5 stars
In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past…and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves…and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love–the light and the dark, the warm and the cold–in a way you will never forget.
After I finished reading Shiver last year I was forever hooked on Maggie Stiefvater’s writing and just could not get enough. A book buddy of mine suggested reading Lament and Ballad to fill the gap between Shiver and Linger, which resulted in two more five star ratings. really, Maggie is just a genius. I watched in pain as other bloggers around me got advanced reader copies of Linger and started reading, then by a twist of fate I got a hold of the Twilight MOMS ARC tour copy. Once I had it in my hot little hands it all came back to me just WHY I love Maggie so much. her stories have a way of finding their way deep under your skin. You feel you know the characters and have entered the woods to be a part of the story. They are each in the process of finding out who they are and what they will fight for.
All I have to say about Linger is Hell-o Cole! When we meet him along with Isabel there will be spark aflying! I genuinely enjoyed their relationship in this book and the way they both have strong personalities that work. I still cheer for Sam and Grace like I did in Shiver but Linger is multi-layered. There is so much more going on in the sequel. I can guarantee you will enjoy the journey to the very last page. 5 stars and thanks to Maggie for writing truly intelligent and enjoyable young adult fiction.