Book Review: Shiver

Goodreads 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.

My review:

I enjoyed Shiver, but it wasn't jaw-droppingly wonderful.  After hearing so much about it, I was sure it would be something brilliant.  Well, I was slightly disappointed, but overall I liked Shiver.

Let's start off with the characters, because that's always the most important part of a book for me.  I quite like Grace.  She's not some helpless, whiny young girl; no, she's very capable, stoic, and she takes matters into her own hands.  I really admired her character.  I loved one scene, towards the end, where Grace is captured and must use her wits to save herself.  She is a strong, likeable narrator.

Unfortunately, I didn't like Sam as well as I did Grace.  I wouldn't go as far as to call him a wimp.  However, his voice just never seemed masculine to me.  He's just very sensitive, and he also seems to lack a personality.  I didn't care for him much.

Also, the plot is slow-moving sometimes.  For a while, it didn't seem like there was much going on, but I was eventually drawn in to Grace and Sam's struggle to find a cure so Sam can stay human.  I haven't read a ton of werewolf books, but as far as werewolves go, I think the plot is pretty unique.  The last 100 pages or so are the best; there is a lot more plot development and action.

Finally, the writing.  I like Maggie Stiefvater's writing style a lot.  It's lyrical and moving, and she does a great job creating the atmosphere of the story.  I could picture the town, the snow, and the woods very well in my mind.

One little thing I didn't like was the fact that Grace's parents are so absent.  I know they are supposed to be kind of out of it, but I just thought it's very convenient that they're hardly ever around.  That got on my nerves.  Still, spite a few dislikes, I did enjoy Shiver.  I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Linger.  Can't wait to see how the story continues!

My rating:  7 out of 10 (3.5 stars)

~ The Bookworm