Yet another young adult novel is poised to capitalize on the Twilight phenomenon. Written after Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, unlike predecessors Vampire Diaries and the Sookie Stackhouse series, Shiver first hit shelves last month and debuted at number 9 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Author Maggie Stiefvater describes the work:
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.
Though, at first glance, Shiver looks to be yet another teen angst novel honing in on the current Twilight success, this isn’t the author’s first time at the rodeo. Stiefvater has other published works featuring dangerous faeries and psychic vampires.
MTV reports that New Line Cinemas co-founders Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne have picked up the rights to Shiver along with its two forthcoming sequels. Shaye and Lynne are known for producing a number of fantasy films including the Lord of the Rings series and The Golden Compass, which, coincidentally, was directed by the same Chris Weitz who took on New Moon.
Shaye claims that he's not typically a fan of werewolves (or vampires), but he's very much into this trilogy because Stiefvater "has a strong take on a young adult sensibility" and has written "a sexy love story that isn't too over the top." Could these comments be perceived as a veiled shot at Twilight?
While other teen novels emerge from the proverbial woodwork to satiate the needs of Twilighters, one question remains. The teen rapture in the Twilight Saga is underscored with a valid theme of valor and Christianity.
Do other fantasy novels bearing similar vampire/werewolf themes align with Twilight in that regard, or do they slip into less chaste, more underworld themes which may chip away at the already shaky moral ground upon which many a teenage reader stands? Does this book shred the veins of morality, or is it a harmless read?
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Comments
I like the title - I'm there :)
'shred veins of morality'? Have you actually read it? It sounds like all you're going on is a guy who's trying to sell a movie calling it 'sexy'.
No- I haven't read it. That's why I want to hear from readers- maybe it does pose a great life lesson. Maye it's just a great read.
Let me know how you feel about it!
That looks interesting!
My 13-year-old daughter read it, so I skimmed it. It seemed very innocent, nothing overtly sexual or too violent. And -it must be said- it seemed more intelligently written than Twilight, which goes miles in my book.
Maggie wrote a beautiful love story. I have read the Twilight series and absolutely adore it, but it's true that Shiver is written with a higher intellect than Twilight. I believe that anyone who reads this book will automatically fall in-love with the story. :) <3
I just finished the book, and like many others, i read the twilight saga as well. (i LOVE them both). Shiver is so different yet similar in ways you wouldn't understand unless you've read it. It's HARMLESS TO READ...These 'moral grounds' are stable with this book. So calm down, people.
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