Customer Reviews

Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2)

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(76)
3 star:		(30)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In the last weeks of winter, Sam has stayed human, much to Grace's joy, but the cold still haunts him. Grace is just happy to be with him, even though she knows that their problems are far from resolved. As spring approaches, the new wolves are changing back, even though one of them, Cole, would like nothing more than to lose himself in his wolf form, and Isabel's father is more than willing to help eradicate the wolves in the forest completely. And through it all, Grace is keeping a secret, something that could change everything.

Linger is a beautiful, elegant, and searing sequel. It contains all of the drama and romance of Shiver, but also possesses a new urgency as secrets are kept and tensions rise. Linger opens up Sam and Grace's world to include Cole and Isabel as narrators, and divulges even more about the wolves and how they live. Stiefvater reveals some wonderful character growth for each of the four narrators as well; Sam is still trying to get used to the fact that he is fully human and has a future ahead of him. Grace is feeling the stress of keeping secrets from her parents and Sam and her anger at her parents' constant absences. Sharp-tongued Isabel suffers from guilt at her part in her brother's death, and even though she'd like to stay away from the wolves, she can't help but be drawn to Cole, a sardonic boy who chose to be a wolf to escape the problems in his human life, but is finding that being a wolf is actually making him confront the things he has tried to bury. These issues that force the characters to evolve keep Linger from seeming like a transition from Shiver to the next book, and give it enough drama and tension to keep you rapt, especially during the climactic final scenes when Sam, Grace, Isabel, and Cole realize that the inner workings of lycanthropy may not be quite as they thought.

Stiefvater's writing is breathtakingly beautiful, as precise and affecting as poetry, and Linger is emotional, heartbreaking, and heart-pounding as the stakes are subtly raised for not just the main characters, but for every wolf in Mercy Falls.

In Linger, (the sequel to Shiver) the story picks up as life resumes for Grace and her love Sam who appears to have been cured of the werewolf curse. Having made it through the last days of winter and now entering spring, Sam and Grace are on the watch for early shifters especially those newly created like Cole St. Clair.

Cole is restless, dark, damaged. He chose this life; wanted the escape. So why was he in human form and why couldn't he shift back into the wolf? Unfathomable to Sam, who risked death to become perpetually human, Cole tries everything he can think of to make his shift into wolf form permanent. The last thing Sam needs to be worrying about is a loose canon like Cole when his entire life is on the precipice of unthinkable change.

Something is wrong with Grace. A strange illness awakens within her, depleting her body and leaving her weakened and afraid. As she slowly deteriorates, Sam who's been ordered to stay away from her after being discovered in her room one night, fears he's about to lose the only girl he has ever loved.

Not quite as riveting as the first novel, Linger has some seeming errors in logic (see spoiler alert below) that I found rather distracting. Those detractors aside, Stiefvater delivers a compelling and sometimes poignant continuation of the storyline and I look forward to the next sequel in the series.

Spoiler Alert: The following paragraph contains information that may giveaway certain details of the stories mystery or suspense...

A few problems: In Shiver Grace is 17 and in chapter 3 reflects on her wolf attack experience 6 years ago, which would have made her 11 at the time of the attack. In Linger, Grace is still 17 but she is supposed to have been originally bitten over a decade ago. Another blaring problem is that in chapter 37 of Shiver, Grace is attacked by the wolf Shelby in her kitchen and bitten on the arm. In Linger Cole hypothesizes that Grace needs to be re-infected with the wolf poison essentially resetting Grace's shifting. However, that would have already occurred with the wolf bite from Shelby if that were true. I'm hopeful that these issues will be "cleaned up" in the next sequel.

As spring leisurely breaks winter's strong hold on the small town of Mercy Falls, Sam slowly begins to accept the fact that he is not going to turn back into a wolf. At times he's still unable to believe that he's been given this unexpected gift of constant humanity but with Grace by his side, he's willing to accept it. Alternately, the once unflappable, practical Grace is feeling more and more restless with the arrival of spring. On top of the strange symptoms she's been experiencing, Grace's previously non-involved parents have become increasingly more and more resistant to Sam's steady presence in her life. Which is the last thing either want to deal with as Beck's new wolves begin to return to their human form - full of confusion and uncontrollable instincts; ultimately requiring direction and protection from Sam.

