Librarian's Review

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

(Grades 9+)Scholastic, August 2009

Ever since Grace survived a horrific attack as a little girl, a wolf in the woods behind her house has visited her. This particular wolf appears every winter and has the most amazing yellow eyes. When a boy in her class is attacked, Grace's wolf appears to her... as a human boy named Sam. And Grace knows somehow that she loves him and is meant to be with him. But she also knows that she's going to lose him. For as the temperature drops, Sam's days as a human are drawing to a close. And to be together, Grace and Sam have to be willing to risk everything.

This is a beautifully written story. There were many passages that I re-read many times because the imagery was so intense. The characterization was well done and there wasn’t one person in the story who I wished would have been left out. Both Grace and Sam narrate the story with chapters switching back and forth between their points of view. Each chapter title is the name of the person relating the events, plus the temperature since it is such a pivotal part of the story.
It was interesting to read Stiefvater’s take on werewolf folklore and I was pretty satisfied with the way that she fit in common lore with some spins of her own. The story is a little slow at first, but once it gets going you won’t want to put it down. I would definitely recommend it to Twilight fans or paranormal romance lovers! The next installment, Linger, comes out in 2010. I’m totally looking forward to it!

Let me know what you think!!