Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 1
Told from four characters' points of view, LINGER lacks action and movement, but its breathtakingly gorgeous writing, character development, and romance will have fans of SHIVER squealing with delight, thoroughly satisfied and craving more.
Maggie Stiefvater has an envious way with words. Reading LINGER is like submerging yourself in exquisite poetry: the language flows off the page and whispers its way through your bloodstream, all the way into your heart. Some books rely on the strength of their plots and ideas to carry the story; Maggie Stiefvater has her words.
At the same time, that was my biggest issue with LINGER, the one I had with SHIVER as well: I found the story lackingâ¦well, heart, I guess. Grace and Sam's love is so all-encompassing, so beautifully expressed, that it's almost stifling. I I found myself sighing with frustration every time the two of them were in a scene together, so eager was I to move on to other scenes in which they didn't appear together and suck all the vivacity out of everything.
But even the new narratorial POVs are not enough to stave off this series' painstakingly slow pace. Maggie seems to enjoy taking her time with her words and mundane events. The upside of this is that new characters like Cole are fully fleshed out in a way few secondary characters introduced in the second book of a series ever are; the downside is that, unless you're a diehard SHIVER fan, the book is all too easy to put down.
My interest in this series, however, is redeemed by Maggie pulling off another fantastic ending. In fact, despite the slow plotting, LINGER does very much up the stakesâin an extremely startling, yet gratefully welcome, wayâfor Grace and Sam's world. It satisfies SHIVER fans' craving for more beautiful writing and romance, and keeps the story turning by adding in these new, yet not entirely arbitrary, elements. My feelings toward LINGER are mixed, but Maggie's authoress powers are undeniable, and fans of Grace, Sam, and werewolf romance will be far from disappointed.
Maggie Stiefvater has an envious way with words. Reading LINGER is like submerging yourself in exquisite poetry: the language flows off the page and whispers its way through your bloodstream, all the way into your heart. Some books rely on the strength of their plots and ideas to carry the story; Maggie Stiefvater has her words.
At the same time, that was my biggest issue with LINGER, the one I had with SHIVER as well: I found the story lackingâ¦well, heart, I guess. Grace and Sam's love is so all-encompassing, so beautifully expressed, that it's almost stifling. I I found myself sighing with frustration every time the two of them were in a scene together, so eager was I to move on to other scenes in which they didn't appear together and suck all the vivacity out of everything.
But even the new narratorial POVs are not enough to stave off this series' painstakingly slow pace. Maggie seems to enjoy taking her time with her words and mundane events. The upside of this is that new characters like Cole are fully fleshed out in a way few secondary characters introduced in the second book of a series ever are; the downside is that, unless you're a diehard SHIVER fan, the book is all too easy to put down.
My interest in this series, however, is redeemed by Maggie pulling off another fantastic ending. In fact, despite the slow plotting, LINGER does very much up the stakesâin an extremely startling, yet gratefully welcome, wayâfor Grace and Sam's world. It satisfies SHIVER fans' craving for more beautiful writing and romance, and keeps the story turning by adding in these new, yet not entirely arbitrary, elements. My feelings toward LINGER are mixed, but Maggie's authoress powers are undeniable, and fans of Grace, Sam, and werewolf romance will be far from disappointed.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the second book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Stiefvater. The third (and final) book Forever is due out in July 2011. This was a good follow-up to the first book and fans of the first should find nothing to complain about with this book.
In this book we start where we left off in the last book. Sam is cured, but now Grace is starting to have trouble with fevers and feeling ill. Isabel (whose brother Jack died while she was trying to cure him in the last book) spends a ton of time with Grace. Also some new wolves enter into the story; meet Cole St. Claire, a sexy guy with a mysterious past who seems all about causing trouble.
I will say off the bat that I thought Shiver was creative and easy to read, but slow. The same holds true for this book. Stiefvater takes a very creative approach to werewolves and that creativity continues some in this book. We actually get involved in a bit of science behind the werewolf craziness and I liked that. I kind of missed having the temperatures listed at the beginning of each chapter, but they weren't as important since Sam is cured. The characters are very likable and complex and the dialogue is easy to read. There is just something about this book that draws you forward, I think it is mostly the question of Grace's illness and the threat of Cole.
I have some of the same complaints with this book that I had with the last book. It is slow. Not a ton happens throughout the book. Like in Shiver, we plod through the character's day to day life and very slowly the plot unfolds. There actually isn't a ton of plot to unfold, but somehow it still manages to be engaging. When I finished the book and thought back to what actually happened, really it wasn't all that much. Somehow Stiefvater makes it work for her though and adds in some beautiful prose that almost makes up for the lack of plot.