Even though I adore Maggie Stiefvater's books and her unusually beautiful writing, I resisted picking up her latest, LINGER, out of sheer perversity. Really, let me explain. Hands-down, SHIVER had one of the loveliest endings I've read in quite some time and I just wasn't ready to watch life unravel for Sam and Grace as I knew it ultimately would. Eventually I gave in. And I'm glad I did. Maggie Stiefvater is truly an amazingly talented writer. Her words flow so easily from the pages, full of incredible imagery and sensory descriptions so strong I found myself thinking about particular scenes from LINGER - in detail - days after finishing the book. I also quickly fell in love with the additional narrative voices of Isabel Culpeper and Cole, one of Beck's new wolves. Isabel was a stand-out character from Shiver and her straight-forward approach to life could not be more refreshing. Undeniably, Ms. Stiefvater is unparalleled at her craft but I did find myself bothered by a couple of aspects of the novel.

Which leads me to the list of... Things that Bothered Me in Linger:

1. Another Absurdly Talented Musician. I get it that Maggie Stiefvater herself is something of a musical genius (I am not, so I will simply bow down to her prowess) but do we really need yet another dreamy boy with a passion for all things music? And then the fact that Cole and Sam never even once discuss their shared interest in music (highly improbably in my experience with musicians) is incredibly suspect. Can we not just find another interest for our characters? Which leads me to...

2. Cole. While I love me a bad-boy rocker, I have issues with certain aspects of his character. The bad-boy part I'm totally on board with - especially the whole: I'm jaded, where's my next big high? persona. Love that. It's the tortured genius thing I don't really believe. That whole explanation seemed rushed and basically wound up as a convenient plot solution. Hopefully this is addressed more in Forever, because I really, really like Cole - I just don't think he's been fully developed yet.

3. NARKOTIKA. Can someone please explain to me why in heavens name Cole's band is called NARKOTIKA?! And WHY is it always written in caps? I feel like I should be yelling it every time I read it. (Gee, I guess I'm supposed to.)

4. Crappy Parents. Yet again. And this award doesn't just go to Grace's parental units (Hello! Can you not tell your daughter is sick here?). The Culpepers, Cole's smarty-pants family, and even Sam's adopted father, Beck, all seem to be gunning for this coveted title. I know Grace tends to envy Sam's upbringing, but Beck has always seemed a little off to me with his whole "let me bite and create more unstable werewolves" thing.

Harsh, right? I know. But it's not to say that I didn't like LINGER. Really, I did. It just isn't my favorite although guaranteed I'll be tracking down FOREVER (which, HELLO! has a gorgeous new cover) once it's released next year to find out how it all ends for Sam, Grace, Isabel, and Cole.

Linger is probably one of the best sequels I have ever read. I think for most authors one of the hardest things to do is to write a wonderful sequel to a wonderful first novel. Ms. Stiefvater, you have done just that.

Let me first say that Sam is HANDS DOWN my dreamboy. (If he is written on the basis of a real person, I might have to stalk this guy until he 1. falls in love with me 2. puts out a restraining order haha) In Linger, I got to see more of Sam's personality, his fears, his pet peeves. I adore everything about him. He's a little mopey at times, but can you honestly blame him? It's hard to be mad that he's slightly depressed when you're feeling the exact same way about his predicament.

One of the newest predicaments would be situation with new werewolf, Cole. I didn't really like him at the beginning of the book and I'm still not sure where I stand at the end of this book. Maybe Forever will show me more of who he is and hopefully I'll see something I like. (He is just way too arrogant I think for my taste.)

Also, this book was written from multiple points of view as opposed to just Sam and Grace in Shiver. For Linger, it is written from the perspectives of Sam, Grace, Cole, and Isabel. It really helped to solidify my liking for Isabel.

