{Review} Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls (#1)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Published: August 1, 2009
by, Scholastic Inc.
Source: Bought (physical copy)
Pages: 392

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance. {Goodreads}

~Trailer:

~Review:
 I have to be honest in all my review right? Ya, I know I do. But I also know that almost every single one of my favorite bloggers absolutely adored this book.....and I....did not. Well, not at first that is.

 So I bought the whole series along time ago and hadnt yet read them so I decided to finally one day. So, I started it! Duh!!! And then....I stopped. It was pretty boring. Then I went on goodreads to look at my friends were saying and came to the first review I saw. One of my favorite bloggers....H.D. If any of you have read the review you obviously know what it says...if not...go read it...(Review).

 Now...Don't bash on him ok? Yes, its not one of those raving reviews but its honesty. And that is what, we as bloggers, are supposed to do. We shouldn't butter up a review and be fake just cause other people really liked that particular book. Or just cus we don't want to hurt any feelings. Of course you should hurt feelings by bashing a book. Soooo not part of the blogger code!(if there is one haha idk..maybe I should make one??) ;) We need to be honest....whether we liked the book or not. We need to express our true thoughts! And that's what H.D. did...and I agree! Like 100%!! But I think liked it a bit more than he did.

So I'm going to have to brake this review into a sort of pro vs. con review.....starting with cons so we can end on a good note ya? :)

Cons:
 So....lets start with...The love story. I really do think it was all a bit familiar don't you think? ...like uhm I don't know....Twilight familiar? ...this was something I agreed with H.D. on. Sam (Edward) was the creepy stalker who was an obsession of Grace's (Bella). She didn't know why but she loved him...he fascinated her...(the wolf). Those yellow eyes that haunted her every thought. And she was the one he couldn't stay away from. He felt it was his duty to protect her....and someday be with her. But in this story..Grace can't talk with her obsession cus he is a wolf. But then one day....they meat person to person...

 One...WOAH!!!!! Nice meat and greet huh? ;) Naked guy on the porch! haha .....anyways skip, skip....to that night after the hospital...(cus of circumstances)...and she invites him to stay..in her room. WOAH!! (again) you just met the dude! Yes he seems familiar. Yes he just told you what he was but uhm!!! Red flags should be going off!!! What if he is just crazy!? What if he is some stalker killer who put on contacts cus he was watching you and your wolf obsession!!? But wait...she flippin invites him to sleep in her bed!!!! Again...agreeing with H.D. here!! What if he were to kill her!? Obviously...one its just a book. Ya let your imagination run free! And two...none of that happens but still...girl needed some common sense.

 Then we have a quicky love story. Seriously. Day two..not even actually it was just the morning after they met.....and they make out in the kitchen. Ya, girl....no. Sorry but no. But honestly you have to keep reading and then it's cute. You just can't think about the time they have known each other on a human to human basis and your all good! That is what I had to do...imagine they knew each other longer than they did.

 Now.....for the writing....Once again agreeing with H.D. I love how authors try to be different and unique. It's great! Go for it! I love different! I love that some of you I can read a page and guess...Oh! Yupp! That could only have been written by "so an so". Its awesome!! BUT!!! Please! I love you Maggie but this line bugged me as much as it bugged H.D. And I couldn't have agreed more with what he had to say so I am going to quote the quote and what H.D. had to say....

"'I was a leaking womb bulging with the promise of conscious thoughts...'

What. The. Heck. I re-read this sentence a million type. I couldn't get over that. What the heck was this? This weird, totally scary metaphor. I'm all for this adventurous prose. I'm all for authors trying new things and trying to stand out and be different. But to compare the idea of having conscious thoughts to a woman's LEAKING WOMB just isn't...real? Would any male (or even female, for that matter) take the moment in extreme agony or frustration to point out that: YEAH, I fell like a leaking womb!

I don't think so."

 Ya, that pretty much sums up my thoughts on that. And like he said.. don't hate...its a matter of opinion. and again good for Maggie and her comparisons! I liked most of them while others...just weird. I'm sorry but that's just how I felt. I LOVED her song lyrics for Sam! LOVED LOVED LOVED!!!! I loved her other comparisons most of the time. Go for unique! Go for colored vocabulary but PLEASE!!!!! Do not. go. off. the. deep. end!! Colorful is for intense moments. for when other simple words can't express the things that are going on but not. like. this. please. Again love stuff like this. But please don't over do it. I think I made myself pretty clear now! :) Sorry and thanks.

 Oh..and personally...Sam didn't quite make my crush list yet..(YET!) He was a bit too clingy..stalkerish in book one...Idk I love him! And I adored him at the end! And his story!!! Two words: heart breaking. I loved him for it! It made him a bit more stronger and likeable! Loved him but...waiting a bit! ;)

Sorry ladies!! :b

Pros:

1.  The love between the two of them was sooo beautiful!! I loved the adventures, the heart ache, the romance.
2. I loved all the side characters! Maggie did an awesome job with character description!
3. Sam's lyrics! SOOOO CUTE!!! Die! Swoon!!
4. All the background and folklore (idk if I used that word right) description and outlining!
5. The scenery description! Beautiful!!
6. The end!!! GAHHHHHH!!!!!! <3 x100
7. The alternating POVs

:)

Advice: If you are going to read this book......

• And like it from the beginning....YAY!!! I'm so glad!! Maggie deserves all the fans she has gotten!! I'm glad you had no problems!! YAY!! YAY!! YAY!!! (no sarcasm whatsoever!) That is great! :)
• And didn't like it from page 1.....keep reading! It gets better! Honestly...I kept reading for one reason and one reason only....I had bought the entire series already and Goddammit I was going to freakin finish what I had paid for whether I liked it or not. And guess what!!? I don't have to have an agonizing time reading the rest of the series because I ended up liking it in the end! And am on book 2 now...yes it takes awhile to read sometimes but I do like it! :) So you keep reading and hopefully you will come to like it too! Keep reading and don't give up! Or stop and pick it up some other time! Who knows, your thoughts might change! :)

 Now...3 stars cus I did end up liking it! It would have gotten two due to the fact of finishing just to finish but I think it deserves the three star rating because I liked it in the end!! :)

~Rating:

I hope this will help ya! Thanks for reading and stopping by! :)

~Jaiden