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Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)

Maggie Stiefvater

Start date: March 1, 2011

Finish date: March 31, 2011

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Sep 02, 2010 Ronyell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-blog-reviews, read-in-2010, strong-hero, urban-fantasy, sexy-bad-boy-hero, young-adult-teen-books, sexy-good-girl-heroine, strong-heroine, maggie-stiefvater, 1st-person-pov

Oh man! I really wanted to give this book six stars instead of five stars because this book is just so brilliantly written and full of romance that make any romance fan go head over heels with this book! But I guess I will settle with a five star rating for now… “Shiver” is the first book in Maggie Stiefvater’s Mercy Falls series and this book has enough action and love making scenes that will have you all breathless with anticipation!

Grace had spent her time watching the various wolves that com Oh man! I really wanted to give this book six stars instead of five stars because this book is just so brilliantly written and full of romance that make any romance fan go head over heels with this book! But I guess I will settle with a five star rating for now… “Shiver” is the first book in Maggie Stiefvater’s Mercy Falls series and this book has enough action and love making scenes that will have you all breathless with anticipation!

Grace had spent her time watching the various wolves that come out of the woods, after she was bitten by a wolf a few years ago. However, when one of the students at her school go missing, the townspeople suspected that the wolves have something to do with it and they all tried to go out and kill the wolves. But, Grace will not let that happen since she cares so much for the wolves and after she manages to stop the hunting of the wolves, she meets an injured wolf and she realizes that the injured wolf was a teenage boy named Sam and once Grace discovers Sam’s secret, she tries to do everything in her power to help Sam stay human while sorting out her feelings for Sam!

Wow and double wow! Maggie Stiefvater has created a true masterpiece that is all about true werewolf love! When I read this book, it constantly reminds me of Stephenie Meyer’s famous “Twilight” series, except that we see hot werewolf guys in this book instead of hot vampires, which I found to be extremely enjoyable to read about. There were many aspects that I loved about this book and one of the aspects that I really loved about this book was how each chapter of the book was set up to detail the situation from two different point of views, who were Grace and Sam, which means that each chapter will either have Sam or Grace narrating the story from their point of view, which I thought made this book extremely interesting and creative to look at. Another aspect that I loved about this book was the characters, especially Sam and Grace. I loved the fact that Grace is shown to be an independent and enthusiastic teenage girl who was willing to put her life on the line in order to save Sam, the love of her life and although there were times where I knew more about Sam’s side of the story rather than Grace’s side of the story, I still really enjoyed Grace’s spirit throughout this book. Sam on the other hand, may come off as being too somber for his own good, but that is own to the fact that he really wants to be human instead of a werewolf and he is possibly the sweetest and hottest werewolf character to ever grace upon the world of paranormal romance. What I really loved the most about this book was that over ninety percent of this book was spent in Sam and Grace’s romance with each other as there are a bunch of sweet kisses and sensual hugging (though not in a R-rated way) that made this book somewhat cute yet sensual at the same time!

For anyone who does not like language, there is a good deal of language in this book, although the language is not really strong here, but I think the language in this book would be better suitable for young adults.

All in all, “Shiver” is a truly awesome book for werewolf loves everywhere and also is a great book for paranormal romance fans who love action and hot werewolf love!

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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28 likes · Like · see review

Apr 12, 2015 Trisha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I know...I KNOW I should be completely ashamed at my 4 star rating. This is a book that has so many reasons for me to hate it....but I just...can't.

I love it. I love Sam and Grace. I love their easy friendship that is so much more. I love their little moments, their struggles and their bond. The adorable hospital scene when she sneaks him out, his first night staying with her (NOT LIKE THAT!), Grace's realization that...she isn't the first girl to catch his eye. And their fight to save Sam and h ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2010 Gaijinmama rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, purchased

A sweet story of young star-crossed love that also manages to be creepy as hell.
Seriously, where were the YA books like this when I was in high school!!
Aside from graphic depictions of what it must be like to be chewed on by wolves, what upset me the most was the main character's parents. They were just awful! Not abusive, just criminally selfish, immature and neglectful. Not that I am a perfect parent myself, but I like to think I would at least know if my daughter were...you know...doing it wi ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Jul 05, 2011 Kelly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library, randomizer-2015-challenge

