Shiver is the first in a YA urban fantasy trilogy.
Synopsis
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without.
Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
Pros
- A fresh take on a werewolf story: the idea that temperature causes them to shift and that newly made wolves are less stable in either form creates.
- Sam and Grace are both likeable characters.
- The author is an incredible writer.
Cons
- Shiver, the first in the trilogy, does not have as complicated, and therefore as interesting, a plot as the rest of the series. It focuses mostly on Sam and Grace’s romance. So romance readers will really enjoy it, but those of us who prefer romance on the side will feel it reads slowly.
- Grace has absentee parents who don’t pay much attention to what she does. Because of this, she’s able to have Sam spend the night in her room for the entirety of the novel. While their relationship is chaste at the beginning, it does eventually in sex eventually (not explicit). Sex does not become the focus of their romance, although Sam and Grace have trouble being separated from one another. If you didn’t like Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, you probably will not like Shiver.
Book 1: Shiver 
Book 2: Linger 
Book 3: Forever
Final Word
I enjoyed the series, but not enough to rant and rave about it.
Discussion Questions
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On a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very), how strict are your parents?
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Grace almost died when she was young. Do her parents act the way you would expect in light of this event?
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Would you want Isabel as a friend? Why or why not?
- Is it okay to have your boyfriend/girlfriend sleep in your room at night if “nothing happens”? Explain your opinion.