Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: 07/13/10
Summary:

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 Isabelle, 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.

Plot: 4 Stars
These are some of the most unique werewolf novels I've ever read. I love when authors take paranormal lore and turn it on it's head. I said it in my review of Linger, but I'll say it again: I love how the wolves are affected by temperature instead of the moon. And it was very interesting to see how Sam deals with his humanity and Beck's decisions.

Pace: 4 Stars
I hate to admit it, but this book fell victim to the dreaded slump about two-thirds of the way through. I was enjoying the book a lot, but it slowed down at one point right before the end. I don't actively try to figure everything out as I'm reading, even if there's foreshadowing, but there was a bit too much in this novel. It seemed like I knew a certain bit of the plot twist was coming, and it just felt as if everyone was beating around the bush instead of just coming around and saying it. But the ending was fantastic and totally made up for this minor flaw. And the slight cliffhanger (I, at least, consider it a cliffhanger) has me waiting very impatiently for the next installment.

Characters: 4 Stars
I loved watching (or reading about) Sam and Grace grow in their relationship. It was wonderful to see the continued development of their characters, both within and outside of their relationship. Isabel and Cole were interesting new points of view to add into the story, and it never got confusing switching between the four because they all have such strong voices. The changes in Grace's parents was also interesting, even if I didn't always agree with them. I wish we could've seen a little more of Rachel, seeing as she's one of Grace's best friends, but I understand that she is out of the werewolf loop. And I definitely hope we get to see Olivia in the next novel.

Cover: 5 Stars
I love that this cover stuck to the theme started by Shiver. The choice of green really worked. Plus, I loved that the text within the novel was a green to match, like Shiver also. This is probably my favorite part because it's so unique. The images of the wolf and girl blending into the tree branches is a nice touch (which made me look back and see that there's a wolf on Shiver's cover too). The simplicity of this cover really draws the eye. And I love being able to imagine the characters without anything (like cover models) to influence the picture in my head.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.