60. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

My friend Sarah recommended Shiver to me, and I immediately placed a request for it at the library. I will always, always take Sarah's recommendations. Not only does she have good taste but she's also a librarian and YA/children's author. She's currently revising her first YA novel, and I am dying to read it. Luckily, Sarah's in the market for a proofreader so I get to read it before she publishes. You should visit her blog, The Restless Writer, to read more about her writing adventures. (She mentions Shiver and its upcoming sequel in this post.)

The cold. Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf - her wolf - watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why. The heat. Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace . . . until now. The shiver. For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human - and Grace must fight to keep him - even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Plot summary lifted from the book jacket. Colin typed it up for me because he can't stand my hunt-and-peck typing.

I liked Shiver, but I didn't love it. It's definitely well-written and tells an interesting story. There's one specific reveal of information that I was pretty impressed by -- looking back, the clues are there but the reveal wasn't spoiled. I love that. Stiefvater skillfully laid the groundwork for a sequel, without leaving issues unresolved in a way that would frustrate readers. All in all, I thought it was a solidly decent YA novel.

So why didn't I love it? Shiver is the first YA novel that I've read that I honestly felt like I was too old to read it. (For the record, I'm 29 years old. I'll have to change the About Me section of the blog come November!) For example, throughout the book Sam thinks of song lyrics to describe the way he feels. The song lyrics made me cringe a little. I'm too old and jaded to appreciate them! While I appreciated the story, it just didn't grab me whole-heartedly. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to read the sequel this summer, but I am a little curious about what happens next so I might have to. If you have love for the YA or paranormal romance genres, I recommend trying out Shiver. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it!