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Riv's Reviews > Linger
Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2)
by Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author)
by Maggie Stiefvater (Goodreads Author)
Riv's review
bookshelves: 2nd-of-series, reviewed, favorites
Feb 27, 11
bookshelves: 2nd-of-series, reviewed, favorites
Read in June, 2010 — I own a copy, read count: 1
Originally posted at: rivreads.blogspot.com
I was a little tentative to start Linger because of the multiple points of view. As you know, instead of Shiver's two characters-Grace and Sam-we have four; the original two along with Isabel and Cole.
I felt like the plot buildup was a little slow. It started out awesome; I had high expectations. Then something happened that made me really excited, but then it died down again very quickly. The main problem was something wrong with Grace, and I felt like this problem wasn't emphasized as much as it should be. This could be done on-purpose, but I felt like I was ignoring it, just to find out it was the main problem.
Instead, I found myself focusing on Sam and his problem with Cole, which didn't turn out the way I expected it to. Look to the right for a line graph I made on the buildup.
On to Cole. He surprised me. He started off as this obnoxious kid, doing idiotic things and being an overall jerk. But...he was really intelligent. The intelligence doesn't seem to fit with the image I have of him; and I don't like it. It's fun to watch him not be a jerk though, like with Isabel...
Which brings me to the romance. In Shiver, Sam wanted to stay human so he could be with Grace; the romance was a key part of the book. In Linger, I felt like the romance wasn't emphasized like it was supposed to be. There was no "I love you" and only a bit of "I miss you" when Grace and Sam weren't together. There was also very little kissing between the two. This brings us to the Cole-Isabel relationship. I was led to believe that there was something there but...there wasn't.
One of my favorite parts of the book was when Cole showed some of his genius and came up with a theory about the werewolves. It put a whole twist on the generic idea of why werewolves (or at least these werewolves) are the way they are. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this part.
Overall, I think Shiver was better, but I enjoyed Linger too. I loved the ending, and now I'm dying for Forever. You may have heard "I now have to wait forever for Forever" so I'm going to spare you the cheesy lines. It was good. I look forward to Forever. I'm the type that when I finish a good book, I'm excited for the next because I liked it. But after a while, that initial desire fades a bit and my thoughts change to "I'm excited because I know I liked it." I know that I know that I want it. After reading Shiver, I felt this way about Linger; the initial desire is slowly fading as I await book 3. I hope you enjoyed the review, and weren't annoyed by the length.
OVERALL RATING: ****/ 4 and a half stars, but because I'm prejudice nice, I'll give it 5.
A little added bit:
In Shiver, I was hoping that Sam would go visit his parents in jail. He didn't. When I received Linger, I was looking forward to possibly meeting his parents. He didn't go to them, which left me with a feeling of disappointment. I doubt any of you are like this, but I was looking forward to meeting Mr. and Mrs. Roth. I sincerely hope that Maggie Stiefvater brings them into the picture in the final book.
One thing that irritated me immensely was Maggie's overuse of a certain character trait and plot developer.
Isabel and Cole had many heartfelt discussions. Every time, the character whose point of view it is does something like, "I wondered why I was telling him/her everything. It was because I knew s/he wouldn't care."
Every time they spoke, whoever was telling had the same thought: I'm doing it because Cole/Isabel doesn't care anyways, and won't feel bad for me.
Once or twice this is fine, but it got increasingly annoying as the book progressed.
I was a little tentative to start Linger because of the multiple points of view. As you know, instead of Shiver's two characters-Grace and Sam-we have four; the original two along with Isabel and Cole.
I felt like the plot buildup was a little slow. It started out awesome; I had high expectations. Then something happened that made me really excited, but then it died down again very quickly. The main problem was something wrong with Grace, and I felt like this problem wasn't emphasized as much as it should be. This could be done on-purpose, but I felt like I was ignoring it, just to find out it was the main problem.
Instead, I found myself focusing on Sam and his problem with Cole, which didn't turn out the way I expected it to. Look to the right for a line graph I made on the buildup.
On to Cole. He surprised me. He started off as this obnoxious kid, doing idiotic things and being an overall jerk. But...he was really intelligent. The intelligence doesn't seem to fit with the image I have of him; and I don't like it. It's fun to watch him not be a jerk though, like with Isabel...
Which brings me to the romance. In Shiver, Sam wanted to stay human so he could be with Grace; the romance was a key part of the book. In Linger, I felt like the romance wasn't emphasized like it was supposed to be. There was no "I love you" and only a bit of "I miss you" when Grace and Sam weren't together. There was also very little kissing between the two. This brings us to the Cole-Isabel relationship. I was led to believe that there was something there but...there wasn't.
