(Gr 9+)
Scholastic July 2010. Reviewed from purchased copy.
Sam has finally been cured, he'll never be anything but a normal boy for the rest of his life. Now he and Grace can finally settle in to a relationship where they are both on equal footing. However, the universe has different ideas for these two. Now it's Grace who can't seem to hold on to her form, who is fighting to stay herself. And the new wolves are starting to shift back into humans, one in particular is causing lots of trouble for Sam. Cole St. Clair wants to be a wolf more than he wants to be a human, but he can't seem to stay in either body for long. In between his times of wolfishness he finds himself drawn to Isabel, but he knows that all he'll do is hurt her. Sam has to find a way to protect the wolves, trust in his own cure, and save the girl he loves before time runs out.
I loved Shiver so so so much. The story was easy to lose yourself in and I loved the idea of werewolves that whose shifts were dependent on temperature not the moon. I had really high hopes for Linger and was not disappointed. No, I didn't like it as much as Shiver, but I didn't really expect to.
Linger is the second book in a trilogy, which to me, means it will be the weakest. Well, until the third one comes out. The second book in a trilogy is always weak until you read the end, then you get a new appreciation of the middle. Linger was still a great book. The writing was as beautiful as ever and Sam and Grace are still the cutest couple. I liked the addition of Cole and Isabel's relationship. Without it some of the tension of the book would have been lost. This time around both Sam and Grace are human so they start to have more human problems; issues with families, friends, etc. Until, of course, when Grace starts getting sick. Instead of the story getting a little slow during the non-supernatural elements of their relationship, we get a whole new couple to read about while still following our old favorites!
The plot line of Linger moves a little slower than Shiver, but overall it is a great book. The descriptions of the forest were so incredibly lush that my imagination could take a little break and just let the book do all the work. I love a story with a real sense of place. In Maggie Stiefvater's books the setting becomes just as much a main character as anyone. She really makes the natural world important in all her books. I think it's a great way to make teenagers care more about the environment. Instead of beating them over the head with messages of conservation, write a beautiful story set in a magical wood. It'll go a lot farther.
My one problem with Linger isn't really something that can be helped, because the problem I had was that it ended! That's why I don't like second books! I already have invested my feelings into the characters, I care about them, I'm interested in the story because the first book sucked me in. Second books just mess up the stuff that got fixed in first books and emotionally beat me up before leaving me bruised and confused by the side of the road...or something less violent. Anyway, the point is...my only real problem with Linger is the fact that Forever, the third book, won't be out for another year! Yeesh.
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