So Twilight. I mean, this is so Twilight from the entire sections of intensely only these two people to some of the rules of the wolves. And yet, it's the good version of that sort of the thing where an author rewrote someone else's book the way they'd do it. And Shiver is also very Maggie Stiefvater. It's moody and quiet and a little sad and also a little funny. It's about identity instead of love and mortality but it's still very much a Maggie Stiefvater version of Twilight.
I do like the rules she wrapped around the wolves, particularly with the temperature. And I liked the variety of personalities and temperaments in the wolves. A little bit the magic was suppressed because Sam was always fighting it so the novel wasn't really infused with magic the way it could have been. But it came out from time to time in key moments almost enough.
She put several things into motion subtly enough that they didn't scream of attention but obviously enough that there weren't many surprises about how it all would go. Some of the why and hows weren't obvious but the what pretty much was. I did expect Shelby to be more of a threat toward the end but that's probably rolling over into the next books. Olivia was obviously bitten. I did expect there to be something more sinister up with Beck and a reason it was so deep in winter and he hadn't changed yet but Sam's anger at him played well enough for that story thread.
I think the thing I liked best is the way Stiefvater makes things apparent without saying them. She talks around them just enough and in the right ways that you understand and there's a subtly and complexity to that that I enjoy.
I'm curious now how the story will stay connected to magic and the wolves but that's part of the fun of reading the next book.