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freadomlibrary 's review for:
Linger
by Maggie Stiefvater
This review was originally posted at https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/
Check out my series review here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/series-review-the-wolves-of-mercy-falls-trilogy-by-maggie-stiefvater/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
Again this book is really slow. The romance is the main focus in the entire series but in the first two books specially which can be annoying for some people. There’s a lot more information of the werewolves which I really appreciate and I think it was really well thought out. This one was full of angst and it kind of got on my nerves.
Writing Style – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Again, descriptive and detailed. Super slow paced though it’s very poetic and lyrical and easy to read. This one in particular had several points of views which was okay, but they never really felt distinct between one another. The narrative dragged a bit while reading but it was really emotional so I liked that.
Characters – 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed the characters much more in this one. Part of the reason is because it’s a second book so we get more page time with them but also because there are more points of views so I can see into the minds of those characters that I was more detached from.
Grace is still pretty stoic, I’ve accepted that it’s just her personality. She’s much more emotional in this one though. She’s defiant of her parents and the way they treat her and independent and itching to spread her wings and do something for herself. She’s a little bit reckless, a lot scared but just as kind as she was in the first book. She’s kind of winning me over.
Sam is pretty much exactly the same way I thought he was in the first book, maybe a little more sad in this one. He’s lost, vulnerable and scared with everything that’s going on in his life. He’s still very earnest and I can’t even explain what I mean by that but that’s the kind of vibe he gives.
There’s more side characters in this one as well but they’re definitely getting more development than they did in the first book. They’re a little bit too crazy and too dramatic for my taste but I understand what they’re doing within the story.
Emotionally
This second book was another re-read for me and I’m glad that I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first time I read it.
The plot is angsty. We follow Grace, who is defying her parents to be with her boyfriend Sam as well as struggling with her health and what that means for her life as she knows it. This series tends to focus almost exclusively on the romance so it’s that’s not your kind of thing, you’re definitely not going to like it. There are other things within the story like Grace’s struggles with her relationship with her parents as well as the werewolf issues but the romance and their struggles with being together is the main focal point. There’s a lot of angst, pain and vulnerability involved. Star crossed lovers is the way that I think of it, mostly because they’re being slightly kept apart by different obstacles throughout the story. I really liked how there were more point of views in this sequel. I feel like it gave more depth to the characters and showed their personal development much more. I had trouble reconnecting with the characters in the first book, most notably Grace even though she’s the main character. This one however improved on that, though I still feel like the characters are too boxed in where their personality types place them to be. I feel like they lack complexity even though there’s a lot of emotion and angst involved in each of their personalities. My favorite part of this book and the series as a whole is the werewolf addition. I love the mystery behind why they turn and how it really happens. That was a huge part of the storyline in this book and that’s kind of what kept me reading for the most part. I wanted to see the mystery solved as soon as possible because it was intriguing the heck out of me. It was basically the most engaging part of the entire book.
Since I had issues with connecting to Grace’s personality in the first book, I really loved how she finally embraced her anger and defied her parents. She complained about them in the first book a lot but never really did anything, so I was glad she did it in this one. I needed her to do that to connect with her because without it, she just got constantly more annoying to me. But yay for getting what I need!
Let’s talk a bit about the side characters. Sam is exactly the same, except much more lost which is insane to me. He’s dealing with a lot and I quite like his habit of thinking in song lyrics though cheesy, but I just feel like he’s way too soft. I’d never actually date him in real life. Isabel kind of has a stick up her butt though totally within reason! She’s a really angry, bitchy person. She’s also dealing with a lot of crap, most noticeably her brother dying which she feels really guilty over so I understand why her personality is that way, it just again makes it hard to connect. Cole is a new character in this book and he’s a douche. He also deals with suicidal thoughts and actual attempts so be aware of that if you’re reading this book. He’s rebellious and mysterious and a rock star so I’m sure that tells you his role in this whole thing. I liked the intelligent part of his personality because it was so unexpected from him.
Overall, this series let me down. I wanted to love it as much as I did when I was younger and I read it the first time. The romance is the focal point of the entire trilogy and while I enjoyed it overall, it made the story kind of boring and didn’t keep me engaged throughout the whole thing. I really liked the werewolf lore, what attracted me to the trilogy in the first place, and I wish it would’ve had a more important role in all the books.