This book is the second in a trilogy and for me, the second book is always the least favorite of the three. Probably because the first one sets up the general story and the third book brings everything to a close. But the second book? It's like filling in the story without closing it off and it doesn't really have a true "beginning" since that was in the first book. However, this book kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing and the cliffhanger at the end..well..let's just say that I am VERY excited for July 12th, 2011 - when Forever comes out.

I'm still floating between a 3 and 4 stars on this one...

Before I officially start---I absolutely hated all aspects of Shiver other than Maggie's writing. Secondly, I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing style, her faerie books (Lament and Ballad, for those interested), and the short stories she posts on her Merry Sisters of Fate blog (everyone, go check it out! MS isn't the only great writer on the blog :]). Unfortunately, her werewolf series, while ingenious and brimming with her excellent sense of prose, falls flat because of two details, both entirely subjective:

Characters, and action.

Perhaps it's because I'm the type of person who isn't exactly in the "teenage mainstream," but I prefer characters who have some quirks, something that pops out and causes me to giggle with delight. Sam and Grace, I need not say, do not fall into this personality category. As in Shiver, they have remained rather disgustingly lovey-dovey, stuck together like glue, perfect, inseparable (other than the whole wolfy thing, would you know). Since their emotional status has been established in the first paragraph of the first book, I found nothing to interest me further in their relationship. Thus, I felt detached almost entirely from Shiver, but did find some saving points in Linger.

Mainly, this was because of Cole. Despite the fact that he also falls into the boo-hoo-hoo-y, angsty person category, I enjoyed his cynicism and sneering charm. He was bad-boy done impeccably, and furthermore, interestingly. Although I could recall similarities to him from other books (Jace from His Mortal Instruments, for example), Cole stood on his own two feet. I felt like he progressed as a person throughout the novel, and I experienced his emotions with him (the deer scene in particular, ahhh!). Needless to say, I enjoyed his viewpoint the most--he was a breath of fresh air after the gluey mess of Grace+Sam.

The other viewpoint I enjoyed was, surprisingly, Grace's. --MILD SPOILER-- I could finally see her exhibiting traces of backbone. Being a teenager myself, I also felt her frustration against her parents' hand-waving. As a teenager, the need to be understood is at the forefront of our minds, the need for what concerns us most to not be trivialized. Parents at all levels of care tend to shake their heads quite often at their children's passion (understandable, considering their experience), but the feelings of outrage and frustration the "wronged" teen (although in Grace's case she truly was) feels is written beautifully in Linger. --END MILD SPOILER--

I did, however, thoroughly dislike Sam and Isabel's viewpoints. I don't know why, but Isabel never interested me enough to feel as though I needed to go into her brain; Grace's understanding of her character was always enough for me. Furthermore, with the addition of Cole, I simply did not care enough about Isabel to struggle through her quippy, snobby entries. She's interesting, but not that interesting. Sam, on the other hand, is like boredom personified. I do not CARE about the guy. Other than his interesting musings about the cure and the way it made him feel, I simply could not invest anything in him. He stayed pretty much the same throughout Shiver, and he essentially remained that way in Linger (minus the wolfyness, of course). In the end, I skimmed Isabel's sections; skipped Sam's.

And finally, the action. Certainly, every scenario allowed the characters to further their relationships with one another, but when you zoom out of the details to take in the big picture, you find that nothing, in essence, happened. (Okay, more than in Shiver, but still not enough to merit almost 400 pages.) Although the complexity of the characters' interpersonal relationships cannot be questioned, I think that the presence of a parallel plot wouldn't have hurt the book. (I mean, think Twilight--although I deplore the book, I think the murders provided a good backset to the "blossoming" love story.) In Linger, the first 95% of the book consisted of character introduction and exploration, and the last 5% of these characters actually doing something. Personally, I think these should be more evenly interspersed.

