Shiver

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Narrated by: David LeDoux, Jenna Lamia

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Every summer Sam spends a few precious months being human, until the cold causes him to shift to a wolf once again. Discover what happens when he meets Grace in this chilling romance.

©2009 Maggie Stiefvater (P)2009 Scholastic

Too Much Hype

I had decided to get this audiobook after reading and see so many other bloggers talk about it. And I have been looking for a new series to get into. Honestly, I don't think I have ever read a werewolf book before. (Except Twilight and that series) I am a vampire reader mostly.
This book did not live up to the hype for me. I have problems with the overall story mostly. As a non teen I'd keep saying to myself.."Really? If you were older you wouldn't think that?" to all of Grace's thoughts toward Sam. I understand young love. I have been there, done that, and had fun with it but this is not just some guy she met at the mall. This is a werewolf and she knows it. Really? I have a hard time getting my reality around that. (YES! I know it is a werewolf story and it's not real. Just play along please. :) ) I was not thrilled at how easy they fell for each other and the sleeping together either. I know I am showing my age.
Something about teenage girls giving up their friends, and their families for a guy seems so 1900's to me. Women don't do that anymore. Do we? When she finds out that her BFF is missing and might have been bitten she does nothing about it until she gets a phone call from her asking for help. This is your BFF Grace! You guys are suppose to be like sisters and when some guy comes along you kick her to the curb. Remember BALANCE!
It was not all bad. I loved the authors use of smell and making it important to the characters. She did a great job of not forgetting the characters traits and used them very well to develop them fully.
As the the narrators of this audiobook, the young lady reading Grace, Jenna Lamia she did an outstanding job. EXCELLENT! I loved her teenage voice and the pace at which she changed her reading for the different characters. The gentleman reading Sam, was non other that David LeDoux from Water For Elephants audiobook. And I have to say that yet again I have the same thoughts on his work. He reads the characters really well but his reading of a female voice needs work. The audiobook would have benefited greatly by having them read the right voice for the right character. (ie Sam read his chapter and when Grace speaks let Jenna read that line in her voice.)

one of my most favorite story when I was in school

being a guy most look down on us liking love story but true love pure love I've always just love the feeling you get when hearing the simple details of one showing there emotion. soft touch of her hand on my back. uhh one day hope to find love like this great story love all 3 books must read.

Didn't Get Into It

I've really loved Stiefvater's other works. She allows the plot to unfold gently and organically and populates her worlds with a wide assortment of colorful characters. With Shiver (and later book Sinner), I found the characters to be flat, uninteresting, and far too self absorbed. Ultimately, with Shiver I found there to be no room left for me in the narcissistic needy bubble of a world created by the narrowly focused characters. This is one series where Stiefvater's usually seamless prose turns the story leaden and the characters completely unrealistic.

Story: When Grace was a child, she was attacked by wolves. Every Winter since then, a strange wolf with golden eyes appears in her back yard and haunts her dreams. When she meets a boy with the same golden eyes at a bookstore one Spring, she becomes obsessed. That boy, Sam, involuntarily changes into a wolf with the cold - and has been obsessed with Grace since he saved her from death that fateful day so long ago. Together, the two will navigate their obsession with each other as well as the tricky politics at Grace's high school and the wolf pack. Neither is happy with the lovers and it will result in deadly consequences.

Shiver should have been a slow burn of a novel. But Stiefvater's usual conflicted and nuanced characters in this series become atypically unlikeable. I found I wasn't rooting for or even liking Grace or Sam. That's problematic in a book that is essentially a romance with a few subplots meant only to add some angst into the relationship (but failing to add a spark at the same time). And as much as I loved Stiefvater's Scorpio Races and Raven Boys, there just wasn't enough meat to the plot to make me want to continue reading. I was bored half way through and found myself skimming the last half just to get it over with. I later received an advance reader copy of Sinner (#5 in the series?) and actually liked that book even less - the characters were completely self obsessed. Clearly, this wasn't the series for me.

I listened to the Audible version and the narrator did a decent job.

Great!

What made the experience of listening to Shiver the most enjoyable?

The voice changes were great, and not one monotone voice.

What did you like best about this story?

The story line was good. And great for teens.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I like Shiver... that is a perfect name.

:)

loved it. very good story telling. have read the book before, but loved the audio

Great

This isn't really a kid story. its a love story with high school/college shed protagonists. really well done.

Great

It’s a little bit of a roller coaster ride. The ending made me so happy!!!! I was nervous about how she would end things but was pleasantly surprised.

Such a Beautiful Story

I loved it. I loved the characters, the concepts, the scenery, the sights and smells. Maggie Stiefvater doesn’t write books you read or listen to. She writes books you feel, hear, see, smell and live inside. What better way to escape into another world? Outstanding.

Overall good story

I love the connection between Grace and Sam. I love the additive characters. It was a good read.

Refreshing point of view.

Shiver is a young adult novel about two teenagers - Sam and Grace - who fall in love. The problem is, one (or both?) happens to be a werewolf.

Perhaps the most refreshing part of this novel is that it departs from the typical YA first person point of view. Instead, it switches back and forth between the points of view of both protagonists. This allows for deeper character development that is sometimes lost in first person point of view narrative, where you only connect intimately with one character. I am a fan.

The narration is also well done. Jenna Lamia portrays a teenage girl brilliantly, as usual. David LeDoux sounds a bit too mature to be teenage Sam, but he has a voice charged with raw emotion so all is forgiven.

At the end of the listen, you "get to know" Maggie Stiefvater through a few scripted vignettes read by the author herself. She talks about her writing process and the sequel to Shiver. If you are interested in writing you will enjoy this; however, since it is scripted it feels a bit unnatural and rehearsed.

Overall, this is a good listening experience. If you enjoy YA fiction, you will enjoy this novel. If you aspire to write YA fiction, you should listen to this novel for its departure from first person point of view.

SPECIAL NOTE: Get ready for a lot of kissing / nuzzling scenes. It starts to get tedious. Ironically, one thing Maggie Stiefvater reveals at the end of the listen is that she has always hated writing kissing scenes. I guess she got over it!