Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Source/Format: freebie, iBooks ebook

More Detains: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher/Publication Date: August 1, 2009, Scholastic Press

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

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 have to admit that I struggled with Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and I really wanted to like it. There wasn’t anything particularly bad about it that immediately made me hate it. It’s just that it took me a week to read 138 pages, which was just way too long for such a small amount. For some reason I was bored despite the fact that I thought the writing was nice. Stiefvater’s style is definitely something worth noting, because it was easy to read and conveyed the story in a way that should have interested me. However, I don’t think I’m in the mood for a paranormal novel that involves werewolves, so maybe now wasn’t the right time to read Shiver. Another issue that might have something to do with why I’ve decided to put this book down had to do with the story and the main character. Grace…oh Grace **sigh** I felt like it was rushed, like there was no prior buildup to Grace and Sam’s relationship other than the fact that he was a werewolf that she saw around the outskirts of her yard. And with a relationship like that—based on so little—I just didn’t buy it when she suddenly decided to let him stay in her bedroom. So yeah, I’ve decided to put Shiver aside because I have to move on to other books. Maybe one day I’ll give it another try, but for now I’m done with it.