…then finally meeting two years ago and getting engaged a year later, and then getting married this october. Love at first site is VERY real. and Grace and Sam even though when it happens Sam isnt human…they fall in love..it happens. so please if you dont care for the books. Please dont be rude. The books are amazing I just wish she would have kept writing more books for the series.
Anonymous
January 14, 2013 at 5:34 pmSome of you guys are frickin’ nuts. This book was hands-down one of the best I’ve read in a while.
Heidi
June 8, 2013 at 9:35 pmI personally freakin loved this book! It was just so amazing.!(‘: It was fantasy brought to life, i could clearly imagine each and every sentence, no words can explain how good this book is! It nothing like twilight, it is somthing new and grand! I just love this book!(‘:
Review: “Shiver” by Maggie Stiefvater » Starlight Book Reviews
July 20, 2013 at 5:08 pm[…] And because I believe in being fair and balanced, a less sparkling review by Thea at The Book Smugglers […]
Anonymous
July 22, 2013 at 3:59 amTHIS BOOK WAS OMG AMAZING I LOVED IT SOOOOOOO MUCH> I JUST FBHEBFKEFHGV KHDGVSHGDHGSGDCSAGHDCWSDCGHCWDHG. IT IS AMAZZING
Anonymous
October 26, 2013 at 3:49 amMan, I definitely agree with the person reviewing Shiver. The book completely sucked for all the reasons she mentioned. And if it makes the reviewer an anathema in girl romance world, it makes me one too.
Aubrey Wilhite
October 29, 2013 at 9:44 pmThis is mine second time to read this book! It’s a really good book
Anonymous
November 22, 2014 at 2:39 pmi really liked the book 🙂
Review: Shiver - Roadside Reader
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Review: Shiver | Roadside Reader
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