REVIEW: Linger by: Maggie Stiefvater

  

Title: Linger

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: July 13, 2010

Synopsis:

The Longing

Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know must fight to stay together. For Sam this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

The Loss

Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying ties of being a human. 

The Linger

For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life a constant struggle between two forces--wolf and human--with love baring its two sides as well. It's a harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough? 

    

Review:

Maggie Stiefvater has a unique way with words and a beautiful writing style. She is able to paint a picture with such vividness and clarity that the reader is immediately transported into the world she has created. 

Linger is told not only through Sam and Grace's POV but also through Isabel and Cole's POV. The story picks up almost right where Shiver left off. Olivia has become a wolf and Sam has been cured of the infection. Sam has had the immense responsibility of caring for the wolves thrust upon him. Grace still wonders what it would be like if she had shifted after being bitten and is still practically raising herself. 

Grace is still independent in her home life because of her absentee parents. Her and Sam have set up a sort of routine and have been living together in her parents home since they met unbeknownst to her parents. 

Sam is just as lyrical as ever writing his songs, although you don't get to see as many in Linger. Since he has been cured, everything has a new meaning to him and he is able to see ordinary things in a different light. 

Enter the newest wolves. Cole and Victor are the new wolves that Beck brought back from Canada. You really don't see much out of Victor, but get tons from Cole. Cole is what some people might call damaged goods. 

Isabel is still dealing with the true death of her brother Jack. She is almost as messed up as Cole is and also having to deal with a messed up home life, that comes close to as bad as Grace's. In Linger we get a chance to see real emotions from Isabel and she seems less like an ice princess. 

Linger starts off slow and towards the end it becomes fast paced, but never did I find it lagging.  It's packed full of sorrow and love, anger and hate, longing, growth, sadness and happiness. Linger is an emotion roller coaster of awesomeness, that will have you wanting more. I highly recommend giving Linger a chance and being transported into another world. 

(c) 2015 Andrea Hatfield All Rights Reserved