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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 wolf while denying the 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 is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?
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 wolf while denying the 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 is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?
360 pages, Paperback
First published July 13, 2010
2755 people are currently reading
73916 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Stiefvater
63 books172k followersNew York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.
Maggie Stiefvater plays several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and makes art in several media (most generally, colored pencils).
She lives in Virginia with her husband, their two children, many dogs, a bunch of fainting goats, and an irascible tuner car.
Maggie Stiefvater plays several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and makes art in several media (most generally, colored pencils).
She lives in Virginia with her husband, their two children, many dogs, a bunch of fainting goats, and an irascible tuner car.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,352 reviews
January 26, 2026
What's better than a book about two lovebirds being in love? HOW could you POSSIBLY keep your audience INVESTED after the characters get together in Chapter 1 of book 1????
Pining.
Lots. Of. Pining.
*deep breath in*
"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."
*deep breath out*
"One thousand ways to say good-bye
One thousands ways to cry
One thousand ways to hang your hat before you go outside
I say good-bye good-bye good-bye"
So...you may be wondering what could possibly cause this level of Romeo-Julietesque mourning.
"Because you know that's not how you want it to end. You know I'd love to have you with me, and it will be that way, one day. But this isn't the way it ought to happen."
Did one of them kill themselves? Was there a tragic, deadly disaster?
Nah. They aren't actually separated. This is all emotional separation pining. Hur-ray.
In other words, for Book 2, we are actually back at square one.
To better put this into perspective, at the end of last book, Grace turns Sam permanently into a human through a convoluted and completely (and utterly) dumb way (think of the most dangerous way to do something simple...and she went three steps beyond that).
Anyway, now that he's human, she's starting to feel inexplicably sick.
The sort of terminal sick...the sort of sick levels that you would (logically) tell your life partner...but she doesn't...and she gets worse...and starts pining over the life she is soon to lose...
SIGH.
What annoys me SO MUCH about this book is that it's the EXACT SAME PLOT as the previous one.
Last round, Sam has the "terminal wolf-syndrome" to deal with...that he waits until literally the last couple of days to tell her...and when he finally does, Grace has go to extremes to save his life.
This round, Grace is facing a terminal issue and instead of telling him, she bottles it up and hopes it goes away.
Like Gurl. Did you not read the last book?
Anyway, other than THAT bug in my bonnet, I enjoyed (most) of this book. The characters were better developed this round and we get to "meet" Cole and get to know Isabelle (who's by-far my favorite).
Grace is such a goody-two-shoes that it's quite a relief to have the "mean girl" call her out on that. This book needed a little bit of spice!
And (thankfully) there was less kissing. I don't mind a smooch-a-roo from the couples, but last round, it ended up being SO heavy-handed that I became utterly numb to it.
Though, points for the book-quotes this round!
and
"...she made her home in between the pages of books."
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"I couldn't imagine anyone ever reading a book enough to make it look like that. It looked like it had been driven over by a school bus after someone had taken a bath with it."
January 5, 2019
”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’m an honest and blunt person and I suppose that this always reflects in my reviews as well. So when I wrote my review about “Shiver” it was rather short and only contained a few interesting quotes. Now that I wanted to start to write my review about “Linger” I realized that this one isn’t going to be a short one though and that this book actually deserves to get one of my longish reviews where I write my opinions about the characters as well.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that this series got so much better with the second book that I indeed have no other choice than to write a proper andelaborate long review. *lol* There is a lot I need to talk about and even though this series was slightly dark from the beginning, it definitely got an even darker turn in this second book! And you all know how much I love my dark and broken characters so yes, I admit it, my dark and twisted faerie soul thrived on reading this instalment! XD
Of course it wasn’t all dark though and there were quite a few “yucky romance” moments (Craig’s description, not mine. ;-P) that made the plot even more interesting to read. XD Considering it all it was a really nice mixture of both aspects, and I’m very glad I gave Maggie Stiefvater’s first series a chance. Plus I could see how much her writing changed and improved throughout the entire book and this was a truly remarkable thing to witness! <3 It actually felt like she found her voice while she wrote “Linger” and this definitely made me one hell of a happy camper. XD
The characters:
Beware, this is my “spoilery spoiler section” and you’re about to enter it. Trespassing is punished with being spoiled! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! ;-P
Grace:
”Grace should’ve been here. If lying were an Olympic sport, Grace would’ve been champion of the world. For someone who hated creative writing, she certainly was an awesome storyteller.”
I really liked Grace in this one and I liked it even more that she finally showed her parents her claws. *lol* (Am I even supposed to support attitude like that when I’m a parent myself?! XD) Well, anyway! I was kind of proud that she decided to confront her parents and their behaviour because seriously, what‘s wrong with them?! Sam is such a sweet boy and I don’t get why they didn’t like him and basically kicked him out of their house every time they saw him. You’d think parents that never gave a damn about their child would be more amiable when it comes to the love interest of their daughter. So once Grace called them out on their neglect I was all like: YES, that’s my girl!!! *lol* I felt really sorry for her though, because Sam is everything she has and cares about and her parents just decided to cut him off. And this in the worst possible way ever! I mean she was dying and they didn’t let him be close to her! Which kind of parents are they even?! GAH! Makes me angry just to think about it. I really would have loved to jump right into the book and to slap some sense into them. XD Plus how unfair is it that Sam is healed and Grace became a wolf now?! I feel so sorry for both of them I can’t even! >_<
”You’ve been ruling this particular part of the world via absentee ballot for most of my teenage years, and now you just ride in here and say, Sorry, Grace, no, this little bit of life that you have managed to make for yourself, this person you’ve chosen, you should be happy we’re not taking that, too.”
Sam:
”I was cold, I had a handful of snow, and I was human.
The future stretched before me, infinite and growing and mine, in a way that nothing had ever been before.”
Aww poor broken and sad Sam! I swear every time I read about his former life and what happened with his parents a part of my heart bled with him. T_T There were a lot of bad parents in many books I read but if I had to give the Oscar to fictional parents that screwed up their kids the most, it definitely would either go to Sam’s parents or Grace’s. *lol* Which is kind of interesting, because the parents in this series all seem to suck big time! XD (Maggie what are you trying to tell us with that?) Anyway, considering his parents and what they did to him it’s actually a wonder Sam turned out to be such a special snowflake and my respect for Beck, his adoptive father, only grew even more after reading this book. <3 Sam went through so much at such a young age and he deserves to be happy with the person he loves. I can’t help but wonder what is going to happen in “Forever” though and I really hope I’ll get my hands on a copy of it soon. >_<
”My parents had always been so careful with me, until the day they decided I needed to die.”
Isabel:
”I swore softly, clicked on the light, and for the first time contemplated what I was doing: digging through my dead brother’s stuff to find clothing for a totally swoonworthy but jerkish werewolf standing in my bathroom, after telling my mom that I’d been sleeping with him.
Maybe she was right and I did need therapy.”
Haha! I loved that we got Isabel’s POV and I think by now I love her character even more than Grace’s. She’s just so brisk, direct and unapologetic and I really like that about her! Plus she doesn’t overthink things but acts instead, which is just another trait I came to appreciate in people. *lol* I just like her nature and even though she’s so tough on the outside it’s quite obvious that she has a soft heart. It hurt me to see how much the guilt of her brother’s death gnawed at her and I really wish I could have helped her to deal with it. Especially because it wasn’t her fault! She only tried to help him and he wanted her to do it so she shouldn’t blame herself. Maybe she’ll make peace with her decision in the next book?! I really hope she will!
”I killed him. And some days I just can’t live with that. But I do. Because that’s life, Cole. Life’s pain. You just have to get over as much of it as you can.”
Cole:
”Yeah,” I said, because I still believed in hell. It was heaven I wasn’t so sure about anymore.”
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE AND ADORE COLE ST. CLAIR!!! He is one of the best characters who were ever introduced in a second book and he now shares that fame with Alex Fierro, Nikolai Lantsov and Jameson from V. Games. (How come those awesome characters always appear in the middle of a series? Not that I’d complain. *lol*) I think what I like best about him is his attitude. Just like Isabel he’s very soft on the inside and tries to cover it with an arrogant and cynical exterior. There obviously happened a lot of shit in his life as a human though and it was really sad to unravel all the little pieces that led him to become a werewolf. I’m so curious about that boy I can’t even! I need “Forever” asap and then I’ll jump right into “Sinner” because I read that it’s about Isabel and Cole and I CRAVE for more!! XD Maggie and her beautifully broken characters, I’ll never get enough of them…. *shakes head*
”I am, quite possibly, utterly incapable of making a decision that is not self-serving in absolutely every way.”
”It hurt to let myself remember I was poison to everyone I touched, but for once, it felt good to be self-aware. I couldn’t stop myself from exploding, but I could at least learn to contain the fallout.”
The relationships & ships:
Grace & Sam:
”A life made up of promises of what could be: the possibilities contained in a stack of college applications, the thrill of sleeping under a strange roof, the future that lay in Sam’s smile.”
GAH!!! Their love story is so unfair I’m already getting sad as I write this. =((( Now that Sam is finally “healed” Grace turned into a werewolf! DAMN! *lol* I mean it was a plot twist Craig and Isaw scented from miles away but this still didn’t take the edge off the finale! We might have expected what would happen but how it was executed? Well suffice it to say that it was heart-breaking and very sad. T_T Poor Sam and Grace. It’s like in the old legends when one lover is a human at night and the other a human at day. Talk about bad timing! >_< I’m kind of convinced that Cole might find a solution for their problem though and this is just another reason to read “Forever” asap! *lol* Hey, how often did I already say that I need to read the next book soon?! XD Guess that tells you enough about how good this was! <333
”I was torn between wanting to speak and wanting to guard my fears, keeping control of them by keeping them private. The words came out before I could think them through. “I can’t lose both of them. I know … I know how strong I am, and I’m … not that strong.”
Isabel & Cole:
”Aren’t you afraid?” Isabel asked, suddenly, and I opened my eyes. I hadn’t realized I’d shut them. Her gaze was intense.
“Of what?”
“Of losing yourself?”
I told her the truth: “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
AKALKFAJSLDFJASLDFJASLD! THOSE TWO!!! They hit it off right at the beginning and boy did I love them together! <333 Their conversations were so funny to read and the fact that they are both broken and try to hide it from each other made this a very intriguing and dark romance. Also MAGGIE STIEFVATER AND HER QUOTES ABOUT HANDS!!! THIS WOMAN WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!!! *lol* I swear hands and eyes are the first thing I look at when I meet a new person and apparently Maggie is fascinated with them too. XD At least her countless mentions of them in TRC and now here indicate it. ;-P Maggie, if you ever read this let’s meet up and take closer look at each other’s hands! ;-P *LOL* Weeellll, anyway! *coughs* Back to Isabel and Cole! XD I basically loved everything about them and haha when Isabel saved a naked Cole from her mother it definitely was one of my favourite scenes! Craig and I had a funny conversation about the way she acted and he was all like: Would you kiss a naked good looking stranger who’s a werewolf and just happens to stand in your house?! And I was all like: Yes, yes I would! If I’d be young, single and he would be as cocky and handsome as Cole St. Clair, yep definitely. *lol* So Craig found the “yucky romance” unrealistic at times but I really loved it so we definitely had a funny buddy read together. Haha! I can’t wait to see where this Isabel & Cole ship is heading but I’m so on board of it!! <333 Give me the next book please!
