Shiver

Bibliography
Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver. New York: Scholastic, 2009. Print.

My Thoughts
I enjoyed this "werewolf" book very much and look forward to finishing the trilogy. Book one, Shiver, is the love story of Sam Roth and Grace Brisbane.

When Grace was a child, she was mauled by wolves near her backyard. There was one wolf who protected her, and she remembered his yellow eyes. She looked for her yellow-eyed wolf every year until one day, he appeared--in human form!

The love story was the basic plot line and enjoyable. The first kiss was on page 87. There was a sexual encounter between the two, but it was treated respectfully (and late in the book). There are several other characters that interact and serve a purpose. As I know there are two more books, I speculated that some things mentioned were foreshadowing for the other books. Can't wait to see if I'm correct.

I enjoyed the story even though I questioned some parts. For example, can her parents be so detached that they don't realize a boy is basically living at their home? (I find it interesting that I don't question the aspect of human changing into wolf during the cold months--seems reasonable to me). 

Is it common knowledge that wolves have a "wordless language" (Stiefvater 54) or did Stephenie Meyer create the "do's and don'ts" of contemporary literary werewolves?

Could Isabel really have access to the medical clinic, and why weren't there any security cameras to be concerned with when the teens visit?

Will Benadryl work on wolves? I once heard that it didn't affect dogs.

The title is referenced multiple times in the book, as well as the titles of the next two in the trilogy. As Sam "shivers" to stay warm and remain human and Grace "shivers" as her beliefs are challenged, the title fits the book.

There were moments, descriptions,  that Stiefvater created that moved me. This is not your typical "werewolf" book. It's a story of relationships, sacrifices, obsession, heartache, friendships, loyalty and surprise.