Finished Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver. I am left smiling wistfully, wanting more, and also scratching my head. Just a little.
Shiver is a slow, lyrical teen werewolf story. The writing is poetic and descriptive; smoothly so. It’s a love story in a strange sort of way–when girl and boy meet, they’re already in love. It is not about falling so much as being. The entire story is a sort of meandering chronicle of characters’ time together. It reminds me of a long summer day lying in a field, staring at the clouds scudding by–not much happens, but it happens beautifully, and it happens engagingly. How Stiefvater pulled it off, I just can’t figure out. Hence, I’m left scratching my head.
I found the characters a bit two-dimensional, and I didn’t get a sense of much change or growth in them over the course of the story–but they were likeable. Grace, the girl, is a human in love with the wolves behind her house–stoic, independent, full of longing. Sam, the boy, is a wolf in the winter and a human in the summer–sad, sweet, bookish. Both are flawed, tragic, brave, and devoted. Sam, doubly so.
In any case, I could pull this story to pieces. I’ve read 5-star reviews on Amazon and 1-star reviews on Amazon, and I agree with points at both extremes. But in the end, it’s one of those books that is best to just let be. It is what it is, and it is good at it. If you’re looking for YA action or a typical romance story, I’d suggest looking elsewhere. Shiver is a warm breath of summer in a world of winter: fog hanging in the air, not quite tangible, beautiful. If you try to touch it, you can’t get a hold.