Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Finished on: November 22, 2012
Released: August 1st 2009 by Scholastic Press
Source: Owned
Rating: 3/5

Summary 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 don't really know how I feel about this one. I was really excited to read Shiver when I first bought it, but I was a little disappointed. I think I was just expecting more. There were moments that I was into the story and moments where I put it down and struggled with picking it up again.

I liked Grace, but I didn't love her. Overall, she was a bit boring. I didn't like Sam at all. He wasn't my type of guy and that mixed with boring Grace made for relationship that I really didn't care about. I wasn't buying the relationship anyway. They were completely devoted to one another, but I never understood why. I know Sam saved Grace when he was a wolf years ago but that's just it: he was a wolf. Grace never even knew he was a human, but the second she finds out she's suddenly head over heels? I like the tough, funny, more "bad boy", "manly man" type male characters. Sam is none of those and I thought it was weird he would randomly have lyrics in his head for everything. I'm sure these characters would and do appeal to many readers, they just aren't my personal cup of tea. Honestly, I was a lot more interested in the secondary characters like Isabel, Olive, and Beck.

Outside the characters, however, I can find no fault. The writing style itself, while sometimes slow, is always clear, intelligent, and descriptive. Maggie Stiefvater can definitely create some beautiful head imagery.  The plot and storyline I found very interesting and because of that I'll eventually read the next installment: Linger. The whole concept of the wolf pack was compelling and I had many questions; That's what got me to finish the story.  I love a good love story though and on that end I was disappointed. Shiver was a lot more entertaining than some other books I've read this year and except for the characters the writing was quite well-done so I will recommend this book. While I didn't go crazy for it, I can see how some other readers would.