I was a little nervous to read Maggie Stiefvater's Linger. I had looked forward to it for so long after devouring Shiver that I was afraid to be let down. I had read some gushing reviews and some that were mixed. Thankfully, I slipped into the world of Mercy Falls with no trouble. Though it's been a while, I rekindled my interest and relationship with Grace and Sam in no time. It was seamless.
In addition to Sam and Grace, two other major characters, Isabel and Cole are developed in great detail. Whereas Shiver was organized into chapters based on temperature, Linger is the stories of these four characters woven together. The result of this weaving is one amazing tale.
Stiefvater's writing is so fluid, so poetic that I can't help but feel a bit entranced by it. I love that each of her characters has a distinct voice and persona and that their thoughts and feelings ring so true, despite the fact that their life situations are truly paranormal. In my opinion, this is a mark of great writing.
I don't want to offer much in the way of plot summary because I don't want to give too much away. I think that you will enjoy Linger if you loved Shiver. I also think that you will love the way that Isabel is given a more pronounced presence in this second book and that you might find that you love to hate Cole. You will worry about Sam and Grace want their lives to just get normal for once. Or, this is what I wanted. Now, I just want the next book. I'll probably have a long wait for it. That's okay. I want Ms. Stiefvater to have plenty of time to write the best darn book she can!
