Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger (sequel to Shiver)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: July 20, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Length: 358pages
Format: ARC

Summary:

The Longing.

Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they 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 wold while denying the ties of being human.

The Linger.

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


Review:

Linger was like reading butter. The writing was silky smooth, fatty, and addicting. A guilty pleasure. But eating too much butter at once gives you a stomach ache, so I read this in pieces at a time, because the writing was so thick and beautiful that I would have become obese with jealousy and awe if I read it in one sitting.

Linger is told in the four alternating viewpoints of Sam, Grace, Isabel, and Cole. I did have a few issues with this, as Sam, Grace, and Isabel's voices so closely mirrored each other I had to keep flipping back to the beginning of the chapter to remind myself who was speaking. Cole's voice, however, was distinct and by far the most interesting and complex character. He opted to become a wolf in an attempt to forget about the complications, pain, and regret in his human life. This created an unbelievable tension between Sam and Cole, a tension that makes your stomach twist with apprehension.

The beginning of the book did linger for me a bit (no pun intended), as it took the time to set the stage for the events to come in the latter pages. I admit, I probably would have put it down if 1. The writing hadn't been so magnificent. 2. I hadn't been so compelled to figure out Cole and 3. The mystery of Grace's illness wasn't so gut-wrenching. You may be in for a surprise for this one, because I definitely was. I also have to admit this: If I had put the book down after the first 30 pages, I would have made a huge mistake. This book is worth reading again and again and again.

And you should be prepared to possibly shed a tear at the end.



Grade: A-