ARC Tour & Review: Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

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 Isabel, 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.


If you've ever read a review or critique on Maggie Stiefvater or her previous books you will recognize and come to expect certain key terms like lyrical, passionate, poetic, creative and talented.  All of these descriptions ring true for Stiefvater and her writing.  After reading and enjoying Shiver I had high expectations for Linger and I was not disappointed.  Stiefvater took the love story between Sam and Grace and if it's even possible made it more dramatic and heart wrenching.  You are constantly rooting for them and crossing your fingers that they will finally get the happy ending that they so greatly deserve.  But rather than stop there (because apparently Stiefvater wanted to torture readers more) we are presented with a new character Cole, and a new connection between he and Isabel.

Cole and Isabel are both going through a difficult time and I enjoyed watching them go through that together (not in a mean way or anything).  It was like they recognized something in each other and knew they could lean on one another.  I was a little disappointed that at times in the book we got more information on these two than on Sam and Grace, but at the same time it was like an added bonus.  We got two more characters to root for and care about, and another couple to hope for.  Overall I think Cole and Isabel added to the greatness that is the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but I know some readers will want nothing but Sam and Grace and who can blame them?

I'm not sure I have a favorite when comparing Shiver and Linger but I'm upset that I have to wait a year for Forever to be released, that's just too long.  All in all I think Stiefvater has another success on her hands and an overall fan pleaser.

I gave Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2) 3 shamrocks!!!

In My Mailbox (17)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board.

You guys know the drill by now...I’ve learned that it’s a great idea to really try and stop by at least two or three lists because I’m constantly finding out about new books that I’ve later added to my TBR list.

This past week I got a few to add to my collection, and a few that I must pass on as part of the ARC tours, but regardless I'm super excited to get started!

ARC tours

Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1) by Kiersten White (Star Book Tours)

Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone--or something--starts taking out the vamps, werewolves, and other odd beasties she's worked hard to help become productive members of society, she's got to figure it out before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal.

Normal is so overrated.

This one I just couldn't wait to get through, check out my review here if you're interested.

Another Pan (Another, #2) by Daniel Nayeri, Dina Nayeri (Around the World Tours)

Sixteen-year-old Wendy Darling and her insecure freshman brother, John, are hitting the books at the Marlowe School. But one tome consumes their attention: THE BOOK OF GATES, a coveted Egyptian artifact that their professor father believes has magical powers. Soon Wendy and John discover that the legend is real—when they recite from its pages and descend into a snaking realm beneath the Manhattan school. As the hallways darken, and dead moths cake the floor, a charismatic new R.A. named Peter reveals that their actions have unleashed a terrible consequence: the underworld and all its evil is now seeping into Marlowe. Daniel Nayeri and Dina Nayeri return to reimagine Peter Pan as a twisty, atmospheric, and fast-paced fantasy about the perils of immortality.

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater (Holly's ARC Tours)

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.

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin (Star Book Tours)

Avery Hood is reeling from the loss of her parents--and the fact that she can't remember what happened to them even though she was there.

She's struggling to adjust to life without them, and to living with her grandmother, when she meets Ben, who isn't like any guy she's ever met before.

It turns out there's a reason why, and Ben's secret may hold the key to Avery finding out what happened to her parents...

But what if that secret changes everything she knows about--and feels for--Ben?

Won from Contests

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (thanks to Mavie @ The Bookologist)

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart. Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last. Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone. Well, sort of. Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost. It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit. As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart?and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Swapped Books

The Alpha Bet by Stephanie Hale (thanks to Sarah @ Goodreads Book Swap)

I was prepared to do just about anything to go from geek to Greek.

Some teenagers use drugs or sex to escape overbearing parents. I used books. All my life my mother has been hovering over me, afraid to let me experience ANYTHING. So I got really good grades, graduated from high school when I was sixteen, and escaped to a new life—my own life—at college.

To jump-start my social life, I decided to rush the Alphas, the most exclusive sorority on campus. And that's when things started to get complicated.
One of the Alphas invoked the Alpha Bet, a super-secret set of alphabetical tasks that have to be completed for a sister's bid to become active. Now, completing the tasks of the Alpha Bet has taken over my life. And one of the tasks involves deceiving my roommate and only real friend, Jentry.

Can you spell B-E-T-R-A-Y-A-L?

Great week for me and my bookcase, what did you guys get?  Any recommendations for me???

Review: Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

Maggie Stiefvater is an author who is known for being fun and eccentric and this passion of hers comes out in her writing. When I picked up Shiver and read the book jacket, I was expecting a typical paranormal/fantasy young adult read. What I was not expecting to find was a love story to rival the likes of Bella and Edward (for the Twilight fans), or Elizabeth Bennett and Mr.Darcy (for the Austen fans like myself.) Grace and Sam have now been cemented in time as having a love story that is swoon worthy. Their relationship will make you jealous and envious, frustrated and worried, but above all else, readers will find themselves caught up in hoping against all hope that these two will get the happy ending everyone knows they deserve.

Stiefvater gives us not one narrator but two in Grace and Sam, and I have to tell you this may be one of my favorite things about the book. More often than not, we only see a story unfold from one character's perspective but Shiver leaves nothing out. We get alternating points of view, feelings from both characters, and because of this you will only find yourself loving these characters and their story all the more. Grace is a sweet and innocent girl who is a truly kind person that has had only herself to rely on despite having two parents under the same roof, but that's until Sam enters her life. And Sam, well Sam is that boy that every girl hopes to eventually find because to him, making Grace smile is his main task every day...that and of course fighting like hell to stay with her. What's not to love about these two? If you read Shiver and find something lacking let me know, because after reading it myself, to me, these two are the epitome of perfection.

This is one of those reviews where I don’t want to get into the plot too much because every tiny detail Stiefvater weaves has its own significance and deserves to be discovered in her way through the pages by each reader. I will say I did get my paranormal/fantasy fix with this read but not in the normal ways that most novels in these genres provide. There are spins on details like what controls the werewolves’ shifts, and how the transformation may not last forever. An expiration date is laid on these characters and their time together and as a reader I was constantly thinking about the unfairness of it all. Yet somehow these two maintained their own version of hope and kept mulling through it. They didn’t want a pity party; they were just moving forward with their lives and taking nothing for granted, most especially not each other. It was a lesson learner for me.

This is yet another novel that I’ve had on my TBR list for way too long and I wish I had gotten to it sooner, but there is a silver lining in my procrastination…Linger, the sequel to Shiver comes out soon. If I had to wait much longer I’m not sure I would be what you could call a “happy camper”. I’ve heard from so many readers and fellow bloggers that this is a novel that has made it into their top “10” lists of all time favorite books they’ve read. They continuously piqued my curiosity and after reading the novel for myself I now understand. There’s just something different about Shiver. It has that “it” factor that not many novels do. It’s that extra something that makes a novel not just good, but great! Go out and get this book if you haven’t read it yet, you won’t regret it. I can’t wait for Linger to hit the store shelves.

I gave Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) 4 shamrocks!