Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Published Date: July 13th 2010

Pages: 360, Paperback

Age Group: Young Adult 

Publisher: Scholastic Press

My Rating: 4.9/5

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, inLinger, 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.

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.

I read this in just a few days, and Maggie Stiefvater continues to amaze me with her poetic writing. This book adds another character into the beautiful narrative, and he is Cole. One of the main things I look for in a book is characterization, and Maggie nailed it with Linger! There were so many external and internal conflicts between these characters. Sam and Grace deals with the continuation of their relationship, especially under her parents' watchful eyes. Sam struggles with his identity and the responsibility of being Beck's substitute. Isabel continues to be the sassy, bossy and broken girl. And Cole, well, you'll just have to figure out this damaged and beautiful boy for yourselves. He was such a great addition to mix with Isabel's character. With the tender tones of Grace and Sam's perspectives in the book, it was somehow refreshing to get into Isabel and Cole's interactions which are more humorous and heartbreaking at the same time. (I hope that made sense :P)

Maggie added more scientific aspects in the book to explain how the human-to-wolf transitions work, and to me, that was really beneficial to the story. With the addition of Cole in the book, it helped me understand why some enjoy being a wolf and why some simply doesn't. I could understand that certain joy some people are seeking to live a better life, to start all over when their previous life just wasn't worth living any more. 

I loved the pure dedication that Maggie has put into Linger. The lyrics Sam writes in his head, the songs, the description of Mercy Falls, and many more. One fun thing I'd like to point out is that Sam loves the Austrian poet, Rainer Maria Rilke. And in amazing coincidence, I love him too! I loved how she is able to fit excerpts of his poems into Sam's narrative. Talking about narratives, I loved the way the story is structured. I sympathized with the characters, it felt like I really knew them. These characters are flawed, but the way Maggie handled the story makes them beautifully flawed to me, and that also brings an amount of believability. 

This book taught me that sometimes it's okay not to be okay, it's okay to be vulnerable. But we should always remind ourselves, it makes us even stronger. I'm currently reading the last book, Forever. And I'm just so excited to see what unfolds, I can't wait to see how these characters develop. They are truly making their way into my heart. 

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Published Date: August 31st, 2010

Pages: 479

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Walker Books

My Rating: 5/5

Where to buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Summary from GoodReads.com

I just finished reading this a few days ago and I was completely blown away! 3 days of reading, and it was pure adventure. This is a prequel (The Infernal Devices) to the Mortal Instruments series (which I loved by the way!) and it is set in London, during the Victorian period of England. So, from Clockwork Angel, I was so delighted to indulge myself into the history and what lies behind the Shadow World, the lives of Shadowhunters and how they interact with other groups like the Downworlders and all that.

Everything about this book is so engaging. Cassandra Clare's writing captured me from the very start and I was amazed at how she could do that without being too overbearing with the words in the book. The beginning of the story was a little bit slow for me, especially with Tessa's time in the Dark Sister's captivity. But! I trusted in Cassandra and as the story goes on, I was not disappointed! One of my most favorite things about her books is how well she could create her characters so that we could get in touch with their feelings, and know them. I was able to understand why the characters are how they are. They were so real that they remind me of people in my life! The characters made me laugh, smile, frustrated (in a good way! if that makes sense, haha) and in the end, they were memorable. So characterization was purely excellent!

And goodness me! There was so much action in this book that I couldn't put the book down cause I was afraid of missing some kind of spectacular event. Before I knew it, I was done reading. I could gush more about this book, so I have to stop now. Great book, another masterpiece by Cassandra Clare and now that I have the history, I can't wait to know more in the upcoming book of the Mortal Instruments series, City of Fallen Angels!