Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) 

Author: Maggie Stiefvater 

Rating: DNF/2 Stars

I think this is where Stiefvater and I go our separate ways. I never intended to read Shiver. In fact, I was more than a little convinced it wasn't the book for me, but after loving Stiefvater'sScorpio Races and enjoying The Raven Boys more than just a little, I knew I had to give this one a shot. Surprisingly enough, I found myself admitting that Shiver is a book I could have loved. It is. I loved the idea, the concept, the characters, and how, at the core of this story, was a literal battle for humanity. Yet, what prevented me from finishing this book (even though I was at the 63% mark) and from even liking this novel was, quite unfortunately, the pacing.

I feel as if Stiefvater's book always receive complaints about pacing. "It's too slow." "I was bored." "I can't wait for the plot to pick up." Ironically though, my problem was that the pacing was simply too fast. You see, Shiver opens up by telling us the brief history of Sam and Grace, a werewolf and a normal human girl. When Grace was young, she was dragged into the woods by a pack of wolves and saved by Sam. Thus, ever since then, Grace has been more than a little obsessed with what she calls "her" wolf. What Grace doesn't know though, is that Sam is a werewolf and he's been watching her all these years too, steadily dreading the day when he will no longer be able to shift back into a human. It is only when a teenage boy is reported to be killed by the wolves that Grace uncovers Sam's secret and from there on out, it's a deadly race to see if their love can withstand time as Sam's days as a human only begin to dwindle.

Now, here is where my problem with Shiver begins to creep up. When Grace sees Sam on her front porch, hurt, she takes him to the hospital, waits for him to heal, takes him back to her house, and then they make out in the kitchen. While I have no problem with a novel focused on romance, I did have a problem with the complete and utter rush that their love story became. While Grace and Sam have known each other for years, Grace has been in love with a wolf, not a human boy. Thus, I wanted her to have some type of a logical reaction to Sam. I wanted her to gradually develop a friendship with Sam the human and then fall in love with him. Whatever anyone may say, a wolf and a human are two very different creatures. Sam's role in this romance is believable, but Grace's part? Not so much. Consequently, I couldn't summon up even an iota of emotion for these two although their scenes were cute and should have made me "aww!" on more than one occasion.

What I did love, however, was Stiefvater's unique take on werewolf lore. In her world, werewolves shift not during the full moon, but when the temperature falls, forcing their bodies to change. I feel as if what Stiefvater did with this concept, her portrayal of Sam's constant struggle to retain his human self and not turn into a wolf, was simply superb. I doubt any other author could have handled that situation as beautifully as Stiefvater did and I have to give her props for that. Shiver contains Stiefvater's lyrical prose and quite honestly, her writing and Sam were the only two things that really kept me moving past the half-way mark of this book. Well, that and the plot which was gripping, unique, and really very interesting I have to admit.

While my lack of emotion for Grace and Sam's romance was my primary fault with this novel, I was also disappointed by some of the dual narration in this book. In some areas, Sam and Grace's narrations sounded the same to me and the clear, distinct voices that belonged to them were lost. Furthermore, I was never able to paint a clear picture of Grace from her narration. When we see Grace from Sam's perspective, we see her for the girl she really is - smart, spunky, and fiercely independent, all while having been neglected by her parents and thus seeking comfort from her one savior, the wolf. Through Sam's eyes, Grace's strange beastial affection for "her" wolf doesn't seem so strange, but I did still wish fiercely that Stiefvater would have allowed Grace and Sam to fall in love and distinguished them from Grace and the wolf. With their love story coming to an abrupt completion less than a quarter through the novel, I know it could have been expanded further without taking away from the rest of this story.

Nevertheless, Shiver is a novel I can't really pass judgement on. It didn't work for me, simply because I wanted more from the romance and that's my personal qualm. I, unlike most readers I suspect, am not a romance fan, and as such, I need a little more substance to my love stories. If it hadn't been for the rapid romance in this novel, I know I would have probably wound up giving it 3.5 or even 4 Stars. I really do like Shiver, but without much emotion, I couldn't bring myself to care or possibly continue with the story. Thus, I'd say to give Shiver a try. While many other reviewers have mentioned the implausibilities in this relationship, not to mention the convenience of Grace's absentee parents, I truly think these are small qualms to have with a novel that simply bursts with creativity. I envy the readers who have been able to fall in love with this novel but after all, it takes all sorts to make this world, doesn't it?