My Thoughts On: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Posted August 22, 2011 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 3 Comments

*Due to the potential for spoilers, I recommend that you skip my thoughts on this book if you have not read Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater.*

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher:  Scholastic Press

Publish Date:  July 13, 2010
360 Pages
My Source:  Library
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

the longing. Once Sam and Grace 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 the 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 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?      -(summary from the book jacket)


My Thoughts:  After being reluctant to read Shiver because I wasn’t a huge fan of wolves, I ended up really liking it. Actually, I ended up really being a fan of Maggie Stiefvater’s writing style and liking the story enough to find out what happens next. With Linger, I was not disappointed. In fact, I think I liked this second book even better than the first. 

Here are some of the things I loved about Linger:  

  1. The Cover. Once again, the cover art is dazzling. The theme of green worked well for me after the coldness of the blue cover in Shiver. Because the cold is not as much of a struggle for the characters this time around, the green does not incite as much of a reaction as the blue did (At times, I actually felt cold when I was reading Shiver. Very cool marketing and design.) Still, the green is beautiful as is the tiny splash of red in the title. 
  2. The Inside. Once again, the print inside of the book matches the color scheme on the cover. This is so pleasing to the eye of the reader! 
  3. The New Guy. There is a new wolf in Mercy Falls, everyone, and his name is Cole. He used to be the frontman for a pretty popular band before he was turned…before he decided that he didn’t want that life anymore. Now, with Beck’s help, he is a wolf and is trying to adjust to a life that is not really working out like he thought it would…Cole’s character is complex (just like I love them) and goes through some wonderful development throughout the course of the book. While he still has some work to do on himself, I really fell hard for him, and found that I was actually most excited about his character more than the others. Great addition to the cast. 
  4. The Switch. In Shiver, the point-of-view alternated between Sam and Grace. Seamlessly. Stiefvater did a fantastic job of making sure the reader knew exactly who was doing the speaking and thinking and narrating. I never felt confused…With Linger, she does a fantastic job as well. There are four POV’s in this book, but they are still seamless. I never felt confused…Because all four of the main characters in this book have different viewpoints, it is important to hear from them all. Brilliant writing. 
  5. The Music. Music plays such a MAJOR part of this book in more than one way. Of course, we know from Shiver that Sam constantly writes. He is a bit of a poet, and we love his character in part for that reason. But Cole is a musician too. It is interesting that these two very different guys can have this one universal, amazing thing in common. 
  6. The Books. I always love bookish things written into plotlines. I loved that Sam was a big fan of reading in Shiver. I loved that he worked in a bookstore. I still love that. 
  7. The End…WHOA. I’m not sure that this qualifies as a cliffhanger ending or not, but it certainly was the most exciting part of the book in terms of my heart rate. I’m not sure what my emotions are after finishing Linger. I’m not sure if I am sad or happy…I’m honestly not sure. I just need some closure. 
I was really excited to see where the story of Sam and Grace went. I was not-so-excited to see that Grace’s parents are still less-than-great. I love the love that Sam and Grace have for each other, though, and find myself cheering them on even though they are doing things that are sort of socially wrong. 

I got really caught up in the on-again, off-again crush/relationship between Cole and Isabel. Isabel is such a rebellious girl, and it is clearly because her parents are pretty awful too…not to mention that she has had some pretty heinous times with the way she lost her brother in Shiver. But when she found Cole, I wanted there to be a spark there. And I think that there is. But they need to do something about it. Because deep down inside of that bad boy, I believe that there is something good inside of Cole. And I really like Cole. So I’m really pulling for the two of them. 

This is not my favorite series ever in terms of the story itself, and I still am not the world’s biggest fan of wolves. HOWEVER, I am increasingly in awe of the writing style of Maggie Stiefvater. After reading two of her books now, I am amazed that someone can make prose sound so poetic. The words on the page sound like classical music or a beautiful waltz. Her words tell a profound story, and even in the most climactic times the words are a gentle as butterfly wings. I suppose in my very corny and nerdy way, I am just saying that I am a fan of this author and that if you have not read any of her work, I think you should give it a try and see if you agree. At the very least, you should at least experience the colorful words on the pages. Because they’re awesome. 
Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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3 responses to “My Thoughts On: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

  1. Isn't Stiefvater's writing the best! My friend and I want to petition her to write an adult novel. Also, I love the cole/isabel relationship…I think I enjoyed watching it through the series more than Grace and Sam. Can't wait till you read Forever, it was by far my favorite of the series.

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