63 pages • 2 hours read
Shiver
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Background
Series Context: Wolves of Mercy Falls
In the universe of the Mercy Falls books, werewolves transform through a virus contracted through a werewolf bite. The werewolves’ transformations are controlled by temperature and the weather—the warmer it is, the easier it is to stay human. Young werewolves stay in human form in the summer months and transform into wolves when it turns cold. As a werewolf ages, the temperature change required for the shift becomes more dramatic, with some older werewolves unable to assume human form at all. There are warring factions in the werewolf community—some advocate for growing their packs by forcing humans to become werewolves, while others seek a cure for the virus. Shiver is the only book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series to be narrated from the points of view of Grace and Sam, establishing the bond between the protagonists and setting up pan-series themes like the conflict between animal instinct and human emotion, and the power of love and friendship.
While Shiver ends with Sam returning to human form and reuniting with Grace, Maggie Stiefvater also foreshadows Grace’s eventual change into a wolf, creating another period of separation between the young lovers. Linger, the sequel to Shiver, chronicles the complex series of events that lead to Grace transforming into a werewolf. Her fate is determined in Forever, the final book of the trilogy. Sam decides to remain a human rather than joining her as a wolf so he can find a cure to bring Grace back. The trilogy ends with Grace turning into a human one last time, and Sam and Grace reuniting forever. The rest of the story continues in the standalone novel Sinner, following the story of Isabel Culpeper and the werewolf Cole St. Clair.
Authorial Context: The Works of Maggie Stiefvater
Maggie Stiefvater is the author of several best-selling young adult paranormal series including The Wolves of Mercy Falls and The Raven Cycle. Stiefvater’s work often explores fantastical themes to illustrate real-world experiences about the challenges of growing up, finding an identity, and navigating love. Characters grapple with both magical and mundane dilemmas, such as finding a job and dealing with negligent parents. In Shiver, for instance, Grace is preoccupied both with Sam’s looming transformation and her battered old car. The juxtaposition of the magical and the mundane gives Stiefvater’s narratives a realistic, grounded quality. Often set in rural-adjacent small-town settings, Stiefvater’s novels contain lyrical descriptions of nature and animal imagery. Traditionally, nature and animals represent both purity and danger, both of which Stiefvater evokes in the forest of Mercy Falls and the woods in the Raven Cycle.
Stiefvater is also known for infusing her characters with depth, fleshing them out as complex, layered figures. She creates a nuanced portrayal of Shiver’s protagonist, Grace, revealing her strengths, flaws, desires, and fears. These nuances make the portrayals relatable. Another feature of Stiefvater’s characters is the subversion of traditional roles. In Shiver, Sam, the male love interest, is the dreamy, poetic character, while Grace is practical and dynamic. In All the Crooked Saints (2017), Beatriz is more logical than her male cousins and excels in math and science. In addition to Grace and Sam in Shiver, Stiefvater’s works feature other star-crossed lovers, such as Blue and Gansy in the Raven Cycle. Blue is in love with Gansy, but it has been prophesized that she will cause the death of her soulmate. The star-crossed-lovers motif tests characters and illustrates the power of love to triumph over the forces of destiny.
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By Maggie Stiefvater