I had this trilogy on my to read list, and it came up in my randomizer challenge for this year, so I got to read the first one. I can understand the comparisons with Twilight, but I think this was SO much better written! I read the twilight series due to my tween daughter reading them. I was appalled that they were so popular among teenage girls given the messages presented. This book certainly has some elements of teenage angst and all consuming relationship, but it somehow seemed more normal ( ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 18, 2014 Rebekah rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-fiction, genre-fantasy, genre-young-adult, genre-young-adult-teen, genre-romance, genre-fantasy-paranormal, genre-fantasy-urban-fantasy, genre-fantasy-supernatural, genre-romance-paranormal-romance, genre-shapeshifters-werewolves

Fun little paranormal romance YA. Quick & enjoyable read. A lot better than Twilight.

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2010 Logan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: borrowed-library, shifters, paranormal, young-adult

First impressions: I read the first few chapters of this book in a writing class, so that experience definitely influenced my impressions when I picked up the book this time around. Stiefvater sets up the story really well, introducing us to the dual perspectives of Grace and Sam that will carry us through the rest of the book. Her writing style is staccatoed and almost poetic at times, and she lets us know immediately that Sam's yellow eyes and the temperature will be important elements of the First impressions: I read the first few chapters of this book in a writing class, so that experience definitely influenced my impressions when I picked up the book this time around. Stiefvater sets up the story really well, introducing us to the dual perspectives of Grace and Sam that will carry us through the rest of the book. Her writing style is staccatoed and almost poetic at times, and she lets us know immediately that Sam's yellow eyes and the temperature will be important elements of the story.

Lasting impressions: There are some gruesome moments in this book. The encounter with the dogs, Sam's parents, people getting shot - not for the faint of heart. I was caught off guard by the amount of violence and it certainly stuck with me long after I put down the book. I'm not usually so affected by that kind of thing, but for some reason this story had me squirming at the level of brutality present at times.

Negative impressions: The story didn't really kick in gear for me until the last quarter of the book. I loved the beginning, thought the ending was solid, but the middle really dragged. I wasn't a big fan of the back-and-forth narration switches. I thought Grace was a little too quick to accept Sam's wolfiness (for lack of a better word). It also irked me that Grace's parents were basically written out of the book so Grace had a good excuse to spend all of this time with Sam. There didn't seem to be much conflict in the relationship with her parents, and the fact that they were never around bothered Grace, but not in any way that really affected the plot. It read like a device necessary to get them out of the house instead of a symptom of some larger issue.

Overall impressions: I loved the concept of temperature being responsible for Sam's shifting. Sam was by far the more interesting character to me. His backstory really drew me into the world, from how he was turned to how he came into his current pack. He had this long, complicated, tortured history that I connected with, and it made me understand his choices. I'm not sure I can say the same thing for Grace.

Grace annoyed me more than anything. She basically falls in love with a wolf, with the added bonus that he turns human sometimes. She never notices Sam as Sam, only Sam as wolf. Her relationships with her parents and friends are all strained, and none of her interactions with them make her the least bit likable. She was too self-absorbed for my taste.

Once I got through the slogging middle, the plot really picked up and I got really caught up in the race against time and temperature. I loved the way it ended, and it worked well as a stand alone novel, so I'm curious what the sequels will be about. Stiefvater has an interesting writing style, and the short chapters make it easy to flip pages, so I will probably read Linger. ...more

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Nov 15, 2009 Trisha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

when I started it I thought "hmm, I wonder if I'm going to like it"

Before I knew it, hours had gone by and I'd read the book in one night. It sucks you in before you know it and you are a third wheel watching Grace and Sam live their dream ~ being together. But neither of them talking about the obvious....that their dream will end. And this time, for the last time.

It's a lovely little story. I recommend it for a light read. ...more

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May 21, 2010 Kat rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

While i was reading this book I read a review that said it was like team Jacob version of twilight. Well said! It's not as addictive as twilight... Could be the writing style and that I did read and enjoy twilight first. I will however read the sequel Linger in hopes the fates have turned and it won't be as sappy as shiver. To be continued... ...more

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Oct 12, 2010 Darcie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: rate-3, audio

I finished this after picking it up and putting it down. I liked the story a lot. But it did remind me of the twilight series some - so that was a little disappointing. I did like it enough that I am going to finish the series...but that is also part of my compulsion that I have a lot of difficulty starting a series and not finishing it! :)

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