A Sensational Shiver

This particular book caught my eye in the grocery store and after my cousin highly recommended it, I had to check it out. In fact, my curiousity for this book, and wanting a good excuse to read it, was part of my motivation to review this particular genre. Fortunately, I was in no way let down and happily this book had a sequel as well! Here is what I read:

Titles: Shiver and Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
My start and finish dates: 10/30/10-11-3/10
11/3/10-11/5/10
Book counts: 67, 68

This book is another that is widely being held up in comparison to Twilight. I think this particular comparison is more apt that many of the others. Previously when we have seen novels in the paranormal romance genre compared back to that touchstone work, it has mostly related to similarities in character or plot structures. These are everyone at this point. Frankly, it is hard to get too creative when trying to create an appealing, brooding, vampire. You have certain myth conventions in which you pretty well have to work. So it is no surprise if half of the male leads in these books look and sound an awful lot like Edward Cullen. I don't count that. Similarly, it is amusing just how many of these books have their meet cute at the biology lab table these days, but, again, when writing YA fiction, you only have so many places at which teens can meet. They spend their lives in a high school after all. So, again, I don't count that. What I do look for in a comparison goes a lot deeper. It lies in the feel of the writing. I know, that is irritatingly vague, especially for someone intending to make their life using words, but I really can't put too much finer of a point on it. But regardless, Shiver, and its sequel have that same feel.

Part of the similarity is undoubtably in the nature of the relationship between the two lead characters, Grace and Sam. Much like Edward and Bella, this connection reads with the same powerful almost Shakespeare-esque quality and exudes a maturity beyond what the average YA fiction relationship usually has. Of course, on the flip side this also means that at time it feels a little more adult that can and perhaps should be realistic in teens, but it is nonetheless a pleasure to read. No one can resist the appeal of reading true love. And similarly to Edward and Bella, (and Romeo & Juliet, or any of the other classic loves on which these are based) Grace and Sam's love is riddled with obstacles. Sam is a werewolf, rather than a vampire, but the concept is the same. He can't always be with Grace and his life could put hers in danger. Delicious intrigue.

Another similarity is the decidedly more mature feeling to this series as opposed to others in YA fiction. Of course, it is standard in writing for this audience that parents are absent. It is almost a given that the main character's parents will be either gone on business, or the character will be orphaned or living in a boarding school, or some other similar device by which the parents are not on the scene. No offense to parents, but this audience wants to read about the character making adult decisions on their own and resolving problems independently. Don't be upset, it helps them mature, I promise. So there is a certain adult attitude in most of these novels. However, in Shiver, like in Twilight, this feeling is amplified. The plot revolves a lot less around high school and the attached activities and more around outside issues. I have heard rumors the Meyer initially wrote her characters as older and had to change it to make them high schoolers in order to sell in the more likely YA genre and thus the older feel to her works. I have no idea if that is true. Either way, I don't think that was what happened in Stiefvater's series, but regardless of the cause, the effect is there. They are a lot less teen than others in the genre.

As far as characters go, Stiefvater writes some pretty strong ones. Twi-hard that I am, I like Grace's character a lot more than Bella's. Grace is stronger and more rational. You won't find as much of Bella's melodrama here. I will still give my greater loyalty to Edward over Sam, however, although Sam is almost as loveable of a character and, honestly, somewhat less menacingly protective. In a good way. Steifvater's supporting characters are quality stuff as well. Particularly in the second novel, in which she promotes two of them almost to lead status. Where in my last review I was cautious in regards to Patterson's tendancy to flip character perspective chapter to chapter, Stiefvater does this with much greater success. In the first novel she only alternates between Grace and Sam's perspectives, but in the second she is flipping between Grace and Sam, but now adding the perspectives of Isabel and Cole as well, all very effectively. She has a talent for writing in voice that allows the reader to much more easily recognize when they are in another character's head. This adds great depth.

The only thing that I hesitated on in this series was the very beginning. I was admittedly a little weirded out by the way in which Grace seemed to have downright romantic feelings for the wolf Sam, even before she could have had any real notion that it was anything more than a furry dog. That struck me as uncomfortable at first. But plow through that and allow yourself to suspend disbelief for awhile, the rest is so very worth it.

Ok, the questions:
Grade for this series: A, solidly. And there is a third coming out, which I expect to also award an A. Oh, and don't forget the movies. The rights have already been sold.
Would an adult enjoy this book? I think they just might. If you are an adult and you enjoyed Twilight, give this one a try.

That's it for this one!
Keep reading!
Sarah