Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)
User reviews
Shiver.
The name of the book.
The name of what I did when I read it.
The author, Maggie Stiefvater, really captured everything in the book. From her vivid descriptions of the characters and settings, this book was a page-turner.
Grace, the main character, is in love with her wolf. It's been her wolf for awhile. The one way she can find him is because of his eyes. Those yellow eyes that seem to watch her. It wasn't until one day when Grace found him naked on her porch. Everybody's fantasy, right? To find a hot naked guy on your porch? Grace cared for Sam, the human wolf, and they later bonded. A typical love story, with a lot of twists, including Sam's last change before he's a permanent wolf. He'll never be human again and won't be able to physical be with Grace...
I recommend to this...everybody. Especially those wolf lovers.
*cough, cough* Team Jacob *cough, cough*.
You guys won't be disappoint.
?
I had some doubts about this book, only because I was a little tired of the whole werewolf craze going around, but I really enjoyed this book. This book still had werewolves in it but it added a little twist to it that was really good. I really loved Sam because, he was so amazingly sweet. Grace was so strong and I loved her for it. Isabel even grew on me after awhile. I was heartbroken when Sam told Grace what his parents to him, and I felt awful for Grace when she had to push Sam into the bathtub. Maggie Stiefvater did an amazing job with this book. No more team Jacob, I am 100% team Sam!!! I can't wait to meet my yellow eyed boy, with a head of black hair. I cannot wait until the next book comes out!!! Good job Maggie Stiefvater!!!!
Can Grace save Sam? This is the question that keeps two fated lovers apart. Separated by DNA, Grace is a girl who hides her emotions and has an obsession with the wolves that linger behind her house; Sam is one of those wolves. As a child he saved Grace's life and now if there to be together she must save his, but can she? As spring changes into winter there time begins to quickly run out......Can love conquer a timeless genetic mutation or will the minutes, hours, and days slowly just slip away......Will they have to make every second count? How many layers do you think it takes to stay warm? Read and find out......Shiver by Maggie Steifvater.
When I was reading Shiver, I actually got shivers. hahaha. When I finished this book, I wanted to cry and smile and laugh at the same time. This is one of the sweetest love story I have EVER read. Maggie Stiefvater has a talant for writing such breath-taking love stories. I can barely write this review right now because I am so happy and sad. So beautiful.
Lots of people have really enjoyed this book. It was enjoyable but just too slow for me. The way the writing flows, it is at a slow pace and there are not a lot of fast paced action scenes. Despite this, it wasn't boring. The writing and characters were excellent. Her version of werewolves was different and interesting. I did read the sequel, Linger, and enjoyed it more.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater was a very fresh, new, amazing new take on a werewolf story. I fell in love with it ever since the first word. The way the book was written, in my eyes, was very poetic. I think Maggie was trying to go for that type of poetic feel especially for the werewold scenes because werewolves can't talk so you would have to find out a new way to express the wereolf's feelings. I got this book for christmass '09 and I read it Christmass day and finished it Christmass day. It was really that good. I love how, in the book, the wereolves only have a limited amount of time of switching back and forth until the dreaded day they become a wolf. . . forever. I'm not much of a fan of guys with long hair so I didn't really see Sam as a hottie. Just putting that out there. Just the way that the book was written, you could feel cold when it was a cold scene, you feel hot/warm when it's a hot/warm scene. It is really well written. Some books, just the way it is written takes away from the enjoyment of the book. Not with Shiver. though.
There aren't any slow, boring scenes. I loved how it flowed. The author describes the wereolvs so well it is easy to picture them in your head. Just a perfect, clean, clear picture. It flowed like a movie, and it just so happens it is being made into a movie. I can't wait for it. I think my favorite charecter would probably have to be Olive. If I had to make a choice to take the disease or just be a werewolf, I would so choose to be a werewolf. Shiver had happy scenes, sad scenes, adrenaline-filled scenes, excited scenes, and all other scenes that are available. I was sad when Beck turned for the last time, never to become human again. I like/d Beck! He seemed really nice. I wouldn't want to snap a bunch of chicken necks like he made Sam do, though! I'm vegan. The background information about Sam was really intense, you know, with the whole bath tub and everything. I like/d how throughout the book, Sam had flashbacks of his childhood. It helped you understand Sam a lot more.
Just finished reading Shiver for the second time in
anticipation of the July release of Linger (the second book in the
Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy). It was just as wonderfully amazing as the first
time I read it last December. Maggie Stiefvater is an amazing writer and I am
so very excited to see where the story ends in the final installment, Forever
due out in 2011.
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, Same 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 ... unitl 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. -From Maggie Stiefvater's website.
The writing is absolutely amazing; the prose is beautifully crafted. Maggie
knows exactly how to get you really "into" a scene, a moment, a
feeling. The tone - the novel's core feeling - seeps from every scene. The
longing Same and Grace feel for each other and their understanding that time is
running out for them comes through every part of the novel. You can't help but
hope that they will find a way to be together and Sam will avoid shifting.
Beyong the wonderful writing, the characters are all realistic and interesting.
