Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2)

I read Shiver back in high school, and over a decade later I figured I’d finally see what book two was about, mostly because I’m deep in my Isaac Lahey/Teen Wolf brain rot. And honestly, you can tell the author had a three-book deal, did someone say, FILLER.

In another 10 years I might get to the third book and finish this series.

Linger was much better than Shiver. While I found myself cringing through some of the cheesy teen drama in Shiver, Linger was blissfully cringe free. The characters and plot were much more interesting with the addition of new characters who strengthened the story instead of feeling like filler.

I seem to not have really liked a book for a while now. Most of my reviews have been....two and half to three stars only.

So what sets this book apart? It's like a quiet friend who comes into the room and leaves a lasting impression upon you and you feel thankful for their presence.

In this book, Grace and Sam are now in love and together. Isabel used Sam's illness (which cured him) and injected it into her brother, Jake. Unfortately, he dies. Isabel is saddened by this and feels a great deal of anger and guilt. She and Grace are now friends...or as much of a friend Isabel can muster up to be.

Beck is now perm. a wolf. Before he becomes forever wolf, he gives this gift to Cole...a rock star trying to lose himself. Cole is a self centered, destructive, self-loathing, cocky, genius. He's so so selfish, he has his best friend, Victor become infected wiht him. Cole meets Sam. Right away, they don't really like each other. They represent everything the other doesn't care for in themselves.

Grace is now getting worse with her fever. They realize, she, the girl who was bitten couldn't shift into the wolf she was meant to be. Hence, she is dying. You go on this journey where she isn't whining or crying at every scene. Instead, she's still the strong one who loves Sam unconditionally, as he does to her. Cole watches their relationship and realizes, that's not what he and Isabel have or ever will have. It is through his genius that he figures out how to help Grace. Yup, he has to reinfect her.

Grace's parents now hate Sam because he's more there for Grace than they are. Even at death. They catch Sam in her bedroom and demands he leave. As the book concluded, they are stuck with Sam and he claims Grace jumped out and left (which is true but she's gone as a wolf). Cole will try to guide Grace to the wolf into the woods.

Now Sam is the one watching and waiting for Grace to come out of the woods and hopefully back into his arms. As each year she shifts, he hopes and prays as he folds his 1,000 cranes, he finds a real cure and not the palor trick he used to cure not only her, but all the wolves as well.

Really touches me how committed they are to each other.