Book:                Hold Me Closer Necromancer

Author:              Lish McBride

Publisher:         Henry Holt & Co.

ISBN/ASIN:       9780805090983

Release Date:    Out Now!!!

Rating:                4.0 Stars

Check out Lish McBride’s page here. 

Hold Me Closer Necromancer, the stunning and hilarious debut by Lish McBride reads like a junior-set Christopher Moore, with evil angel Chuck Palhniuk perched on McBride’s shoulder whispering twisted sweet nothings in her ear.  

McBride’s engaging paranormal black comedy about Sammy Lacroix (ahem, Samhain!) a counter jockey college dropout with an unlikely talent has enough geek cachet to get a mention on Attack of the Show—it’s that good. But don’t expect Godzilla to clamber out of the pages just yet…just ghosts, zombies, witches, and a whole lotta shapeshifters are in HMCN. McBride’s piece is strictly paranormal with a twist…and its gut-bustlingly funny. 

After flaming out from U Dub, Sammy hasn’t a clue what he is, or what he wants from life. He can barely get through the day at his McJob without a bit of inflammatory havoc here and there. When a benign game of potato hockey with his fellow minimum wage colleagues goes south, and he loses his precious gris-gris bag, the inexplicable shielding that has protected him his entire life goes with it. All of sudden, Sam is exposed, to himself for the first time, visible to the wrong sort of Seattle-ites, and from there the proverbial poop hits the fan.

Someone very powerful has been experimenting on the shapeshifter population of Seattle. Someone who thrives on power, who doesn’t want competition from another necromancer and is willing to gobble up their power…one way or another.  Sammy has to get to the bottom of his personal history in order to fight this new threat and get on his destined path. How the heck did he end up being a powerful necromancer? And who the heck magically bound him from finding out? Throw in a beautiful alpha-to-be were chick, some shapeshifter shenanigans and you have a delicious story that will have you ROFL, as well as piquing your interest for MORE.

HMCN is a one-stop read, I would be very surprised if you put it down for any length of time, it has a super-compulsion-read-spell embedded in it. If you like A. Lee Martinez, Chuck the All-Powerful, Mike Mignola, or even Lisi Harrison, you will love Hold Me Closer Necromancer. It’s both scary and adorabalicious. It has everything: action, laughs, sexy scenes, mystery, intrigue, blood, guts, zombies, growls, fur, claws, and a wicked, wicked sense of humor.  I loved it, laughed my butt off it, stayed up all night reading it. 

A Fiendishly Bookish Review and One Grumpy Cat 

Book:                 Bloodthirsty

Author:              Flynn Meaney

Publisher:          Poppy/Hachette

ISBN/ASIN:         9780316102216

Release Date:    October 5, 2010

Rating:   3.5 Stars

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | Border’s | Powell’s | Indiebound |

Find out more about Bloodthirsty and Flynn Meaney

Bloodthirsty is a hilariously funny book of one pale dude’s journey through the ups and downs of high school, and Flynn Meaney has spared not one agonizing scene. One, or all of us, has experienced at least one of the excruciating issues that Meaney depicts. And that is what makes Bloodthirsty so hysterically funny. It’s honest, and believable.

With a neurotic and germaphobe mom, an equally strange dad, and a brother whose popularity surpasses his own, is it any wonder that Finbar Frame is well…very much a wallflower? Despite his incredible spooky eyes, Finn has enjoyed none of the popularity his jock brother has experienced, hasn’t had his first kiss, and virtually has no friends. In fact, Finn is very much the opposite of his brother.

Until the Frame family moves from Podunk, Indiana to New York and then the metamorphosis begins…

Riding the wave of popularity of a recent vampire novel, Finn realizes he has all the characteristics of the most popular vampire heart-throbs. And he even has a built-in allergy to sun. Deciding that this could work for him, dropping a few hints here and there, soon those in the “know” at Pelham Public think Finn is a vampire. And he works it.

But the realization that his brother Luke might not be as perfect as he appears to be, throws Finn for a loop. Luke’s grades begin to drop and his moodiness soars to new heights. It seems for the unlikely twins, that when one is up, the other is down. When Finn’s popularity soars at Pelham complete with vampire groupies, Finn reflects that popularity might not be all that its chalked up to be. Especially when Kate Gallatin swoops in and seems to like Finn…just as he is.

Bloodthirsty is a humorous mix of Bridget Jones meets Twilight, and reminds one of a teen version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid as well. You can’t but help root for Finn. If you are into lighthearted fare, with a plenty of chuckles then Bloodthirsty is your bag, baby!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat!)

