Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Jul 01, 2011 ExLibris_Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook

Audiobook

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Jun 07, 2011 Samantha rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

When listening to an audio book, it is sometimes difficult to separate story from reader.

The review of just the audio book would not have obtained 4 stars. The gentleman who read Sam's chapters was over-dramatic in his reading and really detracted from the story. I looked forward to when his chapters were over simply because I couldn't stand to listen to him. Other than that, the story was engaging and well recorded - no funky pauses in midsentence, words were consistently pronounced the same wa When listening to an audio book, it is sometimes difficult to separate story from reader.

The review of just the audio book would not have obtained 4 stars. The gentleman who read Sam's chapters was over-dramatic in his reading and really detracted from the story. I looked forward to when his chapters were over simply because I couldn't stand to listen to him. Other than that, the story was engaging and well recorded - no funky pauses in midsentence, words were consistently pronounced the same way throughout the reading. My only other complaint for the audio book is the way they broke the discs up - sometimes it would just cut out in midsentence and you'd have to put the next disc in. That ceased being an issue once I downloaded the audio files to my iPod and renamed the files so it would play in order.

A review of just the story:
It caught me by surprise. I'd heard a lot of good things about this series and new it was popular among the young adult paranormal scene. I wasn't expecting the story to be told from two first person perspectives - a style that sometimes works great and sometimes just gets annoying. I didn't like it at all at first but then it grew on me. I loved the new idea for werewolves - who they are, how they were turned, what kind of "monster" they turn into when they change.

Having not actually 'read' the book, I can't flip back to a page to give a direct quote for an example but here were some things that bothered me...
1. How quickly Grace becomes attached to Sam. I understand that she's been in love with him as a wolf for six years but in less than 24 hours of meeting his human form, she suddenly says something along the lines of she can't live without him. I'm sorry, but that is not realistic...not even for teens.
2. Many lines were just super cheesy. I know how difficult it is to pull off a romantic scene between two teens without getting either sickeningly sappy or too graphic to remain a YA book, but there has to be a way to pull it off without sounding like you pulled the lines out of a bad romantic movie.
3. I appreciated that the sex scene wasn't described more than it was, but I also think it's a shame that so many books in the YA make premarital sex an excepted standard. I get that they seemed to have a limited time to be together but it would've made it all that more tragic that he changed before they could 'act'.

Overall though, this book was really enjoyable and I looked forward to listening to it. I've already requested the next audio book (Linger) in the trilogy and plan to read Forever (the conclusion).
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Feb 11, 2011 Mallary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2011

I became absorbed with this book by the time I finished the first chapter. For those who have read this book, I'm sure you can agree with me that Shiver is a love story first, and a werewolf novel second. Maggie Stiefvater introduced me to a world where true love has no boundaries. As I continued reading, it felt as if I was a part of Sam and Grace's relationship. When they smiled, I smiled. When they kissed, I felt giddy. When departure seemed near, my heart ached with them.

I believe the reaso ...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Theresa rated it it was amazing

I have put off reading this series for a while because of the whole wolf take. However, I got so swept up in the love story that I finished the book in two days. At times the story is sticky-sweet but the shape-shifting element is a little different. These really aren't werewolves, they're either human or wolf. I liked this concept and the challenges the characters are having to face. There's some fluff here and there but at the same time there is suspense and angst which makes up for the drama. ...more

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May 14, 2011 Christine rated it liked it

Well, I liked this book a lot more than the Scorpio Races!

It was fairly enjoyable, although the story had lots of parts where not much happened. It seemed that there was a lot of time spent getting warm and hanging out in the Bronco. I think if the more mundane parts of the story had been cut out that it would have been a lot better.

I also found Grace's parents really odd. At first, I thought they were acting the way they did because they were hiding some big secret, but that wasn't the case. I ...more

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