Despite these flaws, though, I actually did enjoy the book (far more than Shiver, anyhow). It was a good read, and I liked how Maggie delved further into her own werewolf mythology. Her version is really well-done, and I'm eager to see how she finishes the series up. Overall, I don't regret buying the book, and would probably reread it with the same pleasure. I can only wish that some kind of accident will eradicate Sam, to replace him with a less wet-tissue-y lead male (coughColecough). I'm looking forward to the next book...hopefully won't have to wait Forever. (haha, oh, I'm a riot XD)

Listened to this to refresh my memory in anticipation of reading Forever, #3 in the series. Enjoyed the audio version as each of the main characters is voiced by a different person. Sam seems to be cured of the curse that causes him to change into a wolf every winter but Grace may be on the path to being a wolf herself. She smells like wolf and becomes quite ill. The mostly-chaste romance between Sam and Grace continues, despite an edict from Grace's suddenly-attentive parents that Grace not see Sam until she turns 18 (a mere four months). The fact that there is interest from the parents is a surprise, because they have been hands-off for the entire series.

The introduction of a new character, Cole, St. Clair, added to the storyline but I was surprised that the two things that tied Cole and Sam together--being a wolf and music--did not make them friends or at least something more than mere acquaintances. I'd thought that music would be a natural tie-in for the two boys. But I did enjoy the story, and look forward to Forever.

Sam is still human and yet afraid to hope, to even believe that he has been cured. On top of his constant worrying if his cure will be short lived, he has the extra responsibility of caring for the pack which includes newly created wolves. Meanwhile, Grace is showing signs of a sickness that Sam knows all too well....she smells of wolf.

Newly created wolf/teen rockstar, ex-junkie Cole St Clair is new to the pack and only wants to lose himself in being a wolf. He just wants to escape his life, one filled with expectations and pain. He doesn't want to remember anything about being a human. The only problem is that Cole can't stay a wolf because his body is betraying him. It seems to have a mind of his own, switching between his human and wolf form constantly, while the other wolves can stay in their animal forms until the winter thaws. To complicate matters, while Cole seemed to have been one of Beck's (Sam's adopted father's) favorites, he's not endearing or even liked by Sam. So while Sam struggles with being human, leading the pack, Grace's illness and her parent's wrath, he also is left to decipher why Beck would make the lead singer of the rockband (Narkoteka) a wolf.

The other central character, rebellious/spoiled and misunderstood Isabel is still reeling from her brother's death, of which she feels responsible. True to form she doesn't blink when she finds a nude Cole still shivering from the change. Finding that they are somewhat kindred spirits, the two most unlikely people find themselves drawn to each other. While separately they do not seem to be very likable, there is a vulnerability that each character has that endears them to the reader. We soon becomes invested in the outcome of Isabel and Cole's lives, just as we do Sam and Grace.

What I did appreciate about Linger was the beautiful quality of the words. The author (Stiefvater) writes with an honesty and beauty that brings emotion to the author. She also has the uncanny ability to make you sympathize and like those characters who initially every instinct tells you to hate. In the end, you grow to understand both Isabel and Cole and want to see them have a happily ever after. And while Sam and Grace appear to be the modern day Romeo and Juliette, you also know that things will work out better for them than the I'll-fated couple. In conclusion, I can honestly say that while there are some unresolved issues, the pros of reading the story outweigh the cons. I give Linger a solid 4 and highly recommend it to those who are in to paranormal young adult novels.

Maggie Stiefvater does it again! Linger is a spectacular addition to The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.

Recently I re-read Linger, the second book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy, by Maggie Stiefvater. WOW, now I am DYING to read Forever, the final book in this trilogy. Let's just say Maggie Stiefvater knows how to build anticipation and keep us wanting more!!

Linger is told from the alternating perspectives of Grace, Sam, Isabel & Cole (a new character).

