Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)

Linger continues where Shiver ended.
I really liked the characters. Sam was a nice person with some interesting hobbies like bread baking and origami. Grace was practical and responsible. And the addition of Cole made things more interesting.
I liked Sam and Grace's continued romance. But, I felt that the story was kind of slow and was just leading up to the cliffhanger at the end.
I'll still read Forever to see how the trilogy ends.

This review can also be found at http://fortheloveofbooksreviews.blogspot.ca/2016/12/linger-by-maggie-stiefvater.html

Sam believes that he's been cured of being a werewolf and that he's going to stay a human for good. He and Grace are happy about this, but they have to consider their pasts and what they want for their future. With Sam hopeful that everything will work out and Grace dealing with tensions within her family, things get a bit more complicated when a new werewolf is brought into the mix.

Cole is adjusting to life as a werewolf, but he seems happy to escape his human life and his status as a rock star. But beneath his arrogant and confident demeanor lies unresolved issues. With the worry that he'll be spotted and that his location will be revealed to the world, Grace and Sam have a whole other problem to deal with.

Personally, I found Linger to be a lot slower than Shiver, and I thought it seemed more character-driven than plot-driven. While it had a great cliff-hanger ending and has made me excited to read the next book, I feel that it didn't live up to it's full potential, especially compared to Shiver.

I was glad to read more about one of my favourite couples in YA, Sam and Grace. I think they're so sweet together! Sam is such a sweetheart, with his concern and love for Grace, and of course, his passion for music. I like Grace because she's so ordinary, she's just a girl who got swept up into a paranormal world because of her interaction with, and love for Sam, and I think that this is a nice change from the whole "chosen one" or "secret past" trends within many YA books. One thing that has made me excited to continue reading this series is my interest in Sam and Grace's relationship and my hope that everything works out for them! I have to know how it ends with them, so I know I will definitely finish this series, even if the rest of the books aren't as great as the first.

Cole was an interesting character because I couldn't decide whether I liked him or not. He was kind of annoying with his arrogance and cockiness, however he had more beneath the surface and his own personal struggles. I thought his evolving relationship with Isabel was a nice touch and I was worried that I might find it turning cliche in the end, but I never found it to be that way at all.

I really like Maggie Stiefvater's interpretation of werewolves because it's not just a paranormal phenomenon within her books, but there's a bit of a scientific basis to it. Discussions of a possible cure throughout the book intrigued me because I wanted to learn more about werewolves and how they worked in this book's universe. Along with Sam and Grace's relationship, I'm going to be reading the rest of the books in this series with an anticipation for the conclusion of Sam's research for a cure.

Overall, while slightly disappointing, this was still an enjoyable read and I can't wait to see how everything works out in the end. I recommend this series to fans of werewolves and YA fiction! If you like romance with your werewolves, this series is a must-read.

It was a decent book, better than Shiver, but ch. 28 killed it for me. I am a huge animal lover and cruelty pisses me off, even when reading it. I didn't need to read the details of someone killing a deer by hand, it was just too much. I nearly put the book down at that point, but I hate leaving a book hanging. Taking a break before I read Forever, though it is on my shelf waiting.

Read this book if you're ready to be obsessed.

Reader reviewed by Courtney

I liked Linger better than I liked the first book of the series, Shiver.  Linger was the continuation of the story of the wolf Sam and his girlfriend Grace and all their friends. In Shiver Grace tried to save Sam from staying as a wolf forever so they cured him and now he is human, so now he and Grace can be together. Things are not that easy for them though and they have to fight to stay together.  There were lots of twists and turns in this sequel that make it a fast and enjoyable read.

They've made Grace's friend Isabel a more important character in this story. Her character is a cold, angry snob but I actually enjoyed her.  She spoke what was on her mind and her emotions seemed real.  Then there are some of the newly created wolves like Cole and Victor.  Cole is disturbed and suicidal character, which is a lot like Isabel so they have a connection right from the start.

I thought Maggie did a better job at connecting you with the story Linger more so than Shiver. I felt the characters were more in depth and the story line just seemed to flow a lot better. There was again some sexual content in here that I could have lived without but it wasn't overwhelming in this book and for that reason I enjoyed it more. Great read.

Reader reviewed by RuthieI don't know what it was in this book that depressed me but when I finished it, there was nothing else I wanted to do but curl up in a corner and cry. The characters were so realistic, with very real problems that hit home for me. The paranormal aspects of this book were also very original. Everything in Linger was well-done, from the plot and setting to the cover and text ink used. However, I would like to alert the Shiver fans, this book was a touch darker.