I know people talk of fiction being character-driven or plot-driven. SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater, I believe, should rightly be considered emotion-driven: sad, longing, romantic, and bittersweet.
While comparisons with TWILIGHT will be inevitable, particularly from those who pit werewolf stories against vampires, I believe SHIVER is orders of magnitude superior. Very well-written, with descriptions in places that deserve a double-take and obvious care given to each character’s quirks and reality. Grace, unlike Bella, is a strong, solid heroine, though they do seem to share a certain practicality and play the role of parent occasionally. Sam, unlike Edward, wastes little time brooding (and sparkling), instead coming across sweet and humanly flawed. Sam does tread dangerously close to being a little too perfectly designed to tug on the reader’s heartstrings, but I didn’t mind. This book pivots on the humanity of the characters, and the dangers of losing what makes us human, something Stiefvater pulls off well. To put it simply, SHIVER could eat TWILIGHT for breakfast, in my humble opinion.
In many ways, SHIVER reminds me of BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause, another young adult werewolf romance that remains my gold standard for werewolf stories. SHIVER is the wintry, sweet, sad story; BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE is the summery, lustful, angry story. I like them both, though I would have to say I lean in favor of B&C if only because SHIVER can be so sad in places. The tension both kept me reading and compelled me to put the book down, because I dreaded what would happen to the characters for much of the story. It was worth reading to the end, of course, and I highly recommend you do the same.
I have been tinkering with the design of my website. My hands are tied for awhile until I get my cover for Other, but for now I’m streamlining the layout and adding helpful features. What do you think? Feel free to leave comments and poke around. Also, let me know what links you think I should add to my list.
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OTHER (Flux, July 1, 2010)
I can’t last much longer. It’s been one week, three days, and I forget how many hours.
My belly cramps, and I curl on my bed, staring out at the stars. A delicious breeze glides through my window and cools my sweaty forehead. The air smells of summer–mowed grass, recent rain, lingering barbecue–and tempts me more than I want to admit. Shards of moonlight and shadow shift on the wall. I clench my teeth and toes and try to ride out the pain. My bedroom drifts counterclockwise, and I shut my eyes.
It can’t be good for me, not shapeshifting.
Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves.
When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate–into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and–most importantly–stay alive.
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