Showing posts with label Maggie Stiefvater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maggie Stiefvater. Show all posts

Friday, August 13, 2010

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!!!



Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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!


Teaser Tuesday (4)

It's that time again....

“Teaser Tuesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Mizb of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can do it, here’s how:

  1. Grab your current read
  2. Open to a random page 
  3. Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page .
  4. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.
  • Be careful not to include SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away, you don't want to ruin the book for others.)

I decided to share ANOTHER teaser from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater to go along with the review I'll post later today.  The book was just so good that one teaser wasn't enough.

"I closed my eyes and just listened to the thud of his heart until mine matched pace with his.  Finally, he rested his cheek on the top of my head and whispered, 'We don't have time to be sad.'"

Sounds good doesn't it?  Admit it....you're already wanting to start reading this...and you haven't even read my review yet!



Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Teaser Tuesday & More (3)

Yes it's that time again...

“Teaser Tuesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Mizb of Should Be Reading.  Anyone can do it, here’s how:

  1. Grab your current read
  2. Open to a random page
  3. Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
  4. Share the title and the author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.
  • Be careful not to include SPOILERS!  (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away, you don't want to ruin the book for others.)

This week my teaser comes from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater


"For once in my life, I was here and nowhere else.  

And then I opened my eyes and it was just Grace and me - nothing anywhere but Grace and me - she pressing her lips together as though she were keeping my kiss inside her, and me, holding this moment that was as fragile as a bird in my hands."


I'm not even half way through the book and this quote alone makes me want to keep reading to see what happens next.


In other news I recently joined...Hop Around the Blogs!

This is hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy-for-Books and it's just a fabulous idea that I couldn't resist participating in.  In case you are a fellow blogger or just want to check out other fabulous blogs, here are the details from Jennifer's blog.

This is a weekly event, hosted here, where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It's a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

So hop on over and check out some other blogs, I've already found a good number that I've started following that I'm not sure I would have found otherwise, and I've been told a few people have found me this way and began following me as well, so thanks for that!  Eventually I'm hoping to get my number of followers up so that I can start hosting some great book giveaways...but if that doesn't happen, I'll host them all the same :)

Happy Reading as always!



Friday, April 2, 2010

In My Mailbox (2)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. Every week we’ll post about what books we have received (whether they’re bought/borrowed, etc… you get the idea). This is generally done on Sunday, but I’m told that it’s really whatever day works for you; I’m going to be posting mine on Fridays because I tend to post less on the weekends. Everyone participating will try and visit other lists to comment and possibly pine for the new arrivals everyone’s talking about. 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.

Happy Reading!

This week I’ve added the following to my collection:

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.

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles, #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox has just awoken from a year-long coma—so she’s been told—and she is still recovering from the terrible accident that caused it. But what happened before that? She’s been given home movies chronicling her entire life, which spark memories to surface. But are the memories really hers? And why won’t anyone in her family talk about the accident? Jenna is becoming more curious. But she is also afraid of what she might find out if she ever gets up the courage to ask her questions. What happened to Jenna Fox? And who is she really?

Numbers (Numbers, #1) by Rachel Ward

Whenever Jem meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die.

Burdened with such an awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. But while they’re waiting to ride the Eye Ferris
wheel, Jem notices that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

And finally a big thank you to Ace over at BookMooch for letting me mooch this book.

Tantalize (Tantalize, #1) by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses — or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Who’s playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smith’s delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

So that's what I got in my mailbox this week, I can't wait to start reading. What did you get in yours?

Happy Reading!


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