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Book Review of Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Bk 2)

Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Bk 2)
skywriter319 avatar reviewed on + 784 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Told from four characters' points of view, LINGER lacks action and movement, but its breathtakingly gorgeous writing, character development, and romance will have fans of SHIVER squealing with delight, thoroughly satisfied and craving more.

Maggie Stiefvater has an envious way with words. Reading LINGER is like submerging yourself in exquisite poetry: the language flows off the page and whispers its way through your bloodstream, all the way into your heart. Some books rely on the strength of their plots and ideas to carry the story; Maggie Stiefvater has her words.

At the same time, that was my biggest issue with LINGER, the one I had with SHIVER as well: I found the story lackingâ¦well, heart, I guess. Grace and Sam's love is so all-encompassing, so beautifully expressed, that it's almost stifling. I I found myself sighing with frustration every time the two of them were in a scene together, so eager was I to move on to other scenes in which they didn't appear together and suck all the vivacity out of everything.

But even the new narratorial POVs are not enough to stave off this series' painstakingly slow pace. Maggie seems to enjoy taking her time with her words and mundane events. The upside of this is that new characters like Cole are fully fleshed out in a way few secondary characters introduced in the second book of a series ever are; the downside is that, unless you're a diehard SHIVER fan, the book is all too easy to put down.

My interest in this series, however, is redeemed by Maggie pulling off another fantastic ending. In fact, despite the slow plotting, LINGER does very much up the stakesâin an extremely startling, yet gratefully welcome, wayâfor Grace and Sam's world. It satisfies SHIVER fans' craving for more beautiful writing and romance, and keeps the story turning by adding in these new, yet not entirely arbitrary, elements. My feelings toward LINGER are mixed, but Maggie's authoress powers are undeniable, and fans of Grace, Sam, and werewolf romance will be far from disappointed.