Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)

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.

Reader reviewed by Frazzletastic

Linger really danced to its own tune -- the overall tone and atmosphere of the book radically transitioned from a desperate, urgent love story in Shiver to a more passive, heart-breaking tale of four emotionally crushed teenagers that delves into the complexities of their backgrounds and personalities. Sam and Grace are forced into fighting for their love, overcoming one burden, only to be presented with the next, all the while dealing with the pain of separation and the looming knowledge that something's happening to Grace that neither are willing to admit. Isabel, making a reappearance as a new POV, has her own demons to deal with: self-inflicted guilt over Jack, conflicting emotions over Sam and Cole, and her unwillingness to feel the pain that's subsiding within her. We're introduced to a new character, Cole -- a boy who chose the 'werewolf' lifestyle -- who turns out to be as damaged as Sam; he comes off as aloof, cynical, and cocky, but redeems himself towards the end of the novel.The alternating POVs were a fresh contrast to Sam's and Grace's POVs. I'm not that fond of books with shifting POVs; however, I didn't mind it as much in Shiver or Linger because it gave us further insight to the budding relationships of our teenage lovers. Isabel and Cole had me laughing, empathizing, crying -- it was really engaging, and the pair almost usurped my love for Sam and Grace. Almost. I can say with a definite declaration, though, that Cole is now my new favorite character in this series.

Reader reviewed by Jewelie

This novel is the sequel to Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater. It was just as beautiful as the first. Every single page has something that I will never forget! Maggie has a way of putting beautifully poetic language into both the dialogue and the narration itself!! While putting post-its and stickys where I find a quote that I love, I noticed that it was near impossible to keep that up considering every single sentence has its own beautiful meaning. I absolutely recommend this novel, along with the first one, to anyone and everyone!

Reader reviewed by The Bookshelf Sophisticate

If you've ever read a review or critique on Maggie Stiefvater or her previous books you will recognize and come to expect certain key terms like lyrical, passionate, poetic, creative and talented. All of these descriptions ring true for Stiefvater and her writing. After reading and enjoying Shiver I had high expectations for Linger and I was not disappointed. Stiefvater took the love story between Sam and Grace and if it's even possible made it more dramatic and heart wrenching. You are constantly rooting for them and crossing your fingers that they will finally get the happy ending that they so greatly deserve. But rather than stop there (because apparently Stiefvater wanted to torture readers more) we are presented with a new character Cole, and a new connection between he and Isabel.

Cole and Isabel are both going through a difficult time and I enjoyed watching them go through that together (not in a mean way or anything). It was like they recognized something in each other and knew they could lean on one another. I was a little disappointed that at times in the book we got more information on these two than on Sam and Grace, but at the same time it was like an added bonus. We got two more characters to root for and care about, and another couple to hope for. Overall I think Cole and Isabel added to the greatness that is the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but I know some readers will want nothing but Sam and Grace and who can blame them?

I'm not sure I have a favorite when comparing Shiver and Linger but I'm upset that I have to wait a year for Forever to be released, that's just too long. All in all I think Stiefvater has another success on her hands and an overall fan pleaser.

Reader reviewed by Sab H.

First of all... *sigh*. Second... Talk about guilty pleasure! And
third... Well, if you thought you liked Sam, wait til you meet Cole...
um, yeah, Sam who?



I wish I could come up with enough praise to complement her writing. But
I'm not Maggie, so if you want to find out how fantastically inspiring
she writes you're gonna have to read her books. Look, seriously, she
could write about aliens who become vampires but in fact are fallen
angels, and I would loyally read without hesitation. And the fact that
she writes about Cole just makes it all the better.



If you read Shiver (which you should because this one cannot stand
alone) you might be wondering what else could happen in Sam and Grace's
dramatic existence. They meet Cole. Cole St. Clair is the hottest, most
famous teen rock-star of the decade (drugs included) and was just bitten
by Beck.



This time the story alternates between four points of view: Sam, Grace,
Isabel and Cole, which was a little confusing but really enjoyable. It
allows the reader to get to know these new characters thus becoming main
parts of the story. While Grace and Sam are somewhat plain and boring
characters (I love them, but they are), Isabel and Cole are the spark or
the malice that was necessary for this book to be interesting. While I
did love Shiver I knew that if she wanted to keep her slow poetic
pace she needed someone like Isabel to step up and inject some fun into
it. It totally worked, and even though the story lacked action and the
pace was slow, the character development and again, the writing, kept me
involved the whole time. I highly recommend this series.



Overall, a wonderful sequel to a wonderful book. I cannot wait for the
next one!