Review:SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

SYNOPSIS:
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.


REVIEW:
Shiver is the poignant love story of a werewolf boy and a human girl. Grace is drawn to a particular wolf with yellow eyes who had saved her.When six years later,Grace meets the half human blood covered Sam six years later,their mutual attraction strengthens to form a strong bond of love. However,Sam lives two lives. He remains a human for the summer and changes into a werewolf for the colder parts of the year. But now,Sam must fight to keep himself human if he has to protect his love.
Shiver is a particularly attractive paranormal romance. It takes the common genre to a different level. The theme has been elevated by Maggie’s lyrical writing and the sensory perceptions she projects through it. I love the way Maggie writes-elegant and soothing even when there is such tension and so many things happening. Shiver is one of those rare works of art that you’d continue reading if your house were burning down around you. This is a wonderful book that not only captures your imagination,but also your heart!
I liked two incidents in the book in particular. One,the way Maggie describes the candies in a candy shop-she proffers scope for extreme sensations of smell…to smell is to feel and to feel is to smell(I sure will try this out the next time I visit a candy store)! Simply awesome! The second,how parents slash the wrists of a son to cure him of what they think is a disease when he switches between human and ‘monster’ form. The secondary characters are also skillfully drawn. I especially like the character of Isabel-her indulgence in style and beauty,her grief on losing her brother along with her perfect comic timing and ‘I care a damn’ attitude made her a very lovable character for me. The difference in the attitudes(besides their physical differentiation) of each werewolf also intrigued me.
I do not however understand why every parent in the book has been sketched in gray,unfit shades!
Even then,I absolutely enjoyed Shiver. This is an extremely enjoyable read and I totally recommend it! Maggie’s style of writing is the most wonderful among all the other authors in this genre. Though there are a few loose ends,these in no way spoil the fun of the book. Shiver is sure to give the other paranormal romances a run for their money!! I can’t wait to get my hands on Linger to see what happens next!

My Rating:5/5 :)