Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger
(Wolves of Mercy Falls Book #2)
by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: Paranormal Romance | Fantasy | Young Adult

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.  

Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn't cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.  But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it's only me who's not firmly in my own skin. 

So, we pick-up from the last book, Shiver.   Sam has remained all winter as a human even though he is cautious of cold drafts and finds comfort in hot drinks.  Grace's good-girl appearance is falling apart with her family after getting caught sleeping with Sam and continuing to see him upon being grounded.  Isabel is adapting to her knowledge of the existence of shifters while dealing with the loss of her brother.  The newcomer, Cole, is adjusting to being a new wolf and is slowly figuring out where he choices have lead him.  Those are the main characters and the chapters are divided and individually told from their own POV between the four.

It's Spring and the warmer it gets in Mercy Falls, the more the wolves shift back into their human forms.  At least the new ones do.  The older the wolf, the less likely the shift occurs - which is what really bothers Sam.  Deep down he's afraid he won't see Beck and Ulric in human form again and he secretly misses his family while having flashbacks of his youth. Grace is continuing to let Sam crash every night at her house, which she keeps from her parents until getting caught one night.  Yet, Grace is secretly suffering herself from headaches that get worse and eventually nose bleeding as well.  She's beginning to carry the scent of a wolf and a tragic accident from her youth is causing the wolf inside to die.  Cole becomes the first wolf of the pack to shift back to human form, something he doesn't want.  Being the newbie, he choose to take the wolf virus to escape his life.  A life of being a rising rock-star until his faked death before coming to Mercy Falls.  He shares Beck's house with Sam and deals with the rocky future that both now share.  

Personally, I felt this book wasn't as great as the first one (since I'm a sucker for lovey-dovey tales), but I still found I read it quickly, teared up at parts as well, and thought it was a great continuation for Sam and Grace.  It's truly a touching story that grips your emotions since you know what is coming, but continue reading toward it anyways and then want more at the end.  Plus, the chapters being divided up carries the story pretty easily and keeps it from becoming too monotone.  Sam and Grace are truly in love and share an amazing bond and the fresh sparks between Cole and Isabel were becoming interesting as well.  Cole's an intriguing character and I, have to say, enjoyed his chapters the best.  I even feel in love with some of this thoughts throughout Linger and wrote down a few of his lines as favorites: "I was still chasing something -- some idea of life & fame that I imagined for myself when I was [younger] -- but I was losing interest in actually finding it." (pg. 30)  Beautiful and Heart-wrenching!  If you loved the first book, you won't be disappointed with the second and you'll be eager for what's to come.

Likes: Sam's poetic side & his sincere obsession with folding paper cranes! Plus, I just dig a guy who works in a book store. 

Dislikes: This book was pretty heavy for a YA read.  Lots of thoughts of suicide, hard-core drugs, attempts of murder, feelings of abandonment, etc.

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