Wednesday 21 April 2010

Linger Review (No Spoilers)

As most of you know, I was EXTREMELY lucky to win an ARC of Linger and I literally jumped up and down screaming when I found out! I got the book and stupidly developed a mental block - I told myself I could not read Linger until I had refreshed my memory and read Shiver again. Thankfully, I have now done this *phew*and have finally written a review for it.

I was scared to read Linger for many reasons – firstly, whilst I had an inkling of where the story might go, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted it to go in that direction, I wasn’t really sure what I was expecting to be honest. Shiver could easily have been a standalone book. I was also scared because Maggie is my favourite YA author and I knew that she would be reading this review. Would I be able to do it justice? Would it match up to Maggie’s writing?

Yes I admit, I was having insecurities about my writing. However, I read a blog post recently about plagiarism (courtesy of Persnickity Snark) and decided that at least my reviews were written from the heart and in my own words. This is MY voice and MY style. I may not use as many fancy big words or literary terms as others but if we all sounded the same, then it would be very boring indeed! So, just like that I got over my fear and I feel tons better for it. Without further ado, here is my review of Linger.

In the words of Jacob from Twilight, “Have you ever had a secret that you couldn’t tell anyone? One that wasn’t yours to share?”. THAT pretty much sums up how I feel about Linger because I desperately want to share it with you guys but I don’t want to spoil it for you either! This makes writing a review very difficult indeed but I’m going to try. Linger follows on from Shiver and we get to see what happens AFTER the happy ending. Sam and Grace continue to develop their relationship and as in any normal relationship, obstacles and challenges come along to test it. Sam and Grace are still fighting to be together but in slightly different ways than in Shiver. Sam is also trying to get used to being in his own skin as a human when ironically Grace never feels more unlike herself.

This time around, we get four protagonists – Grace, Sam, Isabel and Cole. In shiver, we were introduced to several new wolves that were created by Beck (the pack’s leader) to ensure the survival of the wolf pack after Beck leaves humanity behind and changes for the last time. We get to see how they influence the pack through both Sam and Cole’s eyes. Reading from four points of view was admittedly a bit disorientating at first but I soon got used to it and I learnt so much more about the characters by seeing things from their perspective. It definitely gave me a deeper understanding into their psyche.

Another beautifully written book from Maggie, Linger was wonderful. I read it in two sittings as I didn’t want to rush my way through it. Both times it kept me up until 3am though! And yes I did cry at the end (dammit Maggie, you’ve done it again!). The journey was pretty wild and and not quite what I expected. There was lots of tension, lots of drama and all of the romance of the first book. As always, the cover art is gorgeous and definitely fits the spring feel. I'm going to place a bet now on the final cover being gold to represent the feel of Summer and also the Golden Woods which is alluded to in both books.

For all of you people out there who are feeling a bit put out that I got to read it early, know this. I’ve almost done myself a disservice here because now I have to wait that much longer for “FOREVER” which is the final book in the series and is not released until 2011. I can’t wait to read how this is all going to turn out and once you’ve read Linger, you won’t be able to either.

If you are a book blogger and are desperate to read Linger for yourself, please comment on my blog post “Want to read Linger?” so that you have a chance to join my mini ARC tour.

As you know by now, Maggie has her own blog which you can access by clicking here. She is also a prolific internet user and can be found on facebook and Twitter. If you enjoy Maggie's writing, check out the Merry Sister's of Fate which is a group made up of Maggie and her crit partners Tessa Gratton (Blood Magic, 2011) and Brenna Yovanoff (The Replacement, 2010). They publish original short stories every month. Click here to visit the site.

21 comments:

  1. Great review! No spoilers but you kept me wanting more. I cant wait to read it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Kate!! It was really hard to write and NOT give anything away, I had to re-read it several times to make sure! It's definitely worth the wait ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. You did a great job on the review, Lynsey! (No need to have any insecurities about your writing.) :) I'm definitely intrigued and it was clear that you loved the book! It was a perfect balance between letting us know what makes Linger special without giving anything away!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for your kind words Riley, they mean a lot :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fab review Lynsey & it's great that it didn't include spoilers. I really loved Shiver & can't wait to get my hands on a copy of Linger :o)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you Sarah, this review was definitely a challenge to write so I'm glad you enjoyed it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Not reading the review. Not reading the review. Too late. Enjoyed your thoughts immensely. Now waiting for the book to come out seems to take even longer. Why can't my website countdown actually countdown faster!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kate, haha the good news is that now I've read it, I can start my mini arc tour which I think you've signed up for right?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review, I am so looking forward to this. Shiver was great so I expect good things from Linger.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've been hesitant to pick this one up--I'm a bit tired of werewolves, actually. But you makes Maggie's writing seem irresistible...I may have to check it out!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love the review, i so cannot wait to read it!
    Shiver was epically great, and by the looks of things-Linger will be even better!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the review, i so cannot wait to read it!
    Shiver was epically great, and by the looks of things-Linger will be even better!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've yet to pick up any of Maggie's books. But I keep seeing great reviews like yours (and the cover art is so tempting) that I know I'll do it one of these days. ; ) Probably when I actually see it while I'm browsing a bookstore... or, the book section of one of the stores here. We only have one official bookstore & it's across town.

    Anyway, thank you for your thoughts on this book & your honesty in expressing sequel worries (I think we all have them) as well as the uncertainty when you review a book, whether you love it or hate it, there's still a feeling of "where do I start"? At least for me still! lol.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  14. great review for what sounds like a great book

    ReplyDelete
  15. Fab review. Its now on my shopping list :0)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Brilliant review! Thanks for no spoilers.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great review...not spoilery but totally gave me enough hints that I'm that much more excited for the release!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I loved the review :D! I've read Shiver and im dying to read Linger...now i read to read it even more!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a sweet review! I have to confess that I ahven't read Shiver either yet (only heard about it recently thanks to book blogs), but only heard the most amazing things about Maggie Stiefvater novels and the poetic prose of Shiver, so it is definitely on my wishlist!

    Thank you for whetting my appetite even more! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I appreciate no spoilers as I'm yet to read Shiver! I *do* own it... I know, I really should get round to it!

    ReplyDelete
  21. OMG, I'm DYING to read Linger. I'm so jealous. Your review is amazing. It made me want to read it even more!

    ReplyDelete