Review: Linger By: Maggie Stiefvater (Blog Tour Stop)

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press, 362 Pages (July 13th 2010)
From: Publisher, Thank You! (I have a finished copy as well)

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 5 Stars - Maggie Stiefvater’s Mercy Fall’s series quickly became one of my favorites within the first few pages of Shiver. I was eagerly awaiting the release of Linger and I have to say that I never thought I could fall in love further with a book or books then I did after reading the second in this Trilogy.

The lyrical majesty that Maggie created in Shiver flows right through to Linger making the characters richer, the woods fuller and the story even more magical. Sam and Grace are faced with obstacles big and small as they each try to figure out how they fit into their new lives. The emotion’s of each character leap off the page which made me feel as if I was sitting in the golden woods right with them.

In Linger we read from four different points of views – Sam, Grace, Isabel and new-comer Cole. Each of the four characters is going through something, growing with the changes that have happened over the fall and winter. Sam trying to find his place in his new life, Grace dealing an illness and inner turmoil, Isabel and her guilt and grief over her brother and new comer Cole and his… well Cole as a character is complex and has a lot going on, so I’ll just leave it at that. I loved hearing more from Isabel. Her sharp and sometimes harsh wit more then fit against new comer Cole’s cockyness. The moments between Sam and Grace are full, rich and often breathtaking.

From beginning to end I just couldn’t get enough, and boy, what an ending that was. I was in shock, I think I even gasped out loud as the events unfolded into an ending that I never saw coming.

All in all Maggie knows just how to pull at a person’s heart strings when it comes to the love and emotions of her characters. I have to admit that my heart was heavy throughout Linger for many reasons. I’m sure if you’ve read it you might know what I’m talking about. I just can’t seem to say enough about how amazing this series. I am on pins and needles waiting for the last in the series – Forever which is out next summer. I can say without a doubt that the beauty in Linger is something that I’ll continue to carry with me for a long time.

I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of the blog tour for Linger, which I was so excited about. In addition to the review, I'll also be posting a interview with Maggie and a contest for you chance to win a copy of Linger! So keep checking back today for more fun and to help us continue to celebrate the release of Linger!!

Keep an eye out for a Interview with Maggie and a Contest for your chance to win a finished copy of Linger later today!!
FTC Disclaimer: I did not pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review. However, I do have a finished copy that I did pay for.