”I was sort of fascinated by his hands – hard-looking hands, all steep angles and prominent veins running across the back of them. I watched the deft way that his fingers moved while he did mundane things like putting sugar in his coffee.”
”Somehow, he was yet again being honest, sharing another secret, when I didn’t have anything I was willing to give in return. For once, I saw something in his eyes. I saw that he was feeling again, and that whatever he was feeling was hurting him.
I wasn’t ready to hurt.”
I’m sure you already figured it out: I loved the book and I’m soooo ready for the rest of the series! If it’s as good as “Linger” was; nothing will be able to keep me from reading it! <333 And as always a special thanks goes to my Sugar Bun! It was another awesome buddy read and I really hope that you’ll continue this series with me. I know, I know it’s “yucky romance” but I also know that deep down in your heart you actually love and crave for it! ;-P ADMIT IT!!! XD “Forever” we’re coming!!! *drags Craig with me* XD
I’m an honest and blunt person and I suppose that this always reflects in my reviews as well. So when I wrote my review about “Shiver” it was rather short and only contained a few interesting quotes. Now that I wanted to start to write my review about “Linger” I realized that this one isn’t going to be a short one though and that this book actually deserves to get one of my longish reviews where I write my opinions about the characters as well.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is that this series got so much better with the second book that I indeed have no other choice than to write a proper and
Of course it wasn’t all dark though and there were quite a few “yucky romance” moments (Craig’s description, not mine. ;-P) that made the plot even more interesting to read. XD Considering it all it was a really nice mixture of both aspects, and I’m very glad I gave Maggie Stiefvater’s first series a chance. Plus I could see how much her writing changed and improved throughout the entire book and this was a truly remarkable thing to witness! <3 It actually felt like she found her voice while she wrote “Linger” and this definitely made me one hell of a happy camper. XD
The characters:
Beware, this is my “spoilery spoiler section” and you’re about to enter it. Trespassing is punished with being spoiled! Don’t say I didn’t warn you! ;-P
Grace:
”Grace should’ve been here. If lying were an Olympic sport, Grace would’ve been champion of the world. For someone who hated creative writing, she certainly was an awesome storyteller.”
I really liked Grace in this one and I liked it even more that she finally showed her parents her claws. *lol* (Am I even supposed to support attitude like that when I’m a parent myself?! XD) Well, anyway! I was kind of proud that she decided to confront her parents and their behaviour because seriously, what‘s wrong with them?! Sam is such a sweet boy and I don’t get why they didn’t like him and basically kicked him out of their house every time they saw him. You’d think parents that never gave a damn about their child would be more amiable when it comes to the love interest of their daughter. So once Grace called them out on their neglect I was all like: YES, that’s my girl!!! *lol* I felt really sorry for her though, because Sam is everything she has and cares about and her parents just decided to cut him off. And this in the worst possible way ever! I mean she was dying and they didn’t let him be close to her! Which kind of parents are they even?! GAH! Makes me angry just to think about it. I really would have loved to jump right into the book and to slap some sense into them. XD Plus how unfair is it that Sam is healed and Grace became a wolf now?! I feel so sorry for both of them I can’t even! >_<
”You’ve been ruling this particular part of the world via absentee ballot for most of my teenage years, and now you just ride in here and say, Sorry, Grace, no, this little bit of life that you have managed to make for yourself, this person you’ve chosen, you should be happy we’re not taking that, too.”
Sam:
”I was cold, I had a handful of snow, and I was human.
The future stretched before me, infinite and growing and mine, in a way that nothing had ever been before.”
Aww poor broken and sad Sam! I swear every time I read about his former life and what happened with his parents a part of my heart bled with him. T_T There were a lot of bad parents in many books I read but if I had to give the Oscar to fictional parents that screwed up their kids the most, it definitely would either go to Sam’s parents or Grace’s. *lol* Which is kind of interesting, because the parents in this series all seem to suck big time! XD (Maggie what are you trying to tell us with that?) Anyway, considering his parents and what they did to him it’s actually a wonder Sam turned out to be such a special snowflake and my respect for Beck, his adoptive father, only grew even more after reading this book. <3 Sam went through so much at such a young age and he deserves to be happy with the person he loves. I can’t help but wonder what is going to happen in “Forever” though and I really hope I’ll get my hands on a copy of it soon. >_<
”My parents had always been so careful with me, until the day they decided I needed to die.”
Isabel:
”I swore softly, clicked on the light, and for the first time contemplated what I was doing: digging through my dead brother’s stuff to find clothing for a totally swoonworthy but jerkish werewolf standing in my bathroom, after telling my mom that I’d been sleeping with him.
Maybe she was right and I did need therapy.”
Haha! I loved that we got Isabel’s POV and I think by now I love her character even more than Grace’s. She’s just so brisk, direct and unapologetic and I really like that about her! Plus she doesn’t overthink things but acts instead, which is just another trait I came to appreciate in people. *lol* I just like her nature and even though she’s so tough on the outside it’s quite obvious that she has a soft heart. It hurt me to see how much the guilt of her brother’s death gnawed at her and I really wish I could have helped her to deal with it. Especially because it wasn’t her fault! She only tried to help him and he wanted her to do it so she shouldn’t blame herself. Maybe she’ll make peace with her decision in the next book?! I really hope she will!
”I killed him. And some days I just can’t live with that. But I do. Because that’s life, Cole. Life’s pain. You just have to get over as much of it as you can.”
Cole:
”Yeah,” I said, because I still believed in hell. It was heaven I wasn’t so sure about anymore.”
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE AND ADORE COLE ST. CLAIR!!! He is one of the best characters who were ever introduced in a second book and he now shares that fame with Alex Fierro, Nikolai Lantsov and Jameson from V. Games. (How come those awesome characters always appear in the middle of a series? Not that I’d complain. *lol*) I think what I like best about him is his attitude. Just like Isabel he’s very soft on the inside and tries to cover it with an arrogant and cynical exterior. There obviously happened a lot of shit in his life as a human though and it was really sad to unravel all the little pieces that led him to become a werewolf. I’m so curious about that boy I can’t even! I need “Forever” asap and then I’ll jump right into “Sinner” because I read that it’s about Isabel and Cole and I CRAVE for more!! XD Maggie and her beautifully broken characters, I’ll never get enough of them…. *shakes head*
”I am, quite possibly, utterly incapable of making a decision that is not self-serving in absolutely every way.”
”It hurt to let myself remember I was poison to everyone I touched, but for once, it felt good to be self-aware. I couldn’t stop myself from exploding, but I could at least learn to contain the fallout.”
The relationships & ships:
Grace & Sam:
”A life made up of promises of what could be: the possibilities contained in a stack of college applications, the thrill of sleeping under a strange roof, the future that lay in Sam’s smile.”
GAH!!! Their love story is so unfair I’m already getting sad as I write this. =((( Now that Sam is finally “healed” Grace turned into a werewolf! DAMN! *lol* I mean it was a plot twist Craig and I
”I was torn between wanting to speak and wanting to guard my fears, keeping control of them by keeping them private. The words came out before I could think them through. “I can’t lose both of them. I know … I know how strong I am, and I’m … not that strong.”
Isabel & Cole:
”Aren’t you afraid?” Isabel asked, suddenly, and I opened my eyes. I hadn’t realized I’d shut them. Her gaze was intense.
“Of what?”
“Of losing yourself?”
I told her the truth: “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
AKALKFAJSLDFJASLDFJASLD! THOSE TWO!!! They hit it off right at the beginning and boy did I love them together! <333 Their conversations were so funny to read and the fact that they are both broken and try to hide it from each other made this a very intriguing and dark romance. Also MAGGIE STIEFVATER AND HER QUOTES ABOUT HANDS!!! THIS WOMAN WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME!!! *lol* I swear hands and eyes are the first thing I look at when I meet a new person and apparently Maggie is fascinated with them too. XD At least her countless mentions of them in TRC and now here indicate it. ;-P Maggie, if you ever read this let’s meet up and take closer look at each other’s hands! ;-P *LOL* Weeellll, anyway! *coughs* Back to Isabel and Cole! XD I basically loved everything about them and haha when Isabel saved a naked Cole from her mother it definitely was one of my favourite scenes! Craig and I had a funny conversation about the way she acted and he was all like: Would you kiss a naked good looking stranger who’s a werewolf and just happens to stand in your house?! And I was all like: Yes, yes I would! If I’d be young, single and he would be as cocky and handsome as Cole St. Clair, yep definitely. *lol* So Craig found the “yucky romance” unrealistic at times but I really loved it so we definitely had a funny buddy read together. Haha! I can’t wait to see where this Isabel & Cole ship is heading but I’m so on board of it!! <333 Give me the next book please!
”I was sort of fascinated by his hands – hard-looking hands, all steep angles and prominent veins running across the back of them. I watched the deft way that his fingers moved while he did mundane things like putting sugar in his coffee.”
”Somehow, he was yet again being honest, sharing another secret, when I didn’t have anything I was willing to give in return. For once, I saw something in his eyes. I saw that he was feeling again, and that whatever he was feeling was hurting him.
I wasn’t ready to hurt.”
I’m sure you already figured it out: I loved the book and I’m soooo ready for the rest of the series! If it’s as good as “Linger” was; nothing will be able to keep me from reading it! <333 And as always a special thanks goes to my Sugar Bun! It was another awesome buddy read and I really hope that you’ll continue this series with me. I know, I know it’s “yucky romance” but I also know that deep down in your heart you actually love and crave for it! ;-P ADMIT IT!!! XD “Forever” we’re coming!!! *drags Craig with me* XD
April 8, 2019
if theres one thing i wish i could avoid in life, it would be writing reviews for three star ratings. its so difficult to make ‘its not amazing, but its not bad either’ sound interesting or hold any weight.
the reason this book falls in the middle for me is because it essentially feels like a filler book in the series. there isnt much plot that propels the storyline in this - its basically laying groundwork for the next installment. so its a slow build, which is a dream for those who really love these characters. im not quite in love with them, but i like them, so thats why my feelings lean more on the positive side.
i do think the story is interesting and i am really looking forward to how the story comes together after this book. i have also really enjoyed seeing stiefvaters writing develop and improve, so thats a bonus!
overall, this isnt a series i would binge read, but i will most likely continue it at some point down the line.
↠ 3.5 stars
the reason this book falls in the middle for me is because it essentially feels like a filler book in the series. there isnt much plot that propels the storyline in this - its basically laying groundwork for the next installment. so its a slow build, which is a dream for those who really love these characters. im not quite in love with them, but i like them, so thats why my feelings lean more on the positive side.
i do think the story is interesting and i am really looking forward to how the story comes together after this book. i have also really enjoyed seeing stiefvaters writing develop and improve, so thats a bonus!
overall, this isnt a series i would binge read, but i will most likely continue it at some point down the line.
↠ 3.5 stars
May 29, 2012
It's about time I write this review.
I wasn't blown away by Shiver, but that doesn't mean I wasn't eagerly waiting for Linger. I seem to be in the minority here, but I liked Linger more than I did Shiver.
I still don't understand Sam though. I've decided not call him gay anymore, because he makes it abundantly clear that he loves Grace. So instead, I will just call him feminine. I mean this boy
1. bakes bread
2. reads German poetry
3. writes sappy love songs
4. cooks
5. folds paper
6. is sensitive (aka moody). And not in the sexy-never-know-what-hes gonna-do way, but in the oh-no-hes-crying-again way.
Seriously, this boy would get eaten alive in any high school. I still like Grace though. She's neat. Smart and savvy.
But I am glad its not just those two anymore. If I had to read another 350 paged sappy lovefest between those two, I wouldn't be able to take it. So I'm glad for the new POV of Isabel and Cole. I've always liked Isabel. She's ballsy but not invulnerable. I like how she isn't portayed as perfect. And then there's Cole....I won't even try to hide the crush I have on him. *shrugs* I have a thing for damaged rock stars. It was interesting to see the whole situation through their eyes. It kept the story fresh, and I didn't get confused when ever there was a shift in perspective. And I don't care much about Isabel and Cole as a couple. That's not really necessary.
And of course I was pissed at the parents. Not because they did what did in itself, but because they did it without precedent. Its kinda like when my mother let my dog run around the yard just after installing the electric fence. My dog was running around, not a care in the world, unaware that a few feet away was an underground wire that would shock her if she came near it. My dog was not aware that the boundry existed, which is why it was made all the more cruel when she got zapped.
The writing, as usual, was good. There is something so delicate about it that sets the mood for the story. The story would be absolutely suckish if the writing wasn't so good, which is probably why I was able to tolerate the slow pace.
So I liked it, and definitely have a few questions. Forever needs to come NOW.
I wasn't blown away by Shiver, but that doesn't mean I wasn't eagerly waiting for Linger. I seem to be in the minority here, but I liked Linger more than I did Shiver.
I still don't understand Sam though. I've decided not call him gay anymore, because he makes it abundantly clear that he loves Grace. So instead, I will just call him feminine. I mean this boy
1. bakes bread
2. reads German poetry
3. writes sappy love songs
4. cooks
5. folds paper
6. is sensitive (aka moody). And not in the sexy-never-know-what-hes gonna-do way, but in the oh-no-hes-crying-again way.
Seriously, this boy would get eaten alive in any high school. I still like Grace though. She's neat. Smart and savvy.
But I am glad its not just those two anymore. If I had to read another 350 paged sappy lovefest between those two, I wouldn't be able to take it. So I'm glad for the new POV of Isabel and Cole. I've always liked Isabel. She's ballsy but not invulnerable. I like how she isn't portayed as perfect. And then there's Cole....I won't even try to hide the crush I have on him. *shrugs* I have a thing for damaged rock stars. It was interesting to see the whole situation through their eyes. It kept the story fresh, and I didn't get confused when ever there was a shift in perspective. And I don't care much about Isabel and Cole as a couple. That's not really necessary.
And of course I was pissed at the parents. Not because they did what did in itself, but because they did it without precedent. Its kinda like when my mother let my dog run around the yard just after installing the electric fence. My dog was running around, not a care in the world, unaware that a few feet away was an underground wire that would shock her if she came near it. My dog was not aware that the boundry existed, which is why it was made all the more cruel when she got zapped.
The writing, as usual, was good. There is something so delicate about it that sets the mood for the story. The story would be absolutely suckish if the writing wasn't so good, which is probably why I was able to tolerate the slow pace.
So I liked it, and definitely have a few questions. Forever needs to come NOW.
July 9, 2019
I don’t like loonnnnnnggggg drawn out reviews and I’m in a mood! I liked the book still. The end!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 18, 2017
“She made her home in between the pages of books.”
Don't need to say much about this one. It's a worthy follow-up to Shiver and a perfect prequel to Forever. I loved this series. It's perfect for a wintery night or two and a hot cup of tea.
Find more of my books on Instagram
Don't need to say much about this one. It's a worthy follow-up to Shiver and a perfect prequel to Forever. I loved this series. It's perfect for a wintery night or two and a hot cup of tea.
Find more of my books on Instagram
August 17, 2010
Hm. When this book arrived, I wasn't so sure if I should read it right away or if it would be better to wait for the final book of the trilogy, Forever, to be available. In the end, I was simply too curious ;).
But a small warning: This book ends on a major cliffhanger.
Altogether, the book wasn't bad - rather slow, though - but it was one of those sequels that wouldn't really have been necessary in my opinion.
While I wasn't totally ecstatic about Shiver, I definitely would have remembered it as a beautifully written stand-alone book with an ending that made me hope for a better future for the two main characters. It didn't need a sequel.
Now, in Linger, the whole story seems to move backward instead of forward: Grace suddenly feels sick, and it is indicated that she can't escape her destiny to be a wolf much longer (Seriously, why exactly now?). Sam struggles with his new-found life and also with the young wolves Beck has brought with him from Canada.
The only aspect that added something new was the introduction of Isabel's and Cole's point of view, which made the story more fresh and interesting.
I already liked Isabel in Shiver and although Cole is a rather uncomfortable character, making those close to him suffer with his self-destructive beheaviour, I couldn't help but like him as well.
What really infuriated me though were Grace's parents. They suddenly get the idea that they should keep an eye on their teenage daughter because her boyfriend is clearly having a bad influence on her. Sure. And they do it in exactly the way that makes children hate their parents for not taking them seriously. I'm really not sure why they behaved the way they did - maybe there will be an explanation in the next book - but to me, it felt like a rather weak plot device to make Grace and Sam's relationship more difficult and add a forbidden flavour.
All in all, I couldn't shake the feeling that some of the conflicts here were only created to have something to write about, therefore only three stars from me.
But I have to admit that I'm going to read Forever nevertheless (I suppose a normal reaction concerning that cliffhanger), I simply want to know how the story progresses.
Edit: I've decided to remove a star here. Now that it's been a while, my curiosity to read the sequel has diminished and I'm actually not the slightest bit interested in the story anymore. I think Grace's and Sam's relationship - and let's face it, that's the only thing these books are about - has never really resonated with me.
But a small warning: This book ends on a major cliffhanger.
Altogether, the book wasn't bad - rather slow, though - but it was one of those sequels that wouldn't really have been necessary in my opinion.
While I wasn't totally ecstatic about Shiver, I definitely would have remembered it as a beautifully written stand-alone book with an ending that made me hope for a better future for the two main characters. It didn't need a sequel.
Now, in Linger, the whole story seems to move backward instead of forward: Grace suddenly feels sick, and it is indicated that she can't escape her destiny to be a wolf much longer (Seriously, why exactly now?). Sam struggles with his new-found life and also with the young wolves Beck has brought with him from Canada.
The only aspect that added something new was the introduction of Isabel's and Cole's point of view, which made the story more fresh and interesting.
I already liked Isabel in Shiver and although Cole is a rather uncomfortable character, making those close to him suffer with his self-destructive beheaviour, I couldn't help but like him as well.
What really infuriated me though were Grace's parents. They suddenly get the idea that they should keep an eye on their teenage daughter because her boyfriend is clearly having a bad influence on her. Sure. And they do it in exactly the way that makes children hate their parents for not taking them seriously. I'm really not sure why they behaved the way they did - maybe there will be an explanation in the next book - but to me, it felt like a rather weak plot device to make Grace and Sam's relationship more difficult and add a forbidden flavour.
All in all, I couldn't shake the feeling that some of the conflicts here were only created to have something to write about, therefore only three stars from me.
But I have to admit that I'm going to read Forever nevertheless (I suppose a normal reaction concerning that cliffhanger), I simply want to know how the story progresses.
Edit: I've decided to remove a star here. Now that it's been a while, my curiosity to read the sequel has diminished and I'm actually not the slightest bit interested in the story anymore. I think Grace's and Sam's relationship - and let's face it, that's the only thing these books are about - has never really resonated with me.
January 23, 2020
Actual rating: 4.5
Oh my God...I have no words this was amazing! The ending had me freaking out it was so tense, ahhh I'm so scared for book 3.
The story was so good, usually 2nd books in series are all boring, but I kept reading and reading waiting to see what happened. The plot builds so well and I absolutely loved Cole! His character is amazing and I loved his POV chapters.
Honestly these books the different POVs work so well, like you can really tell who you're reading from and they all work so good within the story! I'm usually not a fan when there's more than 2 POVs but 4 actually worked so great, I'm so falling in love with Maggie's writing.
This was almost a 5 star again like the first book but there was just a bit of unneeded romance that I could live without so yeah /-\ It was great though! I need everyone to read this series like rn...I'm gonna go start book 3...
Oh my God...I have no words this was amazing! The ending had me freaking out it was so tense, ahhh I'm so scared for book 3.
The story was so good, usually 2nd books in series are all boring, but I kept reading and reading waiting to see what happened. The plot builds so well and I absolutely loved Cole! His character is amazing and I loved his POV chapters.
Honestly these books the different POVs work so well, like you can really tell who you're reading from and they all work so good within the story! I'm usually not a fan when there's more than 2 POVs but 4 actually worked so great, I'm so falling in love with Maggie's writing.
This was almost a 5 star again like the first book but there was just a bit of unneeded romance that I could live without so yeah /-\ It was great though! I need everyone to read this series like rn...I'm gonna go start book 3...
July 25, 2011
5.5 stars
You know that feeling when you’re floating on water? All your senses are dampened, you are weightless, careless and completely relaxed. There aren’t any loud sounds, you are safe, perfectly happy and everything else seems a mile away... That’s EXACTLY how Maggie Stiefvater’s writing makes me feel. I want to hug this book and never ever let it out of my sight.
Grace and Sam are finally together, but they live in fear. They are constantly afraid that things will go back to the way they were before, and unfortunately, it’s not something either of them can control. There are several new wolves in the woods and it’s up to Sam to take care of them all now – the old and the new. In addition, Grace’s parents finally started noticing things and decided to start honing their parenting skills.
Linger brings us two additional POVs. We get to see some of the events through the eyes of Isabel, to whom we were introduced in Shiver, and Cole, one of the new wolves. The two of them are so very different from Sam and Grace and having four POVs instead of two brought amazing balance to the story. While this would certainly bother me in Shiver, I was thrilled by it now.