I love Grace & Sam, in Shiver and in Linger. I am rooting for them all the way. Seriously, Sam writes music, plays guitar, sings his songs, and reads poetry!!! Grace is his muse. The only reason I wouldn't root for them is because I want him to myself

I really LOVE the addition of Isabel & Cole's perspectives. And even though Grace and Sam are the stars of the show, Isabel and Cole stole the show (or at least my attention). I wanted more and more scenes of them. Isabel and Cole are darker characters. They are both struggling with their own guilt, fears and depressions. However, their banter and no-nonsense attitudes are entertaining and refreshing. (Did I mention Cole is a musician too!! Not fair!)

I gave Linger by Maggie Stiefvater 4 STARS. I strongly recommend this book and look forward to reviewing the third and final book in this series, Forever.

-XOXO

READING, EATING & DREAMING

TO READ MORE YA REVIEWS CHECK OUT MY BLOG ON BLOGSPOT: READING, EATING & DREAMING I WAS BLAIR WALDORF

I was such a huge fan of Shiver. I was amazed by each detail Maggie placed inside the story. It was beautiful! Much of that continued with Linger, but I will say that I didn't love it as much. Sam and Grace go through a lot in Linger. Grace fights against her parents in order to stay with Sam. It seemed to be typical teenage drama but much more goes along with their love story. Something is happening with Grace and they don't know how to deal with it.

I'm not a big fan of multiple points-of-view and this book seemed to have too many. It often switched from Sam to Grace, to Isabelle and then Cole. I felt that even a majority of the book was focused on Isabelle and Cole..but honestly, that was fine with me because I preferred their story this time around. Sam and Grace were sooo depressed. I understood why but it just made the book harder to read. I felt myself dreading Sam and Grace's POV, and wanting to read more about Cole and Isabelle.

Isabelle is a great character. She is tough, stubborn, and sarcastic. That made the perfect match for Cole. He played the role of the tough guy but there ended up being so much more to him than first expected. Cole has a lot of demons from his past and he soon discovers that no matter what, he can't run from his past life. Isabelle is still going through pain of her own and together they seemed to bring some hope to each other's lives.

Sam and Grace are still strong characters and their level of love for each other cannot be denied. It goes beyond puppy love and each character goes through a lot to be together. They had several scenes that were completely adorable and I do really want to see what happens with them next.

Even though Linger didn't grab me as much as Shiver did, it still built upon a fascinating story. It has many dramatic moments, twists, and surprises. I'm looking forward to reading Forever and seeing what's in store for these characters!

I loved Linger better than Shiver. It had none of the hesitancy that Shiver contained, but rather constant decisions and action.

When Cole was introduced, I was completely and totally against him. I hated him because he constantly wrote about needing drugs, alcohol, and/or women. I loathed when the book changed into his perspective, but by the end of Linger, I was completely changed. Even though I'm still not really fond of Cole, I decided that I liked getting into his head when he started to change for the better. He discovered that maybe losing yourself to the wolves wasn't the right thing to do. I hope he's in Forever, because I'd love to know how his story ends.

I'm not sure how I feel about the constant perspective changes. I like them because I get to see into other character's heads, but they were confusing. They would change so suddenly that I would have to double-check to see which character I was reading. While I would definitely not like to read just Grace's perspective, I would have liked slightly easier transitions into each character.

I have to admire the author's ability to not make Sam into the typical romance boyfriend. Sam is delicate and scarred and afraid of things. Most of the main males in YA books (Edward Cullen much?) have to be tough and fearless and perfect. I like that Sam is not like that. He needs Grace just as much as she needs him, if not more.

I had no idea where Stiefvater was going to go with this book, but I didn't think that she was going to make Grace a werewolf. To me, Grace was always the odd one out on purpose. Able to see the wolf-images in her head, but never actually be a wolf. It's part of what made her who she is. Now that barrier has been broken, but what is she possibly going to do? She has too many ties to her humanity: her parents, school, friends, etc. I'm really curious to see how it's going to work out - or if it will work out.

I'm also very shocked that Sam chose to be human rather than turn into a wolf to stay with Grace. He struck me as the type of guy that would give up anything for her, but I see now that he values his humanity over being with Grace. Interesting.

4 stars total, because of its great story, consistent characters (though a lot of rough perspective changes), and really nice poetry/lyrics.