Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Natalie

What if you couldn't have the one you loved?



While this archetypal theme is extremely common in literature,
especially in teen fiction, Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver presents a fresh
take on the idea. In her latest novel, two teenagers in love are not
separated by race, social standing, or even parents. They're threatened
with separation by the coming winter, which will force Sam into his
other form, a wolf. Stiefvater's writing has the perfect amount of
description, and borders on poetic at some points. Her writing style
has a soft, well put together flow to it, while managing to keep the
reader turning pages.



As far as the plot goes, Stiefvater has taken werewolf mythology
down a whole new road. I've heard of the "change" being caused by
night, the lunar cycle, or even willpower. But a change initiated by
the changing of season was extremely creative, and aided in forming a
gripping, original plot.



With the plethora of teen fantasy romance books being published
after the onslaught of Twilight, I was afraid that this book would fall
into the poorly written majority. I'm glad to say that this is not the
case with Shiver. The main characters, Sam and Grace, experience the
natural, everyday emotions of the average teenager, along with those
problems caused by Sams condition, creating an interesting blend of
the real and the supernatural. The only complaint I would have at all
about the book is that I would have liked to see some more development
of the minor characters. But overall, this book provided a unique plot
with memorable characters. I would recommend Shiver to those readers
who are looking for a well-written fantasy novel, as well as those who
are just looking for a good read in general.