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Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Jan. 28th, 2011 08:12 pmTitle: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: New York: Scholastic Press, 2009
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 392
Total Page Count: 97,737
Text Number: 280
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from the library
Review: As a child, Grace was attacked by a wolf pack and might have died, but that she was rescued by a golden-eyed wolf. Since then, she and her wolf have shared an unusual bond—and now a teenager, Grace discovers that her wolf may also be human. Shiver is an unapologetic paranormal romance, which may come as a surprise to readers who are expecting urban fantasy with romantic aspects and get romance with a side of plot instead. Explicit romances aren't normally to my taste, and I found Shiver offputting at first. But the book embraces its genre so enthusiastically that it's difficult to begrudge: this is a story of soulmates, bittersweet and heavy on the heartfelt sighs, and about as indulgent you'd expect. That isn't to say that the romance is particularly moving, but it is aptly atmospheric: in beautiful blue print, occurring in a vivid winter brought to life by lyrical descriptions, centered around true love, Shiver is a cool, dreamy, idealized tale. With dual narrators the beginning is redundant and slow; it isn't until the 60-page mark that things get underway, but once they do, the character interaction is lovely (Sam is a particular delight) and the romance is lovely escapism. The pacing slows again at the end of the book—in fact, whenever plot eclipses romance, the book tends to flag. But Shiver is a romance at its heart, and as a romance it's a quietly successful guilty pleasure.
I would have preferred, however, that the characters were out of their teens. On one hand, Shiver is a realistic portrayal of puppy love; on the other, that very thing invites dismissal: these are silly kids, not starcrossed soulmates. The age of characters also dims the sexual aspect of their relationship, so while there is sex most of the passion is reserved for makeout sessions—which, in a story of life, death, and true love, comes across as weak and silly. If the characters were just a few years older, their relationship would still be youthful first love, but it would have passion and meaning too. In both appearance and style, Shiver is a very beautiful book—but it wants to be something more than that. This is atmospheric escapism, a quiet pleasure despite its flaws, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected I would; I give it a moderate recommendation. But it could have been more, and unfortunately what it is little more than pleasant fluff.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: New York: Scholastic Press, 2009
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 392
Total Page Count: 97,737
Text Number: 280
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from the library
Review: As a child, Grace was attacked by a wolf pack and might have died, but that she was rescued by a golden-eyed wolf. Since then, she and her wolf have shared an unusual bond—and now a teenager, Grace discovers that her wolf may also be human. Shiver is an unapologetic paranormal romance, which may come as a surprise to readers who are expecting urban fantasy with romantic aspects and get romance with a side of plot instead. Explicit romances aren't normally to my taste, and I found Shiver offputting at first. But the book embraces its genre so enthusiastically that it's difficult to begrudge: this is a story of soulmates, bittersweet and heavy on the heartfelt sighs, and about as indulgent you'd expect. That isn't to say that the romance is particularly moving, but it is aptly atmospheric: in beautiful blue print, occurring in a vivid winter brought to life by lyrical descriptions, centered around true love, Shiver is a cool, dreamy, idealized tale. With dual narrators the beginning is redundant and slow; it isn't until the 60-page mark that things get underway, but once they do, the character interaction is lovely (Sam is a particular delight) and the romance is lovely escapism. The pacing slows again at the end of the book—in fact, whenever plot eclipses romance, the book tends to flag. But Shiver is a romance at its heart, and as a romance it's a quietly successful guilty pleasure.
I would have preferred, however, that the characters were out of their teens. On one hand, Shiver is a realistic portrayal of puppy love; on the other, that very thing invites dismissal: these are silly kids, not starcrossed soulmates. The age of characters also dims the sexual aspect of their relationship, so while there is sex most of the passion is reserved for makeout sessions—which, in a story of life, death, and true love, comes across as weak and silly. If the characters were just a few years older, their relationship would still be youthful first love, but it would have passion and meaning too. In both appearance and style, Shiver is a very beautiful book—but it wants to be something more than that. This is atmospheric escapism, a quiet pleasure despite its flaws, and I enjoyed it much more than I expected I would; I give it a moderate recommendation. But it could have been more, and unfortunately what it is little more than pleasant fluff.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
