Linger

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press, 2010
360 pages
YA; Paranormal Romance
2nd in trilogy
4/5 stars

See my review of first book Shiver here.

Source: Won

Spoilers from first book

Summary: Now Sam is a human and should be staying that way and everything should be great for Grace and Sam.  Instead there are new threats, from the newly turned wolves, from an angry hunter, from Grace's parents, from Grace's body itself.

Thoughts: I saw mixed reviews of this: either people loved it or they didn't see the need of a sequel and thought the four narrators muddied it were the prevailing thoughts.  I was excited about the sequel as I really enjoyed the first book and thought it was beautifully written.

I enjoyed the shifting perspectives and I liked that we didn't spend too long with any of them; I feel like that helps me read faster.  What I didn't like about the four narrators was lack of Grace.  I didn't track how long her sections were but it felt like there was a lot more Sam and Cole than Grace, who is my favorite character.  I do like Sam, who is wonderfully earnest and such a good guy, in comparison to a lot of other YA males.  But I felt like Grace should have been more of a focus and she wasn't.  I enjoyed meeting Cole, a musician and scientific genius who wants to forget himself entirely and be just a wolf.  He was such a jerk but if he can help, I want that.  Isabel also returns and has some chapters to herself.  She's in a very difficult position as she is struggling with parental problems of her own plus has her dad wanting to kill all of the wolves.

Beck is still a wolf as in the first book but his presence is heavily featured in the boys' chapters and as I loved him in the first book, I appreciated that.  I also liked Grace's friend Rachel who was just a funny character throughout.

I didn't like Grace's parents who have a lot to answer for in my book.  They spent years basically acting like Grace didn't exist or didn't need them for anything but all of a sudden, they interfere?!  And they get mad at Sam when it seems like he's in it for the long haul, and not just for sex.  Most parents I know at least try to get to know the person their child is dating.  I'm not sure what it is about him that they don't like.  And instead of trying to slow their relationship down, maybe by insisting that he spends more time with the parents so he can demonstrate his honorable intentions or by requesting that they spend more time in a group, they outright ban him.  Furthermore, it doesn't sound like Grace's grades have suffered or that she was acting disrespectfully toward her parents while dating Sam.  When they start ordering her around, that's when the disrespect starts and quite frankly they haven't earned her respect.  Because while one should respect one's parents, it's earned, not just taken or demanded.  They suck as parents.

Plotwise, the main thread is Cole adjusting to life as a shifter and then Grace's ill health which seems to be due to her earlier bite from a wolf.  That last one ends on a cliffhanger that has me frantic for Forever.

Overall: Interesting new characters and further development of characters from first book result in a good book.

Cover: Love the green and how it connects to the blue; personally I would love purple for the next book.