Linger, by Maggie Stiefvater

Format: Hardback, 360 pages

Published: July 13, 2010

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Back cover blurb:

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.

My review:

Oh, God. So, yeah, I admit, I cried at the end of this one, too, just like I did at the end of the first book, Shiver. Although it wasn’t a surprise – what was happening to Grace was flagged right from the prologue – the revelation at the end and the implications on not just Grace but Sam and Olivia and the rest of Sam’s “family” were just heartbreaking.

For a YA story, this is packed with realistic situations (yes, I know it’s about werewolves, but the parents were perfectly drawn here) and even though I didn’t like Cole and Isabel to start off with, they really redeemed theselves by the end. While I love Grace and Sam the most, I will still be interested to see how their stories are resolved.

It’s a great set-up for the third book – the final in the series – due out in July. Personally, I’m not sure I can wait that long!

My rating: 5/5

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

Format: Kindle Edition, 400 pages

Published: August 1, 2009

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Back cover blurb:

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

My review:

I’m not Team Jacob by any stretch of the imagination, but after reading this beautiful book, I have to admit I am Team Sam. I just loved it, and by the end – ugh! – I had tears in my eyes. The author has a lovely turn of phrase and paints a vivid picture of young love under pressure of time and circumstance.

It reminded me a lot of the aforementioned Twilight, mainly because of the sensitive Sam and the independent Grace with her flaky parents. Like Bella, who wishes Edward would “turn” her, Grace wants to be like Sam so they can be together, but she is the one person in their small town who is now immune to a wolf bite. Instead she must try to keep him warm so he can maintain his human form for her.

In so many YA novels the initials seem to stand for Youth Abstinance, and I’m so glad this wasn’t the case here. The fact they gave in to their lust made their relationship much more real, and of course in my part of the world you are legal at 17 and 18. Pity it was fade to black… (rawr!)

Stiefvater has written a couple of sequels, which I will definitely be reading. Not straight away, though – I want to savour this book for as long as possible.

My rating: 5/5, and I can’t wait for the film (it’s been picked up by Unique Features/Warner Bros)!