November 25

‘Shiver’ by Maggie Stiefvater

ShiverTo be honest with you, I haven’t really ever read any of Maggie Stiefvater’s work, not until now!

We were all given books to read and fortunately I was given ‘Shiver’ and I think it was one of the best books I have ever read. In this wonderful, amazing book there are two main characters, who pretty much made up of the book, Grace Brisbane and Sam Roth. Sam for six years has been watching and waiting for this one special girl Grace but not as you would expect. Sam when he was seven years of age was violently bitten by wolves and the toxic venom caused him to change into a werewolf as well. After Grace was dragged off her swing set and attacked by wolves he has been waiting for her to change so he can help her settle in but she never did. On the seventh year of waiting for Grace to change, they finally meet in person after Sam got shot in the neck and out of adrenaline changed into a human. Ever since they met they have fallen deeper in love but time is running out for Sam and they need to find a cure before it is too late.

For me, once you start reading this book it would be very difficult to put it down. I don’t think much young people could relate turning into a werewolf in the winter but young people can relate to the love and life problems that occur in the book. I would recommend this book to any teenage girls, who love heart-filled spectacular books. I can guarantee that this book will be one of your favourites books of all time.

Riley K, Year 9

……..

I read this book and almost cried because it is beautifully written.

A little town called Mercy Falls is on the edge of a forest where the wolves live, including Grace’s favourite wolf. They normally hang out in Grace’s house or in the parking lot at Grace’s high school. She sees them when Sam drops her off to school and when picks her up as school finishes.

Grace is your everyday teenage girl. From my point of view, I don’t find anything special about her. She has the teenage sense of humour and an obsession with coffee. And then there is Sam; he is Grace’s ‘True Love’ and ‘her wolf’. At first, he is charming and then witty, then shy. He keeps on being shy for too long and then at the end of the book he starts to let Grace in and he really became Sam.

Sam doesn’t let anything go lightly and thinks about everything thoroughly, not to mention the flow of music lyrics forming in his brain at every situation.

My favourite character would probably be Isobel. She is the rich girl you would think was not a nice person, which is true at the start of the story, or at least that’s how the author lets her seem to be. But at the end of the book she helps Grace and Sam, biting her tongue the whole time. She is sassy and puts a kick into the story.

They mainly mention Beck in memories but he appears in person during the middle of the novel. Beck is the closest thing Sam has to a father. He is responsible and takes care of every wolf in the pack.

Lastly, Jack Culpeper is Isobel’s brother and is known to be dead at the start of the book but actually is going through the transition of a werewolf. He is cocky, arrogant and has no control over his temper and wolf form.

Grace never felt like she fitted in: quiet, sweet, obedient Grace.

What she did feel, it was when she felt the pull to the woods next to her house, but most of all, the lure and longing of ‘her wolf.’ Her life and love life changes when a shooting occurs in the forest. The love that blossoms when this boy enters her life is too much to let him turn back into a wolf so she tries to find a cure for his wolf side.

This book is beautifully written in the way that the characters are explained. You always know what’s going on in both of the main characters’ heads because the author frequently tells the story from two points of view.

I also love the plot. It has so many questions that get tied in at the end and it made me want to read the other books in the series.

I would recommend this to all teenage girls who love a good old romance fantasy. It will make your heart stop. It has a bit of humour, mystery, fantasy and a lot of love.

Emma J, Year 9

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Posted November 25, 2015 by marjk in category Love stories, Student Reviews

About the Author

Teacher-librarian at Aquinas College, Southport, Gold Coast, Australia

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