Thursday, January 20, 2011

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater


The much anticipated second book in Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (Book #1: Shiver) continues to tell the story of Sam, the boy who used to be a werewolf, and Grace, the girl who escaped that terrible fate. With the introduction of two new narrators, Isabel, who lost her brother trying to cure his werewolf-ism, and Cole, the damaged rock star willingly turned werewolf, the four melancholic teens grapple with interfering parents, love, loss, and of course werewolves.

I enjoyed Shiver quite a bit (although as a warning I am woefully ignorant of traditional werewolf lore and logic) and had been trying to get my hands on Linger for some time. I was a little curious, however, about how Linger's plot would develop as I felt that Shiver did a nice job as a stand-alone novel and didn't absolutely beg for a sequel. After reading Linger, I think I stand by that original feeling. The brooding and over-the-top devotion that started out sweet and endearing between Sam and Grace started to feel stale and I think the believability of the characters suffered for it.

The addition of Cole (and to a lesser extent the increased narrative role of Isabel) did help liven up some of the dialogue and provided a different spin on the effects of inner turmoil. However, I think the story was heavy on the melodrama (and I usually like melodrama) and a little light on the action. Like the first book the "solution" to the main crisis seemed rushed and consequently less plausible.

That all being said, I will probably still read the final book Forever when it comes out this summer because complaints aside I am invested in the characters and I hope that this was the all too common "transitional" title in the series. 362 p.

2 comments:

  1. I agree! I enjoyed Shiver and thought it wrapped up satisfactorily, but found the follow-up to be too light on substance and jarring with the sudden need to find a scientific explanation for the werewolves' existence and transformations. Also, the leads have lost a lot of their personality and what made them interesting. Still, like you, I will most likely read the next one, too.

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  2. See, I liked this one! I liked the four character narration (I didn't think I would)but I think I liked Isabel and Cole's stories better than Grace and Sam. I do agree it didn't really need to be a three book series, one is enough, but that's never true in the world of publishing!

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