That doesn’t mean that I like Grace and Sam any less. In fact, if I had feelings for those characters before, it was nothing compared to how I feel about them now. They are both beautiful and strong in their own way. I’ve noticed that my favorite quotes usually come from Sam’s chapters, although Grace has her moments, too. There’s a reason for that, of course. Sam is just the type of gentle soul I can start loving in a heartbeat, and after all, he’s supposed to be good with words. There isn’t a character in YA literature I could ever love more than I love Sam. A look in his eyes is all it takes to make me cry!
I did my best to find a flaw in Linger – this may sound odd, but I wanted to have at least one small thing to complain about because I thought it would add credibility to the rest of my review. I tried my best and failed miserably. Oh, I’ve read my friends’ reviews but I simply don’t agree with any of them. The first half was not slow for me, it was soft and beautiful. Isabel and Cole weren’t irritating, they were troubled and interesting. The prose wasn’t purple, it was… I already said that, didn’t I? I could go on and on for days, but it wouldn’t do much good. This is the second book in a series that needs to be read in order. If you liked Shiver, you are going to like Linger too, I have no doubt about it.
You know that feeling when you’re floating on water? All your senses are dampened, you are weightless, careless and completely relaxed. There aren’t any loud sounds, you are safe, perfectly happy and everything else seems a mile away... That’s EXACTLY how Maggie Stiefvater’s writing makes me feel. I want to hug this book and never ever let it out of my sight.
Grace and Sam are finally together, but they live in fear. They are constantly afraid that things will go back to the way they were before, and unfortunately, it’s not something either of them can control. There are several new wolves in the woods and it’s up to Sam to take care of them all now – the old and the new. In addition, Grace’s parents finally started noticing things and decided to start honing their parenting skills.
Linger brings us two additional POVs. We get to see some of the events through the eyes of Isabel, to whom we were introduced in Shiver, and Cole, one of the new wolves. The two of them are so very different from Sam and Grace and having four POVs instead of two brought amazing balance to the story. While this would certainly bother me in Shiver, I was thrilled by it now.
That doesn’t mean that I like Grace and Sam any less. In fact, if I had feelings for those characters before, it was nothing compared to how I feel about them now. They are both beautiful and strong in their own way. I’ve noticed that my favorite quotes usually come from Sam’s chapters, although Grace has her moments, too. There’s a reason for that, of course. Sam is just the type of gentle soul I can start loving in a heartbeat, and after all, he’s supposed to be good with words. There isn’t a character in YA literature I could ever love more than I love Sam. A look in his eyes is all it takes to make me cry!
I did my best to find a flaw in Linger – this may sound odd, but I wanted to have at least one small thing to complain about because I thought it would add credibility to the rest of my review. I tried my best and failed miserably. Oh, I’ve read my friends’ reviews but I simply don’t agree with any of them. The first half was not slow for me, it was soft and beautiful. Isabel and Cole weren’t irritating, they were troubled and interesting. The prose wasn’t purple, it was… I already said that, didn’t I? I could go on and on for days, but it wouldn’t do much good. This is the second book in a series that needs to be read in order. If you liked Shiver, you are going to like Linger too, I have no doubt about it.
October 3, 2010
Maggie Stiefvater has a divine way with words. She describes things in vivid detail that had the ability to enchant anyone. She concocts beautiful colloquies that leaves the reader in raptures.
I am a reader.
So why the hell am I giving the book Linger, which was written by an exceptionally talented Maggie Stiefvater, two stars if I'm all praises at her writing?
What the hell went wrong?
Well, I honestly don't know either, but despite the writing being lyrical as most goodread users put it, the book failed to grab me. Maybe owe it to the fact that I was grabbing it, but still. It didn't hook me.
It felt like I was just reading just for the sake of having something to read. The feeling sucked.
But to prove that I really read the book, here's a short synopsis:
Spoiler Alert!
Well, Sam is back as human. He could no longer shift back to being a wolf. Then there's this new suicidal wolf who is a rockstar. How cool is that? I'm being sarcastic. Grace is sick, but she tries hiding this from Sam. They try having a relationship, but her parents get in between. But then from being sick, Grace is then dying. And apparently, the only thing that could save her is to turn wolf. The End.
End of Spoilers.
I read this book, because I had a reading challenge, where I should pick something with an artsy cover. Well, this is it. Look at the cover, it's dazzling. But this book sure defines a reading challenge. And I put emphasis on the word challenge. It was a challenge, not because the words were complicated and hard to understand, but because I found this boring and tedious that I had to stop for long breaks only to dread the time that I had to read this again.
Hell! Asta lavista!
I just want to get rid of this book from my memory ASAP, not because I hated it, but because I didn't like it either. I just feel absolutely numb about it.
Just like what I feel when I read a dictionary. But at least, I would have given a dictionary 5 stars.
I am a reader.
So why the hell am I giving the book Linger, which was written by an exceptionally talented Maggie Stiefvater, two stars if I'm all praises at her writing?
What the hell went wrong?
Well, I honestly don't know either, but despite the writing being lyrical as most goodread users put it, the book failed to grab me. Maybe owe it to the fact that I was grabbing it, but still. It didn't hook me.
It felt like I was just reading just for the sake of having something to read. The feeling sucked.
But to prove that I really read the book, here's a short synopsis:
Spoiler Alert!
Well, Sam is back as human. He could no longer shift back to being a wolf. Then there's this new suicidal wolf who is a rockstar. How cool is that? I'm being sarcastic. Grace is sick, but she tries hiding this from Sam. They try having a relationship, but her parents get in between. But then from being sick, Grace is then dying. And apparently, the only thing that could save her is to turn wolf. The End.
End of Spoilers.
I read this book, because I had a reading challenge, where I should pick something with an artsy cover. Well, this is it. Look at the cover, it's dazzling. But this book sure defines a reading challenge. And I put emphasis on the word challenge. It was a challenge, not because the words were complicated and hard to understand, but because I found this boring and tedious that I had to stop for long breaks only to dread the time that I had to read this again.
Hell! Asta lavista!
I just want to get rid of this book from my memory ASAP, not because I hated it, but because I didn't like it either. I just feel absolutely numb about it.
Just like what I feel when I read a dictionary. But at least, I would have given a dictionary 5 stars.
November 2, 2023
Linger is a superb follow-up to Shiver (which truly rocked). Reading Linger, to me, was akin to catching up with old friends and finding that you love them even more than you remembered.
I felt a sense of pride as Grace matured, and her quiet strength grew. The internal issue she experienced, along with her handling of the situation, was so gripping and intriguing, that it kept me up much too late as I had to read "just one more chapter". As I learned more about Sam's feeling for Grace, I grew even fonder of him..he became even more endearing.
The development of the dynamic, outspoken Isabel was an outstanding addition to the story-line, and the introduction of Cole, well, how could I not love him? I am looking forward to getting to know him even better in Forever. Which I have pre-ordered. Upon receipt, I plan to shut out the entire world, curl up on a corner of the couch and immediately read it cover-to-cover. Maybe twice.
I felt a sense of pride as Grace matured, and her quiet strength grew. The internal issue she experienced, along with her handling of the situation, was so gripping and intriguing, that it kept me up much too late as I had to read "just one more chapter". As I learned more about Sam's feeling for Grace, I grew even fonder of him..he became even more endearing.
The development of the dynamic, outspoken Isabel was an outstanding addition to the story-line, and the introduction of Cole, well, how could I not love him? I am looking forward to getting to know him even better in Forever. Which I have pre-ordered. Upon receipt, I plan to shut out the entire world, curl up on a corner of the couch and immediately read it cover-to-cover. Maybe twice.
October 15, 2025
i have no idea why there’s a book after "shiver" with an ending like that but here we are. we even have a whole series (yay) this series is being dragged so much. "shiver" felt like it was being dragged and "linger" did too. so many different things were repeated so often throughout this book it just felt really boring.
if i got paid a dollar the amount of times Sam said that he couldn’t believe he was cold but still ‘Sam’, or made a reference to that in this book i would be a millionaire. Sam’s personality was pretty cool in Shiver but now it seems just really bland and boring. it was also emphasized too much how Sam was this weedy, sweet, adorable guy who liked to read poetry, make paper birds, and play guitar music.
the series 100% could’ve ended after the first book. i feel like this whole book just created a list of new problems that weren’t elaborated on a lot and made the whole book really confusing. they weren’t necessary problems, kinda just felt like they were floating around just to add something.
if i got paid a dollar the amount of times Sam said that he couldn’t believe he was cold but still ‘Sam’, or made a reference to that in this book i would be a millionaire. Sam’s personality was pretty cool in Shiver but now it seems just really bland and boring. it was also emphasized too much how Sam was this weedy, sweet, adorable guy who liked to read poetry, make paper birds, and play guitar music.
the series 100% could’ve ended after the first book. i feel like this whole book just created a list of new problems that weren’t elaborated on a lot and made the whole book really confusing. they weren’t necessary problems, kinda just felt like they were floating around just to add something.
August 14, 2025
Cuando cerré Rastro por última vez, me quedó la sensación de estar entre dos mundos: el dulce recuerdo que me dejó Temblor y la promesa de lo que vendrá en Siempre. No fue un salto en calidad como esperaba, pero tampoco un paso atrás: le pongo un respetable 7.5/10 porque aunque me fallaron algunas cosas, otras me atraparon de verdad.
Lo que más me gustó fue, sin duda, la llegada de personajes como Cole e Isabel, que inyectaron frescura e inquietud a una historia que de otra forma se hubiera sentido un poco contemplativa. El misterio y la tensión que emana Cole - ese tipo atormentado, cantante enigmático con un pasado oscuro - me engancharon desde su primera aparición. Y aunque Isabel ya había estado presente en Temblor, aquí la redescubrí. Su reconstrucción como personaje me pareció de lo más lograda y creíble.
Sin embargo, el motor romántico entre Sam y Grace no logró alcanzarme con la misma fuerza que en el primer libro. Ese vínculo tan visceral y emocional se diluyó un poco en este segundo volumen; ahora parecía más estancado, menos vital.
Además, el tono en general del libro se sintió algo más plano. Sí, hay desarrollo y hay drama, pero no llegó a alcanzar la intensidad emocional que Temblor me despertó.
Otra cosa que agradecí fue el estilo narrativo. Maggie Stiefvater mantiene esa prosa casi poética, cargada de detalles sensoriales que, aunque en ocasiones rozan lo excesivo, construyen una atmósfera única.
El final logró dejarme con ganas de mas sin sentirse forzado. Puede que no me volara la cabeza, pero consiguió despertar mi curiosidad por el desenlace de esta historia.
En resumen, Rastro es una continuación sólida que agudiza el universo y expande a los personajes secundarios con destreza. No supera a su predecesor, pero tampoco lo empeora: lo que pierde en intensidad romántica, lo compensa con nuevos desarrollos que prometen resistencia al frío final. Un 7.5/10 es justo: un libro bueno, bien cuidado, que entretiene, emociona a ratos y abre la puerta a un final que promete ser épico.
Lo que más me gustó fue, sin duda, la llegada de personajes como Cole e Isabel, que inyectaron frescura e inquietud a una historia que de otra forma se hubiera sentido un poco contemplativa. El misterio y la tensión que emana Cole - ese tipo atormentado, cantante enigmático con un pasado oscuro - me engancharon desde su primera aparición. Y aunque Isabel ya había estado presente en Temblor, aquí la redescubrí. Su reconstrucción como personaje me pareció de lo más lograda y creíble.
Sin embargo, el motor romántico entre Sam y Grace no logró alcanzarme con la misma fuerza que en el primer libro. Ese vínculo tan visceral y emocional se diluyó un poco en este segundo volumen; ahora parecía más estancado, menos vital.
Además, el tono en general del libro se sintió algo más plano. Sí, hay desarrollo y hay drama, pero no llegó a alcanzar la intensidad emocional que Temblor me despertó.
Otra cosa que agradecí fue el estilo narrativo. Maggie Stiefvater mantiene esa prosa casi poética, cargada de detalles sensoriales que, aunque en ocasiones rozan lo excesivo, construyen una atmósfera única.
El final logró dejarme con ganas de mas sin sentirse forzado. Puede que no me volara la cabeza, pero consiguió despertar mi curiosidad por el desenlace de esta historia.
En resumen, Rastro es una continuación sólida que agudiza el universo y expande a los personajes secundarios con destreza. No supera a su predecesor, pero tampoco lo empeora: lo que pierde en intensidad romántica, lo compensa con nuevos desarrollos que prometen resistencia al frío final. Un 7.5/10 es justo: un libro bueno, bien cuidado, que entretiene, emociona a ratos y abre la puerta a un final que promete ser épico.
June 22, 2016
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.
I can't even describe how I feel right now..
I love this book so much :(
I can't even describe how I feel right now..
I love this book so much :(
August 18, 2018
Actual Rating 1.5 stars.
I did not like it, I wasn't interested in the story line or the characters at all. I SHOULDN'T HAVE READ IT. There is no trace here of what made me love Shiver so much. I regret reading this book immensely, to me the story was closed in the first book and there was no need for a continuation.
Originally, when I first finished reading Shiver I had no intention of reading Linger (or any other book of the series for that matter), I was flawlessly happy and content with how it ended, but then I read some great reviews about the sequel and I went for it. I DEEPLY REGRET IT NOW. I loved Shiver and exactly as I feared, adding another installment has sucked all the magic out of it. What a DISAPPOINTMENT! Linger is not only completely unnecessary, is also a huge detriment to Shiver. What a way of ruining things, she had a perfectly lovely and enthralling story and she went and crushed it, urgh! It makes me so mad!
I wish I had never read this book..
Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) - 4.5 stars
Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) - 1 star
So, I went and read the following installments. Saying that I regretted it is an understatement. For a long time I was very angry about how this series ended up being. I thought that the two following installments weren't loyal to the first book and they were a mayor disappointment for me.
Today (August 17, 2018), I answered a friend's comment that got me thinking. I realized that what I found with Shiver and did not find with the following books had more to do with me and who I am, than with the actual books. My friend AussieMum wrote in a comment about Wolfsong (Green Creek #1), a book she absolutely loved: "[...]The funny thing is that I'm reading the sequel now and not loving it at all. [...]. Gonna put it down and read something else, clear my head before I give it another go. It's funny how one book can speak so much to you and another makes no impact whatsoever."
Reading her last sentence got me thinking. I saw myself in the same situation as her with The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. So I shared that common experience with her and told her that for whatever reason I found Shiver mesmerizing and utterly amazing, that the way it was written, the story and its characters got to me (which I believe was also how she felt about Wolfsong). And that yet, when I moved on to the second installment I couldn't be more disappointed, that it was such a let down, I had to force myself to finish it and I ended up wishing I had never read the second one and to have consider Shiver as a stand alone. After that, I had my realization:
The thing is, I think, occasionally, we find a book that matches with us deeply, with our mood, situations, wants, dreams and personality so much that we see something entirely different from what other people might see, something even different than what the author intended for us to see. We miss other aspects of it, directions the writer wants to take us towards. So when we get the sequel we expect the same as before, the place where the first book took us. But the story has moved on in another direction, a direction we missed the first time because we took our own particular turn, a turn that made us read a completely different book that what it was intended to be.
This realization makes sense to me and it has helped me to come to terms with my feelings towards this series. I am not angry anymore, or disappointed. Now, I just understand myself better.
I did not like it, I wasn't interested in the story line or the characters at all. I SHOULDN'T HAVE READ IT. There is no trace here of what made me love Shiver so much. I regret reading this book immensely, to me the story was closed in the first book and there was no need for a continuation.
Originally, when I first finished reading Shiver I had no intention of reading Linger (or any other book of the series for that matter), I was flawlessly happy and content with how it ended, but then I read some great reviews about the sequel and I went for it. I DEEPLY REGRET IT NOW. I loved Shiver and exactly as I feared, adding another installment has sucked all the magic out of it. What a DISAPPOINTMENT! Linger is not only completely unnecessary, is also a huge detriment to Shiver. What a way of ruining things, she had a perfectly lovely and enthralling story and she went and crushed it, urgh! It makes me so mad!
I wish I had never read this book..
Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) - 4.5 stars
Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) - 1 star
So, I went and read the following installments. Saying that I regretted it is an understatement. For a long time I was very angry about how this series ended up being. I thought that the two following installments weren't loyal to the first book and they were a mayor disappointment for me.
Today (August 17, 2018), I answered a friend's comment that got me thinking. I realized that what I found with Shiver and did not find with the following books had more to do with me and who I am, than with the actual books. My friend AussieMum wrote in a comment about Wolfsong (Green Creek #1), a book she absolutely loved: "[...]The funny thing is that I'm reading the sequel now and not loving it at all. [...]. Gonna put it down and read something else, clear my head before I give it another go. It's funny how one book can speak so much to you and another makes no impact whatsoever."
Reading her last sentence got me thinking. I saw myself in the same situation as her with The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. So I shared that common experience with her and told her that for whatever reason I found Shiver mesmerizing and utterly amazing, that the way it was written, the story and its characters got to me (which I believe was also how she felt about Wolfsong). And that yet, when I moved on to the second installment I couldn't be more disappointed, that it was such a let down, I had to force myself to finish it and I ended up wishing I had never read the second one and to have consider Shiver as a stand alone. After that, I had my realization:
The thing is, I think, occasionally, we find a book that matches with us deeply, with our mood, situations, wants, dreams and personality so much that we see something entirely different from what other people might see, something even different than what the author intended for us to see. We miss other aspects of it, directions the writer wants to take us towards. So when we get the sequel we expect the same as before, the place where the first book took us. But the story has moved on in another direction, a direction we missed the first time because we took our own particular turn, a turn that made us read a completely different book that what it was intended to be.
This realization makes sense to me and it has helped me to come to terms with my feelings towards this series. I am not angry anymore, or disappointed. Now, I just understand myself better.
August 11, 2010
After pretty much loving Shiver despite its flaws like the lack of plot and the bleeding-womb-incident, I was really looking forward to Linger. Well, I really hate to say it, but I did not love Linger. I tried to love it, but sadly, I just don’t. And here is why:
1. Plot
I did not care for the plot, or rather, the lack thereof. What little mystery and suspense there could have been never even gets a chance due to the spoilery prologue, that pretty much sums up the whole book. What Shiver lacked in plot it made up in mood and the ever present countdown in form of the dropping temperature. Linger, sadly, had nothing that managed to make up for the nonexistent plot.
2. The parents
I had no problem, with the portrayal of Grace’s parents in Shiver. Of course it was a little too convenient for them to always be absent, but let’s face it: parents like that do exist.
What I did not get was, why they suddenly disapproved of Grace’s and Sam’s relationship. In Shiver Grace’s father seemed relieved that she (finally) had a boyfriend and now he is against their relationship? Why? Would he rather his daughter had a new boyfriend every other week? And Grace’s mother loved Sam in Shiver. She even had this scene with him, where she identifies him as the one in a million that would choose love over lust. And they definitely bond over the arts. And now she is all “You’re in lust”? I don’t get it. If you put all the other parents in the mix, you really have to wonder if Mercy Falls is a shelter for abused and neglected teens. There was no sane or capable parent anywhere around and after a while that just gets old.
3. The obsession
There is a thin line between love and obsession and in my opinion Linger came out on the obsession side far too often. In Shiver it was sweet, in Linger it was bordering creepy sometimes. It would be sweet when they missed each other while falling asleep. But the fact that Sam has to roam the house at night when Grace is not with him strikes me as pathological. There is also one passage when Cole is narrating where he mentions, how they both light up, when the other one is around. It’s almost as if the can’t cope with life without the other one, even if it is for two days, and that is just sad, not romantic.
The worst part was, when they both totally ignore the fact that Grace is getting worse and worse and refuse to talk about what this could mean. When they finally take actions it is almost too late and even then it took Isabel telling Sam to finally man up, before anything happened. That in itself is so immature that I have a hard time taking them seriously when they talk about college, let alone marriage.
4. Ending
The last thirty or so pages of Shiver I cried my eyes out. Here: nothing. We all new, what would happen in the end, so maybe that ruined it. Or maybe it was the whole hospital-weirdness: How one minute Grace is surrounded by like twenty members of the hospital staff and just in the moment when they figure out the problem she is alone in her room, while bleeding to death? Really? And the way Cole came up with the totally new werewolf lore practically out of nowhere? The worst part was, when they lifted Grace out of the window. Wouldn’t she be like hooked up to lots of machines that would go off as soon as you detach her? And what person in their right mind, let alone a doctor, would believe that a dying, bloodless girl could escape the hospital on foot, her healthy boyfriend unable to stop her?
Another thing about the end that bothered me was that I distinctly remember Maggie Stiefvater stating, that she herself did not care for cliffhangers and would write her books in a way that they could be standalones, even when part of a series. Well, this was the cliffhangeryest cliffhanger since Catching Fire, let’s leave it at that.
There are still things I liked about Linger, which is why I still give it two stars. The writing was overall beautifully poetic and I still care about the characters. I hope Forever will bring the series to a satisfying conclusion.
1. Plot
I did not care for the plot, or rather, the lack thereof. What little mystery and suspense there could have been never even gets a chance due to the spoilery prologue, that pretty much sums up the whole book. What Shiver lacked in plot it made up in mood and the ever present countdown in form of the dropping temperature. Linger, sadly, had nothing that managed to make up for the nonexistent plot.
2. The parents
I had no problem, with the portrayal of Grace’s parents in Shiver. Of course it was a little too convenient for them to always be absent, but let’s face it: parents like that do exist.
What I did not get was, why they suddenly disapproved of Grace’s and Sam’s relationship. In Shiver Grace’s father seemed relieved that she (finally) had a boyfriend and now he is against their relationship? Why? Would he rather his daughter had a new boyfriend every other week? And Grace’s mother loved Sam in Shiver. She even had this scene with him, where she identifies him as the one in a million that would choose love over lust. And they definitely bond over the arts. And now she is all “You’re in lust”? I don’t get it. If you put all the other parents in the mix, you really have to wonder if Mercy Falls is a shelter for abused and neglected teens. There was no sane or capable parent anywhere around and after a while that just gets old.
3. The obsession
There is a thin line between love and obsession and in my opinion Linger came out on the obsession side far too often. In Shiver it was sweet, in Linger it was bordering creepy sometimes. It would be sweet when they missed each other while falling asleep. But the fact that Sam has to roam the house at night when Grace is not with him strikes me as pathological. There is also one passage when Cole is narrating where he mentions, how they both light up, when the other one is around. It’s almost as if the can’t cope with life without the other one, even if it is for two days, and that is just sad, not romantic.
The worst part was, when they both totally ignore the fact that Grace is getting worse and worse and refuse to talk about what this could mean. When they finally take actions it is almost too late and even then it took Isabel telling Sam to finally man up, before anything happened. That in itself is so immature that I have a hard time taking them seriously when they talk about college, let alone marriage.
4. Ending
The last thirty or so pages of Shiver I cried my eyes out. Here: nothing. We all new, what would happen in the end, so maybe that ruined it. Or maybe it was the whole hospital-weirdness: How one minute Grace is surrounded by like twenty members of the hospital staff and just in the moment when they figure out the problem she is alone in her room, while bleeding to death? Really? And the way Cole came up with the totally new werewolf lore practically out of nowhere? The worst part was, when they lifted Grace out of the window. Wouldn’t she be like hooked up to lots of machines that would go off as soon as you detach her? And what person in their right mind, let alone a doctor, would believe that a dying, bloodless girl could escape the hospital on foot, her healthy boyfriend unable to stop her?
Another thing about the end that bothered me was that I distinctly remember Maggie Stiefvater stating, that she herself did not care for cliffhangers and would write her books in a way that they could be standalones, even when part of a series. Well, this was the cliffhangeryest cliffhanger since Catching Fire, let’s leave it at that.
There are still things I liked about Linger, which is why I still give it two stars. The writing was overall beautifully poetic and I still care about the characters. I hope Forever will bring the series to a satisfying conclusion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2010
There are certain books that inspire me so tremendously, so irrevocably, that I know these books fuel the flames of my passion for reading and writing. Shiver, and now Linger, have joined these ranks.
Linger is the sequel to Shiver, and continues the bittersweet story of Sam and Grace, two lovers who fight for the right to be together. Sam stays sorrowful in the absence of Grace and desperately tries to avoid his past. Grace grows weak and frightful, while her hopes of a future with Sam dissipate and decrease. And there is a new addition to the werewolf pack: Cole, a former rock star who would go to any length to escape his body, his pain. These three separate individuals were brought together by the shifting seasons and ties to the wolves of Mercy Falls… but will the forces that led them to each other also tear them apart?
Linger was not without its flaws. For some readers, the pacing of the plot may be rather slow in the beginning, and Stiefvater’s prose may border on purple. And yet, I could not bear to put this book down. I could not bear the agony of not knowing what happened to these magnificently drawn characters.
Instead of receiving narration from just Sam and Grace, Isabel and newcomer Cole also get to share their side of the story. Although it seems like having four paradigms instead of a single pair may detract from the story, the addition of Isabel and Cole only enhanced the depth of these characters. Grace and Sam’s chemistry was touching as always, but there was something about the relationship between Isabel and Cole that might have ignited an even larger fire in my heart. And Isabel, as well as Cole, was perfectly fleshed out. Isabel’s guilt for losing her brother, and Cole’s need for release from a painful past, tore me up inside.
Once again, Stiefvater has written a lyrical tale about love and loss, and fate and destiny.
You need to read this book.
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here.
Linger is the sequel to Shiver, and continues the bittersweet story of Sam and Grace, two lovers who fight for the right to be together. Sam stays sorrowful in the absence of Grace and desperately tries to avoid his past. Grace grows weak and frightful, while her hopes of a future with Sam dissipate and decrease. And there is a new addition to the werewolf pack: Cole, a former rock star who would go to any length to escape his body, his pain. These three separate individuals were brought together by the shifting seasons and ties to the wolves of Mercy Falls… but will the forces that led them to each other also tear them apart?
Linger was not without its flaws. For some readers, the pacing of the plot may be rather slow in the beginning, and Stiefvater’s prose may border on purple. And yet, I could not bear to put this book down. I could not bear the agony of not knowing what happened to these magnificently drawn characters.
Instead of receiving narration from just Sam and Grace, Isabel and newcomer Cole also get to share their side of the story. Although it seems like having four paradigms instead of a single pair may detract from the story, the addition of Isabel and Cole only enhanced the depth of these characters. Grace and Sam’s chemistry was touching as always, but there was something about the relationship between Isabel and Cole that might have ignited an even larger fire in my heart. And Isabel, as well as Cole, was perfectly fleshed out. Isabel’s guilt for losing her brother, and Cole’s need for release from a painful past, tore me up inside.
Once again, Stiefvater has written a lyrical tale about love and loss, and fate and destiny.
You need to read this book.
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here.
August 18, 2019
"If you don’t have memories, it’s like you never existed."
Linger is book 2 of the The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, a sequel to Shiver.
The Prologue says almost everything about the story, so the ending is not very surprising. Despite its predictability, the story has still many beautiful and heartbreaking moments. Linger is melancholy, sometimes maddening and frustrating with Grace’s mysterious illness, Sam’s misgivings and disorientation, Cole’s emptiness and suicidal thoughts, Isabel’s sad cynicism, and Tom Culpeper’s wrath provide the dramatic atmosphere. All of this is intertwined with the refreshing viewpoints of Isabel and Cole, making the story lively, even funny.
I like Isabel, she is so harsh, bright, and vibrant. She is also very able and strong.
“I’m only telling you this so you know that I have wanted to escape about a hundred thousand times since then. I’ve thought about taking one of my dad’s eight million guns and putting it to my head and blowing my brains out. Sad part? Not even because I miss Jack. I mean, I do, but that’s not why I want to do it. It’s because I feel so damn guilty about how I killed him. I killed him. And some days I just can’t live with that. But I do. Because that’s life, Cole. Life’s pain. You just have to get over as much of it as you can.”
Cole is more dynamic and vigorous than all the others together.
He got what he expected, but ironically he is incapable staying a wolf for a longer period. He experiences completely different and more serious anguish than he had before. I am wondering if it is an explanation for Cole and Victor’s completely different reactions to wolf-toxin.
The doe blinked again, face extraordinarily gentle, and my stomach lurched.
She was dead, and I wanted to be. I was going to find out how to keep myself a wolf. Or I just couldn’t do this anymore.
Sam
His disbelief and joy because of his healing is so moving and heartwarming.
“Still waking up,” I said.
He looked at me.
“Your album. Still Waking Up.”
He looked at me, expression intense. Surprised, maybe, that I’d come close. “That’s exactly how it feels. That’s exactly it. One of these days, I’m going to get used to the idea that it’s morning and I’m going to be a guy for the rest of the day. For all the rest of all the days. But until then, I’m stumbling around.”
Grace and Sam
The honesty and openness Sam and Grace had in Shiver hardly appear in Linger. They try to keep away problems and menace by not talking about them, pretending they don’t exist. These unspoken words create a barrier between them, eroding the intimacy they had before. Their love is said to be beautiful and described poetically but sadly you can't feel it.
He’d only been gone two seconds, but the room got brighter when they were together, as if they were two elements that became brilliant in proximity. At Sam’s clumsy efforts to carry the vacuum, Grace smiled a new smile that I thought only he ever got, and he shot her a withering look full of the sort of subtext you could only get from a lot of conversations whispered after dark.
It was astonishing to see the loneliness and neglect of these teens, without the help of parents, or adults, relying only on each other. It is so hard to live and deal with this huge secret all alone.
Some grumblings
- Sam – he is not a man of deeds in this book. I hoped that he would become a stronger character than he was in Shiver, but it didn't happen.
- Grace - I don’t understand why Grace thinks that not talking to Sam about her illness is a good idea. She is absolutely aware of the fact that he already knows it, so I really don’t get it.
- The girl Beck had changed in Shiver. Who is she? Where is she?
- Olivia – where is she?
I hope I’ll get answers and happy endings in book 3, Forever.
My favorite quotes.
January 14, 2021
Sam is the OG soft boy, nothing can change my mind.
April 8, 2025
While reading Linger, I kept thinking, "Wow, I really like this. This is awesome. But I still like Shiver better..." And I kept that sentiment up until the last few chapters. Then it ended. And now, I have to say that I like both books EQUALLY. I agree, Linger's ending isn't entirely out of the blue, and I actually had my suspicions that the story *would* end "that way," but my reading experience was still enjoyable and engrossing.
I do think it's fair to say that the tones of Linger and Shiver are a tad different. Linger (in my opinion) didn't seem quite as urgent and while I still felt a sense of foreboding, it wasn't quite as strong as with the preceding book. For me, Linger was like a cool-down lap around the track: the story moved at a steadier pace, and that enabled the reader (me) to examine characters a little better and focus on other parts of the story that took a back seat to the main upfront obstacle of Shiver. I hope that makes sense. I will not say that Shiver was 'exciting' and Linger was 'boring,' because that's not true. But Linger was...well, "lingering."
I was actually very impressed with the characterization of this story. Yes, there are 4 perspectives here as compared to only 2 in the previous book. Isabel is now a main character, and a new character named Cole is introduced. I was a little wary going in to Linger about this setup, and in all honesty, I was prepared to skim the I&C segments, just because I had already told myself that Grace and Sam "were the important ones." Well, I quickly changed my tune. I loved how Maggie incorporated all 4 narratives into the overall story, and I think it was a really smart move story-wise. Isabel and Cole are more complex than Sam and Grace, even though all 4 characters have dysfunctional elements (do you guys notice that pretty much all of the main characters come from varying degrees of crappy families?). What made characterization of this story so enjoyable to me was a the delicate balance of similar and contrasting behaviors - Isabel and Cole are not such polar opposites from Grace and Sam that they have nothing in common. Rather, they compliment each other well: where one is weak, the other is strong, where one is impulsive, the other is cool and controlled. The only little "thing" I had with the 4 narratives was that sometimes perspectives would change multiple times throughout a single chapter, and it made the transitions really abrupt. Like from what I can remember in Shiver, Grace and Sam for the most part alternated by chapter. Here, there were some occasions were each of the 4 perspectives would be featured in a single chapter, and so the transitioning was just kind of abrupt. But to the author's credit, I always knew who was speaking, and I don't just mean because at the top it said "COLE" or "ISABEL." The voices were so distinct that I quickly got an idea of who was now narrating.
Also what I liked about the characters (and I'm emphasizing Isabel and Cole more) is that while they were all complicated and flawed, they never really used their flaws as crutches. Well, Cole does a little bit, but (without dropping spoilers) he eventually makes himself useful and actually starts to give a wang about other people. So that was interesting to watch him grow. And Isabel is just about the coolest character since Thalia: I LOVED her so much because while she is snarky and a little on the bossy side, she's a very hands-on, take charge kind of girl, and she was exactly what Sam and Grace needed. I love Sam and Grace, but even they needed a little nudging here and there. Isabel's strengths are balanced by her anxieties, and that made her seem real but also inspiring. I like characters you can not only relate to but also look up to, and there's a lot to be learned from Isabel (in particular).
And now it's July 2010 and I've got a whole freaking year until this series comes to a close! Agghh! So in a nutshell: Linger was just as enjoyable and exciting as Shiver, and fans of the first book will NOT be disappointed. Figure skater Maggie has earned another gold medal with this one :)
October 20, 2021
I just love the way that Maggie Stiefwater creates her fantasy worlds. Both this one and the Raven Cycle are mostly earth-based, but what I mean to say is that the fantasy elements are so well thought out, and little elements connect from book to book, and the fantastical element of her worlds can develop and grow as the series does.
And that absolutely happened here in "Linger." When we left Sam and Grace at the end of "Shiver" we were in a happy place. Grace had her wolf back and all was seemingly well. But now Grace is suffering from some mysterious illness and no one can figure out what it is. I also like the addition of Isabel and Cole to the narration. Isabel is one of those characters that can take a while to grow on you, as is Cole, but they work really well together with their snark, and because they contrast so well to Grace and Sam, provide good counterpoint.
I also loved the ramping up of the drama with Grace's family. It's interesting because to them, Grace has always sort of been this doll they thought they could just leave at their jhouse and expect to be there with her hair perfectly combed, in the same place on the sofa where they left her, whether or not they selfishly left her alone for 24 hours or expect her to survive with no human company or parental anything for support, and now that is coming home to roost. I can understand their side of things, but notl really sympathize with it. Not after everything they've done. Beautifully done and I am on to book 3! 4.5/5 stars.'
Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.
And that absolutely happened here in "Linger." When we left Sam and Grace at the end of "Shiver" we were in a happy place. Grace had her wolf back and all was seemingly well. But now Grace is suffering from some mysterious illness and no one can figure out what it is. I also like the addition of Isabel and Cole to the narration. Isabel is one of those characters that can take a while to grow on you, as is Cole, but they work really well together with their snark, and because they contrast so well to Grace and Sam, provide good counterpoint.
I also loved the ramping up of the drama with Grace's family. It's interesting because to them, Grace has always sort of been this doll they thought they could just leave at their jhouse and expect to be there with her hair perfectly combed, in the same place on the sofa where they left her, whether or not they selfishly left her alone for 24 hours or expect her to survive with no human company or parental anything for support, and now that is coming home to roost. I can understand their side of things, but notl really sympathize with it. Not after everything they've done. Beautifully done and I am on to book 3! 4.5/5 stars.'
Please excuse typos. Entered on screen reader.
January 16, 2019
4 Stars!!!
“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Grace Brisbane. There was nothing particularly special about her, except that she was good with numbers, and very good at lying, and she made her home in between the pages of books. She loved all the wolves behind her house, but she love one of them most of all.”
Linger is a true example that the second book in a series can be better than the first. I found it to be rich and just as poetic- if not more than Shiver. The writing was still beautiful and I was so happy to have more POVS in this installment. The new characters Cole and Isabel were everything- they made this book seem more interesting than the first. It wasn't just concentrating on Grace and Sam. I feel I could connect more with Isabel and Cole and their role in this one, drew me in. It also had a lot more action and intense moments.
Overall there isn't much more to elaborate on about this one. I think this is a perfect winter read with all the talk of cold weather and snow- it lays a beautiful world to get lost in perfect for a Cold winter day, and since its currently January it has been a nice time to read it and get lost in its pages :) Totally recommend if you're looking for a good, clean, YA-Paranormal Romance.
“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Grace Brisbane. There was nothing particularly special about her, except that she was good with numbers, and very good at lying, and she made her home in between the pages of books. She loved all the wolves behind her house, but she love one of them most of all.”
Linger is a true example that the second book in a series can be better than the first. I found it to be rich and just as poetic- if not more than Shiver. The writing was still beautiful and I was so happy to have more POVS in this installment. The new characters Cole and Isabel were everything- they made this book seem more interesting than the first. It wasn't just concentrating on Grace and Sam. I feel I could connect more with Isabel and Cole and their role in this one, drew me in. It also had a lot more action and intense moments.
Overall there isn't much more to elaborate on about this one. I think this is a perfect winter read with all the talk of cold weather and snow- it lays a beautiful world to get lost in perfect for a Cold winter day, and since its currently January it has been a nice time to read it and get lost in its pages :) Totally recommend if you're looking for a good, clean, YA-Paranormal Romance.
March 9, 2020
Isabel and Cole are by far the most interesting characters in the trilogy. Isabel is the best.
June 22, 2017
For a book supposedly about wolves, this book has surprisingly little actual wolf content and, instead, has been dominated by some love-struck teenagers and their boring, angsty romance. 400 pages of teens lamenting their inability to sleep next to each other, is a bit too much for me... And the total lack of any other plot sealed this book's fate!
If not for Stiefvater's evocative depictions of the wooded setting this book would have had zero positive features. I am sold on her ability as a tremendously competent writer, just not on this particular story, which I find dull and uninspiring.
If not for Stiefvater's evocative depictions of the wooded setting this book would have had zero positive features. I am sold on her ability as a tremendously competent writer, just not on this particular story, which I find dull and uninspiring.
May 3, 2023
I enjoyed this book a lot and I think it all makes sense for the arc of the trilogy but it definitely veers into middle book syndrome at times. Isabel & Cole are far more interesting than the main characters, Sam & Grace. But the ending!! I am intrigued. Will be diving right into the last book immediately.
October 31, 2017
Didn't like it as much as Shiver, but it was still amazing <3
July 28, 2011
In the second installment to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series: Sam is having trouble believing in his cure, Grace is acting strangely and feeling like she doesn't fit into her own skin anymore, and a new wolf is in Mercy Falls: Cole, the once lead singer of a popular rock band, NARKOTIKA, is dealing with the issues of straddling the line between man and wolf. But honestly? He'd rather stay a wolf than deal with the problems that come with being human.
Meanwhile, Isabel, the girl who had to deal with losing her brother twice, believes she is falling for Cole.
Maggie has said in interviews that she meant for Cole's character to be the complete opposite of Sam's. Well, in the beginning of Linger she succeeded and because of that I wasn't able to empathize with Cole upon first reading Linger. For personal reasons I've never been empathetic with drug addicts, and Cole was no exception.
In Linger Cole tells Sam that he is just as bad as him, just as damaged. He is referring to Sam's issue with bathtubs. But the difference between Sam's problem and Cole's is that Sam had something terrible done to him by his own parents, whereas all of Cole's problems have been brought on by himself.
Despite all of this, though, I truly liked Cole a lot more this time around than my first time reading Linger. For me, the best thing about Cole is that he's very redeemable. And if you look carefully enough, he has what I call "bright spots" where you can see that he is human – even though he doesn't want to be – and that he does care for others, even if it is an imperceptible degree. And the reactions and emotions Cole has towards the end of Linger give me hope that I'll like him even more in Forever.
Linger is quite different than its predecessor, Shiver – what with Sam now being human and the introduction of a new character, Cole. Plus, Isabel steps out of her former role as side character and into the forefront with her own POV – and what an interesting POV it is. Some may not like Isabel, and I can understand why, but I like her just fine. She's kind of . . . unconventional – especially when compared to Grace – but she's not bad. One thing is for sure: Isabel's definitely the perfect match for Cole.
And then there's that pesky wolf smell wafting off of Grace – that can't be a good sign. You see, lots of things are different in Linger, which is probably why so many don't like it as much as they did Shiver. I will admit to liking it a minuscule degree less than Shiver, but that certainly didn't hinder me from enjoying it. In fact, I believe I enjoyed it even more the second time around. And Linger's ending is just as sad if not more so than Shiver's.
And besides – if you ever see me give a book with Sam Roth in it anything less than five stars, know that it is a clone and the real Lora has been taken by aliens.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "I'm trying to remember who I was before I couldn't stand myself." – Cole
"I wasn't sure if I admired him for feeling everything so hard and fiercely, or if I was contemptuous of him for having so much emotion that he had to spill it out every window of the house." – Isabel
"I was suddenly overwhelmed by what an incredible person this boy was, standing in front of me, and by the fact that he was mine and I was his." – Grace
"I wanted to take her hand and lead her upstairs to my bedroom and whisper, Stay. Just stay." – Sam
As cheesy as this may sound, I really do cherish these books. My copies of them still smell like the store I bought them from – that's how well I've taken care of them.
____________________________________________________
My reviews of other titles in this series:
Shiver
Meanwhile, Isabel, the girl who had to deal with losing her brother twice, believes she is falling for Cole.
Maggie has said in interviews that she meant for Cole's character to be the complete opposite of Sam's. Well, in the beginning of Linger she succeeded and because of that I wasn't able to empathize with Cole upon first reading Linger. For personal reasons I've never been empathetic with drug addicts, and Cole was no exception.
In Linger Cole tells Sam that he is just as bad as him, just as damaged. He is referring to Sam's issue with bathtubs. But the difference between Sam's problem and Cole's is that Sam had something terrible done to him by his own parents, whereas all of Cole's problems have been brought on by himself.
Despite all of this, though, I truly liked Cole a lot more this time around than my first time reading Linger. For me, the best thing about Cole is that he's very redeemable. And if you look carefully enough, he has what I call "bright spots" where you can see that he is human – even though he doesn't want to be – and that he does care for others, even if it is an imperceptible degree. And the reactions and emotions Cole has towards the end of Linger give me hope that I'll like him even more in Forever.
Linger is quite different than its predecessor, Shiver – what with Sam now being human and the introduction of a new character, Cole. Plus, Isabel steps out of her former role as side character and into the forefront with her own POV – and what an interesting POV it is. Some may not like Isabel, and I can understand why, but I like her just fine. She's kind of . . . unconventional – especially when compared to Grace – but she's not bad. One thing is for sure: Isabel's definitely the perfect match for Cole.
And then there's that pesky wolf smell wafting off of Grace – that can't be a good sign. You see, lots of things are different in Linger, which is probably why so many don't like it as much as they did Shiver. I will admit to liking it a minuscule degree less than Shiver, but that certainly didn't hinder me from enjoying it. In fact, I believe I enjoyed it even more the second time around. And Linger's ending is just as sad if not more so than Shiver's.
And besides – if you ever see me give a book with Sam Roth in it anything less than five stars, know that it is a clone and the real Lora has been taken by aliens.
FAVORITE QUOTES: "I'm trying to remember who I was before I couldn't stand myself." – Cole
"I wasn't sure if I admired him for feeling everything so hard and fiercely, or if I was contemptuous of him for having so much emotion that he had to spill it out every window of the house." – Isabel
"I was suddenly overwhelmed by what an incredible person this boy was, standing in front of me, and by the fact that he was mine and I was his." – Grace
"I wanted to take her hand and lead her upstairs to my bedroom and whisper, Stay. Just stay." – Sam
As cheesy as this may sound, I really do cherish these books. My copies of them still smell like the store I bought them from – that's how well I've taken care of them.
____________________________________________________
My reviews of other titles in this series:
Shiver
December 9, 2020
1.5 teen me was an idiot
August 8, 2023
—☁️ 3.5 stars ☁️—
“As the endless night crawled slowly by, innumerable minutes piling one upon another without getting anywhere, the wolves began to howl and my heart began to pound.”
————about the book————
Age: YA
Genres: Paranormal Fiction, Teenage Fiction, Werewolves,
Writing: 8/10
Quotes: 7/10
World building: 6/10
Characters: 7/10
Romance: 6/10
My rating: 7/10
trigger warnings: death and grief, injury, graphic animal death, attempted murder, child neglect, child physical abuse (past), depression, drug abuse, graphic suicide ideation,
———my thoughts———
Grace and Sam must fight to be together. For Grace must defy her parents and Sam must come to terms with his werewolf past.
But just as they manage to find happiness, everything brings to fall apart and Grace realises she’s being to change in ways she’s never expected...
Did I like this more than the first book?
Both yes and no.
I loved the depth we got around the werewolves, the way everything I wanted more of in the last book was answered.
But I wonder if it suited the simplicity.
Perhaps it should have been left as one book.
As always, Maggie Stiefvater’s unique writing style is prominent.
The way she writes is such a mash up of messy teenage feelings and beautiful, lyrical almost-verse.
It takes some getting used too, and it’s definitely less polished here than in The Raven Cycle.
(Definitely recommend that series!)
It always feels odd, to read author’s older books after reading the newer releases.
There’s a sense of going back, not only in years, but often in writing ability.
But that doesn’t make it less entertaining.
Because at the heart, that’s what this is.
With all the answers I got to my previous questions, I can tell exactly how this series will end.
It’s the kind of YA that’s slightly formulaic, that gives you the feeling you’ve read something similar before.
But there’s also something comfortable about that.
Sometimes I want to read something predictable, something I don’t really have to think about.
Grace and Sam’s love story still isn’t particularly interesting to me.
They just feel a little bland, and still far too grow up.
They’re seventeen/eighteen, and seem to have their life figured out better that most twenty-year-olds!
Isabel and Cole, our ‘new’ couple...I’m not sure how I feel about them yet.
They’re another insta-lust pair.
But I feel like there will be more depth in them, further on.
So I don’t know if I’ll read the last book.
Maybe, maybe not.
I’m here mostly for the writing and easy flow, so perhaps...
————quotes————
“It meant there were thousands of eyes out there looking for him, waiting to recognise him.
And when they’d found him, they’d find all of us.”
“I had risked everything, and I had nothing to show for it but my open hand, lying empty and palm up towards the ceiling.”
———random extra thoughts———
Still not sure if I want to be a wolf or have one...
Thanks for reading! ❤️
“As the endless night crawled slowly by, innumerable minutes piling one upon another without getting anywhere, the wolves began to howl and my heart began to pound.”
————about the book————
Age: YA
Genres: Paranormal Fiction, Teenage Fiction, Werewolves,
Writing: 8/10
Quotes: 7/10
World building: 6/10
Characters: 7/10
Romance: 6/10
My rating: 7/10
trigger warnings: death and grief, injury, graphic animal death, attempted murder, child neglect, child physical abuse (past), depression, drug abuse, graphic suicide ideation,
———my thoughts———
Grace and Sam must fight to be together. For Grace must defy her parents and Sam must come to terms with his werewolf past.
But just as they manage to find happiness, everything brings to fall apart and Grace realises she’s being to change in ways she’s never expected...
Did I like this more than the first book?
Both yes and no.
I loved the depth we got around the werewolves, the way everything I wanted more of in the last book was answered.
But I wonder if it suited the simplicity.
Perhaps it should have been left as one book.
As always, Maggie Stiefvater’s unique writing style is prominent.
The way she writes is such a mash up of messy teenage feelings and beautiful, lyrical almost-verse.
It takes some getting used too, and it’s definitely less polished here than in The Raven Cycle.
(Definitely recommend that series!)
It always feels odd, to read author’s older books after reading the newer releases.
There’s a sense of going back, not only in years, but often in writing ability.
But that doesn’t make it less entertaining.
Because at the heart, that’s what this is.
With all the answers I got to my previous questions, I can tell exactly how this series will end.
It’s the kind of YA that’s slightly formulaic, that gives you the feeling you’ve read something similar before.
But there’s also something comfortable about that.
Sometimes I want to read something predictable, something I don’t really have to think about.
Grace and Sam’s love story still isn’t particularly interesting to me.
They just feel a little bland, and still far too grow up.
They’re seventeen/eighteen, and seem to have their life figured out better that most twenty-year-olds!
Isabel and Cole, our ‘new’ couple...I’m not sure how I feel about them yet.
They’re another insta-lust pair.
But I feel like there will be more depth in them, further on.
So I don’t know if I’ll read the last book.
Maybe, maybe not.
I’m here mostly for the writing and easy flow, so perhaps...
————quotes————
“It meant there were thousands of eyes out there looking for him, waiting to recognise him.
And when they’d found him, they’d find all of us.”
“I had risked everything, and I had nothing to show for it but my open hand, lying empty and palm up towards the ceiling.”
———random extra thoughts———
Still not sure if I want to be a wolf or have one...
Thanks for reading! ❤️
January 31, 2024
|1 Star|Ages 13+|360 Pages|YA|
I hope this book won't Linger much longer.
If Crave (see my review here) and Shiver (See my review here) had a baby, the result Twilight (See my review here) . Except for the fact that Twilight came first and is, by default, much better. Twilight was amazing, well-written, descriptive, and cheesy, but in a good way. Maybe some aspects of it could use some help, but I laughed and smiled my whole way through that one. But I was pulling out my hair while reading Crave and Shiver. Why am I talking about three other books when I should be talking about this you may ask. The reason is that while one of those I loved, the other two I despised, this was on a whole other level of disappointment.
Then, this book took everything I hated about the other three books and rolled them into one. I can't believe that I finished this book. I'm blaming my pride for that because there wasn't any substance in this book. Shiver had so much potential, but this took it all and threw it away.
--
Grace and Sam finally have everything they've ever wanted, they have each other, which was enough until it wasn't. The future seemed clear until it didn't because we had to make a sequel. Insert Cole, the character you thought was going to create a love triangle, as was the norm in 2010, but he actually exists only to annoy the crap out of us and not give anything to the story.
Grace and Sam's future becomes less and less certain as a mysterious illness begins to plague Grace, one that no doctor can seem to solve because apparently they can't do blood work and see that Grace is shifting into something they never believed she would shift into, and you won't know what it is till the end, despite it being said in the Preface...
--
Okay, I got a bit carried away in that summary, buuuuttttt we're not discussing that. After Shiver, a mini book would've been okay. A 100-200 paged book to wrap up what Grace and Sam did in their life, but it didn't need a whole other book, much less a third book too. (Forever)
I really, really tried to like this book, but it was so hard. The writing was very, very juvenile and the characters...they all sounded the same. There were 4 POVS in this book, and I wouldn't have been able to tell who was who if it didn't say names at the top. And even with that, I still couldn't keep it straight!
If only the romance redeemed it, but that didn't happen. Grace and Sam were so whiny and just not a good couple. I was almost siding with Grace's parents, get Sam out of her life, she's so annoying with him! And Sam is just...ugh. I've never been less attracted to a MMC. Ever. I liked Jacob (Twilight) more than him, and that's saying something.
It hurts my heart to write a review like this, but there was nothing else I could say about it! No redeeming qualities, no cute moments, no good plot twist, nothing. It can't even be classified as brain candy or fluff, I was too annoyed for that!
Who would've thought, this book would have a quote that perfectly describes how I felt when I finished this book!?
Anyway, all this to be said, I've got to read the next book because I need to figure out what the frick is going to happen. Pray for me.
"This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one."
I hope this book won't Linger much longer.
If Crave (see my review here) and Shiver (See my review here) had a baby, the result Twilight (See my review here) . Except for the fact that Twilight came first and is, by default, much better. Twilight was amazing, well-written, descriptive, and cheesy, but in a good way. Maybe some aspects of it could use some help, but I laughed and smiled my whole way through that one. But I was pulling out my hair while reading Crave and Shiver. Why am I talking about three other books when I should be talking about this you may ask. The reason is that while one of those I loved, the other two I despised, this was on a whole other level of disappointment.
Then, this book took everything I hated about the other three books and rolled them into one. I can't believe that I finished this book. I'm blaming my pride for that because there wasn't any substance in this book. Shiver had so much potential, but this took it all and threw it away.
“I just looked at her, feeling utterly empty. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to her. My life is in that bed. Please let me stay.”
--
Grace and Sam finally have everything they've ever wanted, they have each other, which was enough until it wasn't. The future seemed clear until it didn't because we had to make a sequel. Insert Cole, the character you thought was going to create a love triangle, as was the norm in 2010, but he actually exists only to annoy the crap out of us and not give anything to the story.
Grace and Sam's future becomes less and less certain as a mysterious illness begins to plague Grace, one that no doctor can seem to solve because apparently they can't do blood work and see that Grace is shifting into something they never believed she would shift into, and you won't know what it is till the end, despite it being said in the Preface...
--
“Right now, it's hard to imagine that it is raining anywhere in the world.”
Okay, I got a bit carried away in that summary, buuuuttttt we're not discussing that. After Shiver, a mini book would've been okay. A 100-200 paged book to wrap up what Grace and Sam did in their life, but it didn't need a whole other book, much less a third book too. (Forever)
I really, really tried to like this book, but it was so hard. The writing was very, very juvenile and the characters...they all sounded the same. There were 4 POVS in this book, and I wouldn't have been able to tell who was who if it didn't say names at the top. And even with that, I still couldn't keep it straight!
If only the romance redeemed it, but that didn't happen. Grace and Sam were so whiny and just not a good couple. I was almost siding with Grace's parents, get Sam out of her life, she's so annoying with him! And Sam is just...ugh. I've never been less attracted to a MMC. Ever. I liked Jacob (Twilight) more than him, and that's saying something.
It hurts my heart to write a review like this, but there was nothing else I could say about it! No redeeming qualities, no cute moments, no good plot twist, nothing. It can't even be classified as brain candy or fluff, I was too annoyed for that!
“I had a weird, empty feeling inside me. Not a bad sort of empty. It was a sort of lack of sensation, like being in pain for a long time and then suddenly realizing that you're not anymore.”
Who would've thought, this book would have a quote that perfectly describes how I felt when I finished this book!?
Anyway, all this to be said, I've got to read the next book because I need to figure out what the frick is going to happen. Pray for me.
“I will find a cure. And then I will find Grace.”
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