To preface this entry, I should share something about myself. We read Romeo and Juliet in my 8th grade literature class. I didn't like it. Partly because I am firmly committed to reading prose. But. Even when my hormones were the fiercest and my emotions turned on a knife edge, I did not believe in love at first site. Let alone love at first staring deeply into the eyes of a werewolf while being dragged of into the wilderness from your swingset. So when I say, Shiver is young adult literature that reads like young adult literature, keep in mind that I didn't even like young adult literature as a young adult. If you (or your local young adult) enjoyed Twilight, Shiver is probably up your ally. Disclaimers completed.
Shiver is the story of Grace who was attacked by wolves as a small child, but was saved by a beautiful yellow eyed wolf. She has loved the wolves ever since, and when she is a senior in high school discovers that the wolf is really an emo werewolf, Sam. Star crossed lover story ensues.
This book did not do it for me.
Reason #1 - I like my female protagonists strong. Grace is not completely without backbone, but there is really nothing interesting about her. She has no interests, passions, or opinions other than the fact that the wolves that tried to eat her as a small child are really great.
Reason #2 - There is no overarching plot or challenge for the characters to work through. There are some subplots - will Sam turn into a werewolf forever? Will Grace be able to maintain her human friendships now that she is in love with a werewolf? Will Sam be able to write the perfect song lyrics to make Grace understand how he feels about her (barf)? If I'm going to spend time with a novel that is purely about spending time with the characters, they had better be better company than Grace and Sam.
Reason #3 - Absentee parent syndrome. I understand that to write a book about kids where the kids get to do things that normal kids can't, there has to be a reason that the adults aren't paying attention. Hence why the parents in every Roald Dahl children's book are either dead or twisted. But this is about a 17 year old girl. Parents that would notice that a boy has moved into their 17 year old daughter's bedroom would actually make this story more interesting, not less.
Long Story Short - If you're into love at first site stories and emo werewolves, you will probably like this. If not, the fantasy of this fantasy world is not engaging enough to be worth your time.
Shiver is the story of Grace who was attacked by wolves as a small child, but was saved by a beautiful yellow eyed wolf. She has loved the wolves ever since, and when she is a senior in high school discovers that the wolf is really an emo werewolf, Sam. Star crossed lover story ensues.
This book did not do it for me.
Reason #1 - I like my female protagonists strong. Grace is not completely without backbone, but there is really nothing interesting about her. She has no interests, passions, or opinions other than the fact that the wolves that tried to eat her as a small child are really great.
Reason #2 - There is no overarching plot or challenge for the characters to work through. There are some subplots - will Sam turn into a werewolf forever? Will Grace be able to maintain her human friendships now that she is in love with a werewolf? Will Sam be able to write the perfect song lyrics to make Grace understand how he feels about her (barf)? If I'm going to spend time with a novel that is purely about spending time with the characters, they had better be better company than Grace and Sam.
Reason #3 - Absentee parent syndrome. I understand that to write a book about kids where the kids get to do things that normal kids can't, there has to be a reason that the adults aren't paying attention. Hence why the parents in every Roald Dahl children's book are either dead or twisted. But this is about a 17 year old girl. Parents that would notice that a boy has moved into their 17 year old daughter's bedroom would actually make this story more interesting, not less.
Long Story Short - If you're into love at first site stories and emo werewolves, you will probably like this. If not, the fantasy of this fantasy world is not engaging enough to be worth your time.
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