| Title: Shiver |
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| Author: Maggie Stiefvater | ||
| Genre: Paranormal | ||
| Publisher: Scholastic | ||
| Elements: Werewolves | ||
| Series: Book 1 of the Wolves of Mercy Fall series |
First off I have to say that I loved Magggie Stiefvater's The Books of Faeries series, so I had higher expectations for this. Next, I get why most of you I've talked to love Shiver. I'm not one of them, so please don't tell me the reasons why Shiver is great, how pure the love between Sam and Grace is, why I should lurrrveee Shiver, because I don't.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.
Most of the book was draggy, with Grace and Sam proclaiming their love for each other every other chapter and appreciating the other's cuteness. I understand that the romance is the central plot, and it was fine at the start. After a couple of lovey dovey mentions however, they started to resemble one of those couples who proclaim their love on Facebook with loads of "Love you hunny bunny", "Oh, wooky booky" and x's and o's.
But it's a romance book, you protest? Methinks the lady doth protest too much.
The pacing was uneven, and that's not to say that that I got used to Maggie Stiefvater's writing after a while. It really was uneven, with the action coming in the last 100 pages. The romance showed off Sam and Grace's relationship off to their best advantage, even though I don't agree with the 'six years of longing and loving they went through'.
There's more to Shiver than the romance, and that's what I liked. Too bad there was so little of it.
P.S. - Ratio of romance:other things mentioned in review = ratio of romance:other things mentioned in book. I kid.
I sort of agree with the romance between Sam and Grace a drag. I started reading Shiver around November (or possibly even October) and I haven't even finished it (and it's already 2010!). I've already read other books and finished them but not Shiver. I think I haven't even passed more than 100 pages when I tucked it away.
ReplyDeleteI love romance and I won't read a novel without even a hint of romance in it but I guess there are times when it's just too much already and it ain't that enticing to read anymore.
But I'll still give it chance. I mean, I already bought it so I might as well make my money worth while.
It's refreshing to read a review that is so radically different from the majority's opinion. Oddly enough, I'm the total opposite of you. I liked Shiver a lot more than I did Lament. I wasn't so much bothered by the pacing than by some of the explanations that was given to explain some things away. But I supposed I was too enamoured by her lyrical prose to really be too riled up.
ReplyDeleteEndoh - Wow, that's a long time to read a book! The action is worth it though, and even though it's draggy, there's quite some background filler in it so you don't want to miss that.
ReplyDeleteLlehn - Thanks Llehn. Yeah, the explanations were quite convenient, such as *SPOILER!* the cure. The events afterwards too.
I love your honest review! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the honest review :)
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading this right now and I find it a bit slow :|