Like the title may imply, LINGER never really takes off in plot direction. Instead, it seems more like a meandering interquel between SHIVER and the yet-to-be-released finale, FOREVER. Nevertheless, Stiefvater's gorgeous writing remains lyrical and lovely as ever, making the most mundane activities beautiful with the most descriptive prose you’ll come across in YA romance. It’s only a matter of how patiently you can read about the mundane for the brief moments of action spread as sparsely, as lightly, as paw prints in the snow. (Wow, did I really just write that? Ah well, it ain't as bad as that one leaky womb incident... :P)

The added narrators were wonderful, adding POVs and more depth to the story. It gives us a breather from the ultra-sweetness of Sam and Grace, which is perfect enough as a whole book can’t change their feelings for each other… Nor can it further develop from where it started. Because they’re already head over heels for one another and the only things that lay in their path seem like obligatory obstacles. Parents—wait, no, being grounded? Surely the two could have worked their way through such barriers with a little less melodrama. It pales in comparison to their real problems, that being the foreshadowing of Grace’s fate… after all.

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

LINGER is about contrast, wherein a new werewolf struggles to stay a wolf, while Sam had always wanted to remain human—it’s also about how Sam revels in his new-found humanity while Grace struggles to keep hers. And what sets these books apart from all the werewolf offerings popping up in YA lies in the excellent characterization (because, you have to admit, the plot is a bit of a let-down). Sam isn’t a bad boy; his sensitive, emotional, musician side endearing to a fault. And Grace complements him perfectly, aloof, serious, but quietly understanding.

Cocky, handsome, and a little dangerous, Cole was the most fascinating character, and ones who’s narration I was the most captivated by. There’s a very beautiful and painful moment involving a deer (nothing like Harry Potter, mind you) in the woods, around the middle of the book, and it left me as haunted as it did Cole. Isabel also stood out with her cutting voice that hid, surprisingly, inner weakness.

LINGER reads a lot like SHIVER. It pulls you in with a swift beginning, but the middle is drawn-out and a little tiring to read. The ending is startlingly reminiscent of the first book, as well, and it leaves us desperate for the resolution, which is sure to be as breathtaking as its companions. We can only wait, as patiently as Sam must, to discover the secret, the cure, for the wolves’ shifting and the secrets (or the logic) behind it all.