From the very beginning you're drawn into Grace and Sam's story. The novel
opens with Grace being attacked by a pack a wolves. It's not a violent,
introduction, as one might expect; Grace is calm and unafraid. immediately you
want to know why she's attacked, why she's not scared, and who the yellow-eyed
wolf who saves her is.
I especially enjoyed the narration shifts between Grace and Sam. By shifting
the story between the two you are pulled into their story even more. These
shifts aren't every other chapter, but are clearly carefully thought out as to
whose viewpoint a moment would be best told through. The chapters vary greatly
in length as well, which helps push the story forward and keeps the pacing from
dragging in the middle.
Beyond the content, this book is one of the most beautifully designed I've
seen. The cover is gorgeous; the blue graphic art with the red blood spot for
the dot on the "i" all work perfectly. Plus the entire interior text
is a beautiful dark, dark blue! So very pretty and original.
I absolutely loved this book and am eagerly awaiting the next two.
Get this book immediately and begin reading
I really, really like this book. It was
beautiful in many sections, and the emotion felt between Sam and Grace seems
electric, real and totally engaging. The story is told from the
perspective of both of the central protagonists, which sets it apart from the
others and allows one to feel the different feelings, the mixed emotions and
the pain Grace feels, as she knows she may have to lose her true love to an
eternal winter. The story is powerful and moves at a good pace as it
tells the tale of a girl who falls in love with the most inconvenient of people
(Sound familiar?) a wolf. And as she realises that they can really be
together, they are forced to find a way of stopping themselves being torn
apart.
The characters in this book are brilliantly well
made, from the frantic, art loving mum who dejects her daughter, but is still
oddly loveable, to Sam an incredible, sensitive well structured character that
doesnt annoy and really does pull at the heart strings. Of course there is
Grace who, to me, feels just so real, as does her group of friends, the proper
mix of people that often occur in the strange world of adolescence. This is a very powerful, beautiful book with
very powerful beautiful characters.
However, I dont think that there is enough in
this book to set it apart from the rest of the books in this bloated genre. Im not saying thats because its bad, its
not, in fact Id say its better than most, I just think that it wont be recognised
amongst all the over titles, as its a gentle, calm love story, something that
might stay on the shelves while more well known, more shouty things are picked
up.
But this is a very small problem in a book that
is, generally very, very beautiful and powerful, a book that will have you
thinking about it long after youve turned the last page, the kind of book to
truly lose yourself in.
Yours truly, Alex Lines, a 14 year old British
male who reads far, far too much.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, told from the points of view of the two main characters, is a story of temptation, romance, loss, and love. The two protagonists are two teens, Grace Brisbane and Sam Roth, who are soulmates that have yet to meet each other- at least when they are both of the same species. The two are separated by one pivitol fact: Sam Roth, the boy with the luring yellow eyes, is not just a boy, but a thing of folk lore- he is a werewolf. His inability to control his changing into a werewolf fights his will to hold on to his humanity as well as his love, Grace. The year that he and Grace finally meet and embrace their love may be Sam's last as a human- forever. The cold winter air that brings on the change of human to wolf threatens their dreams of staying together, and they fight the inevitable, Sam losing his humanity and forever becoming a wolf, with their everlasting love. Sam and Grace have finally found each other, but will they be able to hold on?
Shiver truly surprised me. With all the supernatural romances today, I expected this book to be just another generic werewolf story, but Maggie Stiefvater was successful at telling a great and unique tale of all the things I love most: werewolves and romance! I applaude Maggie and have to say that Shiver is definately a novel that I recommend to any of you readers who seek a little out of the ordinary love story.
Grace was attacked by wolves in her backyard when she was 11 years old. That incident has affected her more than she ever imagined. Now 17, Grace prefers winter to summer because she can watch her wolf in the woods behind her house. Sam is 18 years old and works summers near Grace. His yellow eyes are his most distinguishing feature. In fact, they are the same yellow eyes of Graces wolf. Sam is a werewolf and changes form not by the phases of the moon but rather by cold temperatures. Events unravel that bring Grace and Sam together and they discover a soul-mate bond with one another. But his days as a human are numbered. With the help of Sams wolf pack and Graces friends, they discover a cure for the werewolves. Will they be able to save Graces friends? Will she be in time to save Sam? In a brilliantly written conclusion, Sams permanent conversion is unveiled.
The story is told from Graces and Sams perspectives, as indicated at the beginning of each chapter. Stiefvater has miraculously created two distinct voices for the characters; it is obvious whose perspective the story is coming from. I was also impressed by the authors ability to describe the chemistry between Grace and Sam in a realistic way and without resorting to telling us about it; she describes glances and gasps, touches and eye contact. She also uses an interesting plot device: Each chapter opens with the current temperature. As readers follow the story, the importance of the degrees dropping help carry the story forward. When the temperature hovers just above freezing, the anxiety of finding the cure is subtly reinforced. The cold blue type and end pages reinforce the theme as well. Fans of the Twilight series and genre will find a treasure in this book.
I can hardly wait for the sequel! When is the movie coming out? This ones a natural. No wonder it made YALSAs Quick Pick Nominations for 2009.
(This review originally appeared in my blog, YA Need Books; reprinted here with permission of the author--me!)
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