I also have to mention that I love that this takes place in my home state of Minnesota. Stiefvater does an excellent job of getting a feel for spring in Minnesota and the excitement that comes with the rising temperature.
Overall this was a good continuation of the series. I found it engaging and easy to read, but still thought it moved a bit slow and wished that the plot was a bit more complex. I eagerly await the conclusion to the series Forever.
In this book we start where we left off in the last book. Sam is cured, but now Grace is starting to have trouble with fevers and feeling ill. Isabel (whose brother Jack died while she was trying to cure him in the last book) spends a ton of time with Grace. Also some new wolves enter into the story; meet Cole St. Claire, a sexy guy with a mysterious past who seems all about causing trouble.
I will say off the bat that I thought Shiver was creative and easy to read, but slow. The same holds true for this book. Stiefvater takes a very creative approach to werewolves and that creativity continues some in this book. We actually get involved in a bit of science behind the werewolf craziness and I liked that. I kind of missed having the temperatures listed at the beginning of each chapter, but they weren't as important since Sam is cured. The characters are very likable and complex and the dialogue is easy to read. There is just something about this book that draws you forward, I think it is mostly the question of Grace's illness and the threat of Cole.
I have some of the same complaints with this book that I had with the last book. It is slow. Not a ton happens throughout the book. Like in Shiver, we plod through the character's day to day life and very slowly the plot unfolds. There actually isn't a ton of plot to unfold, but somehow it still manages to be engaging. When I finished the book and thought back to what actually happened, really it wasn't all that much. Somehow Stiefvater makes it work for her though and adds in some beautiful prose that almost makes up for the lack of plot.
I also have to mention that I love that this takes place in my home state of Minnesota. Stiefvater does an excellent job of getting a feel for spring in Minnesota and the excitement that comes with the rising temperature.
Overall this was a good continuation of the series. I found it engaging and easy to read, but still thought it moved a bit slow and wished that the plot was a bit more complex. I eagerly await the conclusion to the series Forever.
Helpful Score: 1
Maggie Stiefvater is back with a sequel to last year's Shiver. No spoilers as the book isn't even out in the stores yet but I will tell you that this story is different from the last one. It doesn't have the quietness and the feeling of going with the flow and just being happy in the moment. It has the feeling of anticipation coursing all through it, anticipation of something you don't particularly look forward to but that is going to happen regardless because that's how life is, things happen. It also sets the scene for mystery, so I'm betting your gray cells will get a workout trying to answer all the why's before the last installment is on the shelves.
The characters have more depth to them, they aren't children any more, even if they were already 17-going-on-30. They're young adults making their decisions and choosing their path, even if they have to face the fact that they may be burning bridges in the process. The secondary characters are also multi-dimensional and interesting and they make the reader care about them. They also provide a nice contrasting backdrop for the leads.
What puts these books on my list of favorites is that so much of the story is real, the people, the situations, the consequences. If everything worked out perfectly for everyone all the time it would've been fake and Maggie doesn't write fake. What Maggie does write is real people living real lives with all their beauty and all their ugliness and she's not afraid to put it all out there. Writers who are afraid write rubbish and this is not rubbish, very far from it.
This is the kind of book I'm glad is out there for the young readers. They'll have a chance to read about real tenderness and caring and appreciation and devotion and relationships that aren't flashy and won't end up on the front pages of the social gossip columns or on TV but will make all the difference in the world in the lives of two people.
A word of caution - you will laugh some and you will cry some, so get the tissues ready.
Read my other reviews at bibliophilescorner.blogspot.com
The characters have more depth to them, they aren't children any more, even if they were already 17-going-on-30. They're young adults making their decisions and choosing their path, even if they have to face the fact that they may be burning bridges in the process. The secondary characters are also multi-dimensional and interesting and they make the reader care about them. They also provide a nice contrasting backdrop for the leads.
What puts these books on my list of favorites is that so much of the story is real, the people, the situations, the consequences. If everything worked out perfectly for everyone all the time it would've been fake and Maggie doesn't write fake. What Maggie does write is real people living real lives with all their beauty and all their ugliness and she's not afraid to put it all out there. Writers who are afraid write rubbish and this is not rubbish, very far from it.
This is the kind of book I'm glad is out there for the young readers. They'll have a chance to read about real tenderness and caring and appreciation and devotion and relationships that aren't flashy and won't end up on the front pages of the social gossip columns or on TV but will make all the difference in the world in the lives of two people.
A word of caution - you will laugh some and you will cry some, so get the tissues ready.
Read my other reviews at bibliophilescorner.blogspot.com
