Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls

Book #: Two

Author: Maggie Stiefvater 

Source: Bought

Published: 2010

Rating: 

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget. (taken from goodreads.com)

Amber's thoughts:

Linger picks up where Grace and Sam's story ended in Shiver. Stiefvater's writing just keeps on improving. The wolves, the love, and the pain of Shiver all return in this sequel, along with both old and new characters. 

I absolutely loved Shiver, so my expectations might be a wee bit high. While I didn't love Linger like I did Shiver, I'm still glad that I read this sequel. I was able to revisit my favorite characters. Sam is still the sweetest boy ever, and Grace's strength is something I can admire. Stiefvater's writing is still just as lyrical and beautiful. I haven't read any of Stiefvater's other works yet, but I definitely plan to after reading this series. 

In Shiver, the point of view is split between Grace and Sam. Some of the chapters are from Grace's perspective, others from Sam's. Now, in Linger, the point of view is constantly changing. I did enjoy getting to know characters other than Sam and Grace, but I didn't really care for the constant switch.

The plot had a slow take off, but towards the end, things definitely sped up. Not only does the plot take unexpected twists and turns, it is also darker than Shiver's story. By the last few chapters, I was flipping pages as fast as I could. The ending was definitely unexpected and somewhat heartbreaking. Forever, the next book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, definitely has a huge amount of promise. 

Overall, I'd recommend this one, but I wouldn't put it on the same level as Shiver. If I wasn't going to compare the sequel to its prequel, then this book probably would've gotten more praise from me. So, let me end with this: poignant writing, wonderfully developed and lovable characters, and creativity bring yet another part of the wolves' story to life.

Trailer: