Reviewed by: Amy

Blog Review

Intended Audience Age: 16-18             

Main Characters Age: 17

 Grace, 17, loves the peace and tranquility of the woods behind her home. It is here during the cold winter months that she gets to see her wolf—the one with the yellow eyes. Grace is sure that he saved her from an attack by other wolves when she was nine. Over the ensuing years he has returned each season, watching her with those haunting eyes as if longing for something to happen. When a teen is killed by wolves, a hunting party decides to retaliate. Grace races through the woods and discovers a wounded boy shivering on her back porch. One look at his yellow eyes and she knows that this is her wolf in human form. Fate has finally brought Sam and Grace together, and as their love grows and intensifies, so does the reality of what awaits them. It is only a matter of time before the winter cold changes him back into a wolf, and this time he might stay that way forever. Told from alternating points of view, the narrative takes a classic Romeo & Juliet plot and transforms it into a paranormal romance that is beautiful and moving. Readers will easily identify with the strong, dynamic characters. The mythology surrounding the wolf pack is clever and so well written that it seems perfectly normal for the creatures to exist in today's world.

Sexual Content: 

-Heavy 


Language: 

-Moderate 


Violence: 

-Mild 


Other Notables: 

-Grace hides Sam in her rooms during the entire summer, her parents are complete idiots. 

-When her mom finally meets Sam, she flirts with him. 

-Sam's parents would slice his wrist and put him in hot bath water when he was younger, hoping that losing all that blood would keep him from changing into a werewolf. 





Debuted at #9 on the New York Times bestseller list (and has stayed on it for 28 weeks so far!) I almost feel a little guilty giving this book such a low score, I thought for sure this book was going to be better. I was on the wait list at the library for two weeks. It is a very popular read right now. SHIVER is just too much like a clumsy attempt at writing out a teenager's wish to find a paranormal boy to love and live happily ever after with despite the haphazard outside attempts to break them apart (that truly make little sense). Despite one brush of originality when creating the werewolves, SHIVER deserves this score due to the irritating writing, huge plot holes, and bland romance. I will have to say though, the sequel, Linger, comes out in July, 2010. I will read that and hopefully will be glad I did. 



Rating: 

5 out of 10