Linger

June 14, 2010
This sequel to Shiver is a bridge book through and through, designed to push the story forward, presumably to the third and final installment of Stiefvater’s bestselling series about werewolves. But whereas Shiver was tight as a drum in its focus on the intense, star-crossed romance between werewolf Sam and Grace, the ordinary girl who loves him, this book meanders. Again Stiefvater switches points of view, but between four characters now: Sam and Grace, still in love and still facing threats to said love; Isabel, who recently lost a brother to the wolves; and Cole, newly a werewolf. Sometimes these switches occur multiple times within the same chapter, which can make for confusing reading with respect to who is doing or thinking what. Stiefvater expands the story to include complications with Grace’s health and her parents, Sam’s reluctance to care for new werewolves, and Isabel’s growing connection to Cole even as he desperately seeks escape from his old life. While this book does not stand on its own, it sets the stage for an explosive third installment. Ages 13–18.

June 15, 2010

The soulful romance begun in Shiver (2009) continues in this equally elegant story as Grace discovers an inexplicably dead werewolf and develops a fever that leaves her yearning to turn into a wolf, and Sam questions the effectiveness of the cure and struggles to take over Beck's authoritative role within the pack. Stiefvater adds two new voices to their alternating points of view: Isabel, Grace's popular friend, who lost her werewolf brother in the first novel, and Cole, Beck's latest werewolf recruit. She also adds back story on both Sam's violent childhood and time with the pack and Cole's decision, after becoming a famous musician at 16, strung out on drugs and hurting the only people who cared for him, to voluntarily become a werewolf. While Grace's parents finally intervene in her life, forcing her and Sam apart, Isabel and Cole explore their attraction to each another. This sequel's poetic prose skillfully captures the four teens' longings for love, forgetting, remembering, righting wrongs and life itself. The riveting ending will leave readers panting for the next sequel. (Paranormal romance. YA)

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August 1, 2010

Gr 9 Up-The wolves of Mercy Falls return in this sequel to Shiver (Scholastic, 2009), and familiar characters mingle with more recent recruits into the Minnesota werewolf pack. Sam, now cured of his werewolf affliction, is adjusting to year-round life as a human. His girlfriend, Grace, suffers from headaches and other symptoms that may be related to a childhood wolf bite. When her parents discover Sam sleeping in her bed, they ground her and threaten to keep the two apart permanently. Tremendous angst and declarations that parents just don't understand ensue. Meanwhile Isabel, whose brother did not survive the meningitis cure that saved Sam, feels a strong connection with Cole St. Clair, one of the newest members of the pack. In his old life, Cole was the lead singer of a rock band. This volatile bad boy is a welcome foil to Sam, who is sulky this time around. The addition of Isabel and Cole as narrators dilutes the intensity of Grace and Sam's relationship, and the spark between Isabel and Cole remains underdeveloped. The tantalizing possibility of Cole's true identity being exposed also deserves more exploration. The cliff-hanger ending suggests that the author will cover this territory in a future installment. Still, Stiefvater's slow-perk style of crafting suspense builds to a satisfying boil in the final pages. This novel works better as a sequel than as a stand-alone read, but it's still highly recommended for fans of Shiver and the blockbuster supernatural romance genre.-Amy Pickett, Ridley High School, Folsom, PA

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2010
Grades 8-11 Sam, who spent most of his life as a werewolf, has undergone an unlikely cure and no longer transitions between fur and skin as the temperature changes from cold to hot. This should be a happy time for Sam and true-love Grace, but just as he begins to trust his new human life, Grace feels her humanity slipping away. Sams focus is split between worry for Grace and his role as caretaker of the werewolf pack, which for the first time in years includes new members. Stiefvater continues what she started in Shiver (2009), and readers will definitely want to read it before diving into this equally appealing sequel. As in the opener, this storys tension stems from watching sympathetic characters cope with what appears to be a hopeless situation. Although this was resolved to a point by the first books ending, this follow-up flips that resolution on its head and sets up a situation that leaves readers hanging in anticipation for the next installment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)