Linger

Stiefvater, Maggie. Linger. 2010. 360p. ISBN 0545123283. Book 1 of the Mercy Falls Trilogy. FIC STI on the library shelves and as an eBook on Overdrive.

Grace and Sam fell in love in Shiver, but the fight to remain together is on. Sam was cured of his werewolfness, and he is hoping to help the rest of the wolf pack, knowing that Grace herself is infected. But Beck’s introduction of three new werewolves has caused distress and distraught in the pack. One of these newly created wolves is Cole St. Clair, lead singer of Narcotika, a famous music group, and Isabelle, in her grief over the loss of her brother Jack, falls for him.

Meanwhile, as Grace falls further into the sickness that will eventually transform him, Sam is removed from her by her parents. She ignores their wishes and still sees him, however, even when she is transported to the hospital. Sam realizes that Grace will not switch but is instead dying, and he decides that the only thing that can help her survive is to effectuate the turn.

Isabelle and Cole’s relationship continues its rollercoaster. She discovers him trying to trigger the change into a wolf by playing with needles and chemicals. Using this knowledge, Sam injects Grace with his blood, and she immediately shifts into a wolf and escapes the hospital, leaving a bereft Sam alone behind, in a reversal of their situations in Shiver. The lovers are once again apart, but Sam pledges to find a cure and then, to find Grace. The story concludes in Forever.