Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Reading Level: YA, 13+
Publication Date: August 1, 2009
Pages: 400
My Edition: ARC
Amazon Page

Rating: A
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 19/20
Writing - 19/20
Originality - 19/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 94/100

Summary:

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:

From the first words in this novel, I was hooked. I instantly new that this would be my kind of book. And it was. To put it in a few short words: It blew me away. It was just brilliant.

I loved Grace. She just seemed like such a dynamic character. She seemed like someone anyone could be friends with. She had two sides to her. The side when she was with her friends, the simple, calm, nice, and smart girl. Then there was this other side to her, that came out when she was with Sam. She was michievious. She made me laugh. But, Sam was definitely a character I loved. There was just something about him. Whatever it was, Maggie made some fantastic characters that I can't wait to visit again in LINGER.

The writing was brilliant. It flowed so smoothly together, the alternating chapters. Sometimes when reading books with alternating chapters I sometimes wish to read one more then the other, but not here. There was just this gorgeousness to her writing that just hooks you in.

And that doesn't include the originality of the story. Or how much it entertains me. Or how much I would recommend it. I can't say how much I loved this story.

In the end, Maggie Stiefvater wrote a enganging and true to life love story that, with every little kiss Sam gave Grace, you wanted more. You needed it. It was just to gorgeous of a book not to.

And I must add this in here. It is not too often when a book is located in Minnesota. And this book was, and nonetheless, two and a half hours from where I live. I could totally relate to this novel, and I liked that.