(ARC Review) LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater

LINGER

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Source: Donated to blog

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (July 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545123283
• ISBN-13: 978-0545123280

SYNOPSIS:

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

MY THOUGHTS:

It has been so long since Shiver came out, I almost forgot who the characters were!  With that being said,  as soon as I opened the book to the first page, I was instantly transported back to Mercy Falls.  I still get the warm and fuzzy feeling with the romance between Sam and Grace.  The author did a wonderful job with these two characters.  She included romance, drama and aching suspense that had me pulling at my hair.  The book flowed nicely and everything about it kept me consumed with finishing it in one sitting. 

The characters have grown, the author introduces old and new characters to the story, and she kept the goosebumps on me like I was in the snow with Sam and Grace. The ending about did me in though. Amazing is the only word I can think of at the moment to describe it. Amazing AND Breathtaking!

MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

UPDATE: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

This was found on the authors blog which can be found here.
Enjoy the new info:

FIRST HERE IS THE COVER FOR LINGER:



AND HERE IS THE PREVIEW:

• grace •

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.

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

SHIVER
Author: Maggie Stiefvater

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1 edition (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545123267
• ISBN-13: 978-0545123266

SYNOPSIS:
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

MY TAKE:

I almost put this book down after getting halfway through it. I had read other reviews thinking this was going to be a great, fresh and new read in the young adult genre. Notice I said almost! The first half of this book progressed rather slowly for me. It seemed to stretch on and on with no end in sight. Then about halfway through, just when I was about to stop reading it, the author picked up the pace and reeled me in all the way! It gave me the speed, love, and action that I wanted to see throughout the book. I devoured the last half of this book within an hour! I was so disappointed for Grace and Sam's story to end. Then, I went to the author's website and found that this is the first book in a 3 book series! YEAH! I get to see what happens after all! THEN I find out that Shiver is going to be made into a movie! Trust me, if you can get past the first half of the book, you won't be disappointed for the last half.

MY RATING:

Very Good! You have to read this book!