Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Review)

What kind of YA book is this? That is what I found my inner snark saying when Sam entered the picture. He was never mean to Grace, never cruel never withheld his emotions or self…what the hell? This is not the YA I know and love-hate! What message will it leave young ladies with? That they deserve to be treated with respect? NO NO NO! Unhealthy stalking yes, that is good but they admit to each other it is an obsession. Maggie Maggie Maggie. NO you aren’t doing it riiight.


All that to say, I love Sam and Grace’s relationship. I love how the connection is shown. The way they fall in love. I love the emotion in this book. It made me feel smarter, when I read this book. I have read Rilke poetry and a lot of it. I have read it to a guy I was seeing as he fell asleep at night—. *face palm* wait, did I REALLLY just admit that out loud? Sheesh. Anyway embarrassing moment erased. Yeah I read a lot of poetry. Some of it complicated and complex but most of it emotional and beautiful and Shiver reads like one smart, beautiful and lyrical poem. It is brilliant! THIS, this right here is a prime example of why I love YA and why I don’t ever give up on it!



I found myself hating grace's dad. At one of the most painful parts in the book he probably assumes its some silly girl thing and it pisses me off how clueless they are! They have no idea what is really going and they don’t even care to want to find out. I love this theme in YA because…most teens feel like the parents are the enemy or the villain or the completely wrong all the time so of course they love to read books where the parents really are jerks.

Shiver took my breath away.