Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 *May contain spoilers for Shiver!* 
 The first thing I should say is wow. This book was a pleasant surprise for me. It took me ages to read this book because Shiver was not very impressive to me. It was just so-so. Linger was beautiful! I am so glad I finally decided to pick it up. Once I did though, it was very hard for me to put down. I only did so because of need, not want. 
 "This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one." 
 Even though this opening sentence tells you what you should expect from Linger, it does little to convey how heartbreaking and intense this story is about to become. 
 Linger begins a few months after where Shiver left us. Sam and Grace are the ever-happy couple. Isabel is bitter and angry, still trying to get over the death of her brother. Beck is a wolf permanently, and the newbie wolves he created at the end of Shiver are going to be shifting back to their human forms soon thanks to the coming of Spring. 
 One of these wolves is Cole. He and Isabel each have a voice in this installment, along with Sam and Grace. Cole is a self-loathing, ex-band member who wants nothing more than to escape himself by being a wolf. When he and Isabel meet, she can't help but feel a sense of disgust at this, and yet there is another feeling lurking in the depths of her tangled mind. One that seems to keep bringing the two of them together no matter how much they seem to insult one another. 
 Meanwhile, Sam and Grace have been living in a blissful bubble ever since Sam was "cured" of his wolven disease. Each night, Sam sneaks into Grace's room and they drift off to sleep in each others' arms. For the two of them, life couldn't be any better now that they have the promise of a future together. 
 Then things suddenly take a turn for the worse. Grace becomes severely ill, and even though both she and Sam would love to sit back and deny and ignore the issue, they both know this is no ordinary illness. With the help of Cole and Isabel, our two lovebirds are forced to face the problem head-on in a way that no one could have foreseen. 
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 I love it when I don't have to list my dislikes because they weren't any. :) 
 Maggie Stiefvater has such an amazing literary voice. I would definitely put her in the top 3 on my list of writers who can truly move me with their work. Even when I don't care for her books 100% (in the case of Shiver, or The Scorpio Races), I am still incredibly impressed with her writing. It never fails to wow me and leave me in tears. 
 I like that this book had the added POVs of Cole and Isabel. It broadened the storyline and made about more than just a boy and a girl falling in love. About halfway through, I was beginning to feel confused as to why Cole was even part of the story. In the end, you see why. In the end it all makes sense. All the details you wonder about become clear. Maggie laid out all the clues and hints we needed, but was never obvious about where she was taking the story. I was immensely pleased with how all the intricacies of the plot were so easily woven together during the climax. 
 The romance in this book wasn't quite as in-your-face as it was in Shiver. It took a backseat to the rest of the storyline, but was still a resolute presence in the background. It didn't need too much attention, because it just is. I like that there isn't a love triangle in this series (unless one pops up in the finale). Ms. Stiefvater didn't need to embellish on Sam and Grace's love by making one of them choose the other over someone else, because it's strong all on it's own. 
 This installment has our cast of characters questioning everything they think they know about the wolves. How they came to be, how they shift, how they stop shifting, and eventually what brings on their deaths. Everything they think they've ever known is changed, altered... and it brings up a multitude of new problems and questions. The twists and turns that manifested in this installment were all seamlessly woven into the plot, and presented in the perfect fashion. 
 I really could keep going, but I think I'll stop here. All in all, Linger was one of the most impressive sequels I've ever read. It was beautiful and enchanting. It was heartbreaking and surprising. There was never a dull moment and I found it exceedingly hard to put down. Even if you weren't a huge fan of Shiver, I'd still recommend giving this book a shot. The writing is magical and the story is otherworldly. The end had me begging for more. I can't wait to get started on Forever! 
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 Book source: Purchased 
 Publisher: Scholastic