One of my favorite parts of the book was when Cole showed some of his genius and came up with a theory about the werewolves. It put a whole twist on the generic idea of why werewolves (or at least these werewolves) are the way they are. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this part.
Overall, I think Shiver was better, but I enjoyed Linger too. I loved the ending, and now I'm dying for Forever. You may have heard "I now have to wait forever for Forever" so I'm going to spare you the cheesy lines. It was good. I look forward to Forever. I'm the type that when I finish a good book, I'm excited for the next because I liked it. But after a while, that initial desire fades a bit and my thoughts change to "I'm excited because I know I liked it." I know that I know that I want it. After reading Shiver, I felt this way about Linger; the initial desire is slowly fading as I await book 3. I hope you enjoyed the review, and weren't annoyed by the length.
OVERALL RATING: ****/ 4 and a half stars, but because I'm prejudice nice, I'll give it 5.
A little added bit:
In Shiver, I was hoping that Sam would go visit his parents in jail. He didn't. When I received Linger, I was looking forward to possibly meeting his parents. He didn't go to them, which left me with a feeling of disappointment. I doubt any of you are like this, but I was looking forward to meeting Mr. and Mrs. Roth. I sincerely hope that Maggie Stiefvater brings them into the picture in the final book.
One thing that irritated me immensely was Maggie's overuse of a certain character trait and plot developer.
Isabel and Cole had many heartfelt discussions. Every time, the character whose point of view it is does something like, "I wondered why I was telling him/her everything. It was because I knew s/he wouldn't care."
Every time they spoke, whoever was telling had the same thought: I'm doing it because Cole/Isabel doesn't care anyways, and won't feel bad for me.
Once or twice this is fine, but it got increasingly annoying as the book progressed.
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Quotes Riv Liked
“This is a love story. I never knew there were so many kinds of love or that love could make people do so many different things.
I never knew there were so many different ways to say goodbye.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
I never knew there were so many different ways to say goodbye.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“I won't let this be my good-bye. I've folded one thousand paper crane memories of me and Grace, and I've made my wish.
I will find a cure. And then I will find Grace.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
I will find a cure. And then I will find Grace.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“You want to talk? Fine. Talk. Tell me something you've never told anybody else.'
I thought for a moment. 'Turtles have the second-largest brains of any animal on the planet.'
It took Isabel only a second to process this. 'No, they don't.'
'I know that's why I've never told anybody that before.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
I thought for a moment. 'Turtles have the second-largest brains of any animal on the planet.'
It took Isabel only a second to process this. 'No, they don't.'
'I know that's why I've never told anybody that before.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“Right now, it's hard to imagine that it is raining anywhere in the world.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“Hers was a memory made up of snapshorts: being dragged through the snow by a pack of wolves, first kiss tasting of oranges, saying goodbye behind a cracked windshield.
A life made up of promises of what could be: the possibilities contained in a stack of college applications, the thrill of sleeping under a strange roof, the future that lay in Sam's smile.
It was a life I didn't want to leave behind.
It was a life I didn't want to forget
I wasn't done with it yet. There was so much more to say.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
A life made up of promises of what could be: the possibilities contained in a stack of college applications, the thrill of sleeping under a strange roof, the future that lay in Sam's smile.
It was a life I didn't want to leave behind.
It was a life I didn't want to forget
I wasn't done with it yet. There was so much more to say.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“Grace," I said, my vision swirling now because of her blood smeared across my wrists, "Can you hear me?"
She nodded then stumbled to her knees. I knelt beside her; her eyes were huge and afraid and my heart was breaking. "I'll come find you, I said. "I promise I'll come find you. Don't forget me. Don't-don't lose yourself.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
She nodded then stumbled to her knees. I knelt beside her; her eyes were huge and afraid and my heart was breaking. "I'll come find you, I said. "I promise I'll come find you. Don't forget me. Don't-don't lose yourself.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf, and a girl who became one”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“Get some money, buy a red coffeepot, move out. Find a new place to plug it in.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“i never pegged you for a fan of the obvious, sam", "i'm not, otherwise, i would've said, 'hey, shouldn't you be in school ?'", "touche”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
“His was the disease we couldn’t cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most”
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
― Maggie Stiefvater, Linger
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Bluelily3
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rated it 5 stars
Apr 29, 2011 04:53pm
Why would you care so much about Sam's parents? I think he has a right to be done with them, and adding them to the story wouldn't serve any purpose. They would still think he was a freak.
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Bluelily3 wrote: "Why would you care so much about Sam's parents? I think he has a right to be done with them, and adding them to the story wouldn't serve any purpose. They would still think he was a freak."Good point. I'm curious, though, to actually see how he would interact with them. They may think he's a freak, but they raised him for the first 7 years of his life, ya know?
