Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

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.

I finished this book with tears flowing down my cheeks. I was speechless, I enjoyed this book way more than I expected I would, it surpassed all my expectations. And truthfully, I don’t remember the last time I read something that made me cry. Please applaud to Maggie Stefvater for making me cry because there is an amazing accomplishment because I am sure Maggie did not write this book intending for her readers to cry while reading.

EDIT: Sorry everyone, Nina pointed out my mistake. I Googled and Maggie actually intended for people to cry while reading Shiver. She said ‘With Shiver, I wanted to write a book that would make someone sneak a peek of it in their cubicle, and then mascara would run down their face, and they could shake their fist at the sky and curse me to the heavens.’

At first, I felt that their first kiss came too fast. But the more I read, their love for each other became more realistic. Unknowingly, I was two hundred pages into the book and I wasn’t stopping there. Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is incredible, it flows smoothly and lyrically.

I loved Stiefvater’s fascinating take on the werewolf genre. After reading some books on werewolf, I still wasn’t a fan of them… until now. I felt in love with Sam and the pack except for Shelby. Sam is a sweet thoughtful guy and I immediately fell for him. Grace is a herione that we need to see more of in YA books, she’s unstoppable. She won’t just resent to fate and let Sam be a wolf. Her determination makes her a wonderful character.

As the days pass and time is running out, Grace and Sam try to prevent him from changing back into a wolf. This is his last time he will be human, soon he’ll be a wolf, permanently. Their alternating POVs gives readers a clear insight on their individual struggles they are facing. Some scenes in the book were so well described, for example, I loved reading about the candy shop, I could practically inhale the delicious smell of candy while reading. My heart ached when during the bookstore scene when Sam wanted Grace to notice him. My heart nearly shattered into pieces at the end, thus the tears.

Shiver is a beautiful heart warming tale which will send shivers down your spine. I am satisfied if it’s a standalone but in this case, there are two more books due for this series so we will be getting more of Sam and Grace. This is a book you absolutely have to read.

Maggie Stiefvater sold movie rights for SHIVER so you know what that means. In a few years time you might see SHIVER on the big screen! Comment and discuss who you think would be ideal to play Grace and Sam! And this November, I am going to be having book discussions for SHIVER so please come back then to discuss!

Gold star!