My first time reading Maggie Stiefvater was actually her newest release, The Scorpio Races. It was one of my favorites of 2011, and quite possibly one my favorites overall. So naturally, I had to go out and pick up more of her other work! 
 Now here is where I'm going to make a confession. Shiver didn't wow me. Perhaps it was because I was already stunned by The Scorpio Races and this book just didn't produce the same kind of wow-factor for me as the other had. Also perhaps because I've never been a huge werewolf fan to begin with--though I really did particularly like Ms. Stiefvater's version in this book. 
 As always, I do love the detail that is put into it. So much vivid imagery and lovely characters. The only thing I may not have liked much were the detachment of her parents. This is an annoyance mostly, as I'm getting a bit tired of reading modern-world teen characters abandoned by parents/no parental influence ninety-five percent of the time. It's different in other certain character situations (dystopian worlds, supernatural/paranormal worlds), but in most cases with human, modern teens, this bugs me. And her parents weren't in the scene a good three-fourths of the book, while she had him staying over all the time. Like I said, just a quirk. 
 Otherwise, I really enjoyed this-- it's not a high-action read and it has a bit of a slow start. Once it picked up, I couldn't stop reading. It's fresh and unique compared to so many others in this genre. I look forward to continuing on with this series sometime in the future (though I probably admit that I'm not in a huge rush on this series), and I certainly look forward to reading more of Ms. Stiefvater's gorgeous and crafty writing. 
 <3 
 Pixie