Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

I started reading Shiver and immediately loved the language. I loved the lyrical and descriptive sentences, as well as the fact that it was based on two points of view, both Grace and Sam. However as the story progressed, I found that sometimes it was very difficult to keep track of who was speaking…ie., who was the “I” in that particular chapter. It got confusing at times, and I found myself having to go back and check the chapter title.

That said, my favorite thing about this book was unequivocally the imagery. Maggie Stiefvater is an excellent writer and creates a world that is so visual that you get drawn right into the middle of it, even if you don’t want to. I loved that about Shiver. Her writing is so rich and evocative!

I adored Beck. Now he was an interesting character! I would have loved to have known more about him, and also get a little more dynamic between him and Grace…sort of ex-father figure and new love interest. Who where the three people he turned and why did they want to be turned? I also liked Isabel a lot – she seemed to have more spark and dimension than Grace. I wanted to see more of her, and loved that she was so feisty when she was out looking for Sam in one of their barns.

Overall I would rate Shiver 4 stars for its gorgeous writing. As many other reviewers have said, fans of Twilight will enjoy this story, especially younger teen readers.