Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater
Hardcover, 368 pages
Scholastic, Incorporated

July 13, 2010

"This is a love story. I never knew there were so many kinds of love or that love could make people do so many different things. I never knew there were so many ways to say good-bye."

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 Isabel, 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.(goodreads.com)

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In Shiver we read in both Sam and Grace's point of views, switching between the two. Now in Linger we not only get San and Grace but also Isabel and new werewolf, Cole.

At first I didn't thing I would like the addition of new main characters. I really liked the intimacy of Sam and Grace and the way you got too know both of them on such a deep level. But I must say Isabel and Cole both grew on me. Cole especially. At first he was nothing but a over confident jerk in my opinion with a darker past. You get to grow with him and figure out why is the way that he is. His past is slowly uncovered and he has become one of my favorite characters in the series.

Linger though slow at parts was a great novel. I was really surprised in the direction Maggie Stiefvater took it. It left me always guessing and wanting more. Which is what we look for in a good book. One of my favorite things about Linger is Sam, and the type of person he is. He is trying to convince himself that he is human now, and he needs to except his life and start living it. I really enjoy his song lyrics and the way he puts them with the things that are going on i his life. It is almost as if he thinks in song. "Is it still a secret if nobody cares / if having the knowledge in no way impairs / your living - and feeling - the way that you breathe / knowing the things that you know about me - ". It is really beautiful.

Sam and Grace have grown so much sense Shiver. They are secure in there future and they try to hold on to everything that makes them great together. I wish love like that existed more often.

From start to finish Linger is a page turner that had me always wondering what was going to happen. New characters and old ones all mixed in to one fantastic book. I think that Linger was a great sequel to Shiver and I can not wait for the next book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Series to come out. If you haven't read Linger, I urge you to pick it up as soon as you can! Linger Gets a big 5 Hoots from me!