Check out my series review here: https://freadomlibrary.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/series-review-the-wolves-of-mercy-falls-trilogy-by-maggie-stiefvater/
Critically
Plot – 3 out of 5 stars
Again this book is really slow. The romance is the main focus in the entire series but in the first two books specially which can be annoying for some people. There’s a lot more information of the werewolves which I really appreciate and I think it was really well thought out. This one was full of angst and it kind of got on my nerves.
Writing Style – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Again, descriptive and detailed. Super slow paced though it’s very poetic and lyrical and easy to read. This one in particular had several points of views which was okay, but they never really felt distinct between one another. The narrative dragged a bit while reading but it was really emotional so I liked that.
Characters – 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed the characters much more in this one. Part of the reason is because it’s a second book so we get more page time with them but also because there are more points of views so I can see into the minds of those characters that I was more detached from.
Grace is still pretty stoic, I’ve accepted that it’s just her personality. She’s much more emotional in this one though. She’s defiant of her parents and the way they treat her and independent and itching to spread her wings and do something for herself. She’s a little bit reckless, a lot scared but just as kind as she was in the first book. She’s kind of winning me over.
Sam is pretty much exactly the same way I thought he was in the first book, maybe a little more sad in this one. He’s lost, vulnerable and scared with everything that’s going on in his life. He’s still very earnest and I can’t even explain what I mean by that but that’s the kind of vibe he gives.
There’s more side characters in this one as well but they’re definitely getting more development than they did in the first book. They’re a little bit too crazy and too dramatic for my taste but I understand what they’re doing within the story.
Emotionally
Spoiler
I finally managed to re-read and finish this series after reading it in middle school the first time and I have to say that it’s not as good as I remember.This second book was another re-read for me and I’m glad that I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first time I read it.
The plot is angsty. We follow Grace, who is defying her parents to be with her boyfriend Sam as well as struggling with her health and what that means for her life as she knows it. This series tends to focus almost exclusively on the romance so it’s that’s not your kind of thing, you’re definitely not going to like it. There are other things within the story like Grace’s struggles with her relationship with her parents as well as the werewolf issues but the romance and their struggles with being together is the main focal point. There’s a lot of angst, pain and vulnerability involved. Star crossed lovers is the way that I think of it, mostly because they’re being slightly kept apart by different obstacles throughout the story. I really liked how there were more point of views in this sequel. I feel like it gave more depth to the characters and showed their personal development much more. I had trouble reconnecting with the characters in the first book, most notably Grace even though she’s the main character. This one however improved on that, though I still feel like the characters are too boxed in where their personality types place them to be. I feel like they lack complexity even though there’s a lot of emotion and angst involved in each of their personalities. My favorite part of this book and the series as a whole is the werewolf addition. I love the mystery behind why they turn and how it really happens. That was a huge part of the storyline in this book and that’s kind of what kept me reading for the most part. I wanted to see the mystery solved as soon as possible because it was intriguing the heck out of me. It was basically the most engaging part of the entire book.
Since I had issues with connecting to Grace’s personality in the first book, I really loved how she finally embraced her anger and defied her parents. She complained about them in the first book a lot but never really did anything, so I was glad she did it in this one. I needed her to do that to connect with her because without it, she just got constantly more annoying to me. But yay for getting what I need!
Let’s talk a bit about the side characters. Sam is exactly the same, except much more lost which is insane to me. He’s dealing with a lot and I quite like his habit of thinking in song lyrics though cheesy, but I just feel like he’s way too soft. I’d never actually date him in real life. Isabel kind of has a stick up her butt though totally within reason! She’s a really angry, bitchy person. She’s also dealing with a lot of crap, most noticeably her brother dying which she feels really guilty over so I understand why her personality is that way, it just again makes it hard to connect. Cole is a new character in this book and he’s a douche. He also deals with suicidal thoughts and actual attempts so be aware of that if you’re reading this book. He’s rebellious and mysterious and a rock star so I’m sure that tells you his role in this whole thing. I liked the intelligent part of his personality because it was so unexpected from him.
Overall, this series let me down. I wanted to love it as much as I did when I was younger and I read it the first time. The romance is the focal point of the entire trilogy and while I enjoyed it overall, it made the story kind of boring and didn’t keep me engaged throughout the whole thing. I really liked the werewolf lore, what attracted me to the trilogy in the first place, and I wish it would’ve had a more important role in all the books.