Review – Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2) by Maggie Stiefvater (3.5/5 stars)

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.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– The Young Adult Reading Challenge
– The 100+ Book Reading Challenge
– Summer Romance Reading Challenge