Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2) (original 2010; edition 2011)

'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 different ways to say goodbye.'

Grace has never been sick a day in her life since the wolves attacked her when she was a child. Lately, she's been plagued by a constant headache and a fever that burns deep and has her fearing that this is much more than just the flu. Sam, now human despite the brutal Minnesota cold, still feels as if it's too good to be true.

Cole is one of the new wolves that Beck turned before he changed for the last time. Cole was an interesting and multi-faceted character. An ex-rock star in his pre-wolf life that was a junkie on the road to disaster. When he was approached by Beck he agreed to the change seeking a respite from the life he had created for himself. Sam and Grace shared the stage with the introduction of the growing attraction between Isabelle and Cole. I found the two couples to be vastly different yet managed to complement each other in the story wonderfully.

Maggie's writing remains vibrant and beautiful. There's really no other way to explain it... simple yet not. She's an amazing writer. I especially loved the small snippets we were given of Sam's poetry/song writing abilities.

'I'm an equation that only she solves/these X's and Y's by other names called/My way of dividing is desperately flawed/as I multiply days without her'

The ending of [b:Linger|6654313|Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)|Maggie Stiefvater|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1292482391s/6654313.jpg|6848948] left me with little doubt that I needed to start Forever immediately. I needed to know the ending to the story even though I have a distinct feeling that it's going to break my heart. Here's hoping I'm wrong. :) ( )

I was a little disapointed in this book, it gave away too much of the plot in the first chapter, and some things did not make any kind of sense at all :( ( )

July 20th Can't Wait!! ( )

I let LINGER languish on my night stand for almost a month, not sure if I was really interested in the next chapter of Sam and Grace's story. Shiver was so emotional, poetic and powerful, I was worried any sequel would fall short. Once I started, however, I finished LINGER in one sitting and wished I could reach for the next book in the series immediately. Stiefvater exceeded all of my expectations in crafting a compelling sequel without resorting to melodrama or retreading old ground.

Read Abigail's review at All Things Urban Fantasy.

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I’ve been waiting to read Linger ever since I finished reading the last line of Shiver. That was a year ago. This whole time I’ve been wondering what’s going to happen and how is it going to happen. And because it’s been a year since I’ve read Shiver, I really wished I had the time to re-read it before starting Linger. I had forgotten about some of the secondary characters and I was unsure about some details so I did the next best thing - I went on Goodreads and read all the reviews that contained spoilers ;)

Surprisingly, the characters I was most looking forward to read about were not Sam and Grace but Isabel and Cole. Those two characters took center stage for me. I like Isabel a lot better in this book than I did in Shiver. She has definitely grown on me by showing a bit more compassion. She’s ridden with guilt by her brother’s death. But I love that she hasn’t lost that brusque demeanor of hers. I also liked Cole. He’s a new character that was briefly introduced in Shiver. He knows what he wants and knows what he signed up for, though it doesn’t entirely go to plan. Sam and Grace became the focal point for me towards the end.

There are 4 POVs in this book. It may seem overwhelming or intimidating to follow but it wasn’t, for the most part. The only problem I had with the alternating POVs was the frequency in change between them. At times, I found myself turning the page back to see whose POV I was reading, which did leave me a bit confused but was easily rectified.

I’m a big fan of the book covers in this trilogy. The Linger cover compliments the storyline perfectly and it’s a great companion cover to that of Shiver’s. The title ties in perfectly with the essence of the story. I like the simplicity of the title being only one word but don’t let that fool you; it packs great meaning with what’s about to unfold before your very eyes.

It was a bit slow in the beginning but in true Maggie fashion, she did not disappoint. I knew the ending would pack a good punch and Linger did just that. Have patience going in; you’ll be handsomely rewarded. The ending left me wondering how things are going to pan out. Though, I’m not sure how I feel about Sam’s decision…

I cannot wait for the last installment in this series, Forever, to come out!


You can find this review, and many more, on my blog The Book Vixen. ( )