Linger

Review Time! Linger is the 2nd book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater. I am perhaps the only person on earth who hasn’t read all three books of the series. I’m slowly making my way around all of Maggie’s books! Thanks so Scholastic for the review copy!

(Goodreads) 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 human.


the linger.


For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces -- wolf and human -- with love bearing 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?
 
The Short Story? – A hauntingly beautiful novel of love and loss. A touch of the supernatural entwined with the grief, pain, loss and love of four very powerful characters. A lyrical prose and a captivating plot. Linger is unique and un-putdownable. Maggie Stiefvater has written a moving love story that will hold onto you and never let go.

The Long Story? - I’m a sucker for a great love story. While I usually lean towards the pride and prejudice inspired high school clichés, a true love story filled with loss and pain is not bad either. Linger is definitely not the saddest book I have read but it’s definitely one that carries the atmosphere of a touching tear-jerker. Even the title sounds so sad! I really enjoyed reading Linger, it’s got this almost lyrical quality about it. It’s beautiful and while it’s not the most action-packed novel out there, it’s one that will make a huge impact on the reader. A layered plot filled with grief, loss, pain and love, it’s as much of an emotional journey as it is of a physical journey. Beautiful, it’s one to be enjoyed by all.

I love book written in alternating perspectives and that was one of my favorite’s things about Shiver. Longer was even better, it was told from the perspective of four different characters whose lived all bind together somehow. Stiefvater has developed these complex characters that have very distinct personalities but all share the same hurt underneath their bravado. One of the biggest draws to the characters was the pain that I felt even as an outsider. Sam is probably one of the saddest characters I have ever met, it’s not that his sad but his personality suggest that he is a very lonely person. Grace is a character that I instantly liked. She’s practical and level-headed and while she seems fine on the outside, she’s secretly hurting. Isabel and Cole are both dealing with grief and the broken shards of their life. Through their hurt they came to understand each other. A beautiful characterization filled with depth.

Linger is a great love story that will captivate your hearts. Filled with grief, loss and pain, it’s a story about making the best of the broken lives of four very different teenagers. It’s about a curse that’s torn families and lives apart. It’s about the longing, the loss and linger when your loved ones are taken away and the willingness to do anything to get them back. One that will touch the hearts of all, Linger is a fantastic YA novel that will leave you craving for more.

Rating – 4.5/5


Badass Bookie xx