Book:                 Virals

Author:               Kathy Reichs

Publisher:           Razorbill

ISBN/ASIN:       9781595143426 (arc)

Release Date:    November 2, 2010

Rating:   4 Stars

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | Borders | Powell’s | Indiebound |

Find out about Kathy Reichs and the new Virals trilogy.

Kathy Reichs has pulled three cherries to a jackpot with Virals-her debut young adult adventure tale about an intrepid teen that stumbles upon a cold case murder in her backwater turf.

Tory Brennan, niece of Bones fame Temperance Brennan is not happily enjoying her new home. Not really. Her father Kit is fumbling at fatherhood, and his girlfriend Whitney is trying to turn tomboy Tory into a debutante.

Largely Isolated at a research-oriented facility on Morris Island, Tory has had to make due with the teens of other scientists stationed at the Loggerhead Island Research Institute or LIRI. But she’s become close to her rag tag entourage. Hi, Ben, Shelton and Tory even have their own Civil War bunker which doubles as their honeycomb hideout. Everyday they are boated into exclusive Bolton Prep in Charleston, where they have to endure being referred to as the “boat people”. That is something she could almost deal with if she didn’t have an impossible crush on Chance Claybourne.

Teenage angst aside, that is not what’s singular about Virals…Reichs has thrown the whole kitchen sink into this affair and it works: a cotillion, human remains, murder, assassins, super powers like telepathy and acute senses, a wolf/dog hybrid, a viral contagion let loose, mobsters working for a senator, secret pharmaceutical experimentation-Virals has it all.

Reichs has demonstrated that she has not succumbed to the quick sand trap of dumbing down YA novels…a mis-step that has foiled other debut authors before. Virals is smart with sassy Tory Brennan manning the helm. It feels more like a YA intrigue with Reichs, Michael Crichton-esque techno smarts and an action packed Clive Cussler feel to it with a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. It is completely out of the box fix and a welcome change.

With Reichs just hinting at the DNA shifting powers that the gang has gotten I expect that the next installment of the Virals series will be more action packed than ever. Something I am entirely looking forward to.

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat).

Book:                 Nightshade

Author:              Andrea Cremer

Publisher:         Philomel|Penguin

ISBN/ASIN:        9780399254826   

Release Date:    October 19, 2010

Rating:  5 Stars (FB’s Top 10 of 2010)

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | Borders | Powell’s | Indiebound | 

Find out more about Andrea Cremer here. 

Discover the world of the Nightshade, Bane and Haldis wolf packs.

Calla Tor is wicked sharp, and doubly dangerous. An Alpha. A Leader. Wolf of the Nightshade Pack. And she rarely gives quarter.  Soon to be mated to Renier Laroche of the Bane pack, Calla will do as she’s told. She’ll obey and submit to the mating because she has been groomed for the position her entire life.

She has to. Because there has never been such a critical time for the Keepers and the Guardians in their small Colorado mountain community. Fighting off the Searchers for centuries, both must guard and keep secret the sacred sites. Especially Haldis Cavern.

But when Shay Doran stumbles into her life, Calla finds she’s breaking all the rules. One after another. First to save his life, and secondly, when he’s hot on the trail of something big. Something that affects the hierarchy of the Keepers and the Guardians. Something very, very, forbidden.

She would never question the natural order of things-would she? But what if the packs’ history was all-wrong? What if they were lied to? What if, somewhere in their distant past, the packs fought back against the tyranny of the Keepers? What then? 

Nightshade is intoxicatingly, and mind-blistering good with feverish interludes that whets your chops for more. Andrea Cremer’s tale rides the high wire between an adult paranormal/urban fantasy fix and a YA paranormal treat. And it has all the sexy elements of both: a wickedly saucy mating dance between Ren and Calla. And Shay and Calla-the proverbial love triangle fraught with danger, and a swathe of enemies hot on their heels. 

Cremer writes provocatively but with a cautious step in her quest for realism, barely hinting at a few suggestive themes…especially that of Sabine and Efron, and Logan, Neville and Mason-which might make a few readers twitch.   

Nightshade was smart. Very smart. And very very silky. With a plot like this, and such captivating characters, chock full of wolf politics and action, its no wonder I blew through it in one night. And it bounced itself right into the Fiendishly Bookish Top Ten of 2010. The only con is knowing I will have to wait nearly a whole flippin’ year to find out what happens next (pouting). Cannot wait! 

Reviews from the book blogosphere: 

See what YA Addict has to say about Nightshade

See what My Overstuffed Bookshelf has to say about Nightshade

 A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Book:                Delcroix Academy: The Candidates

Author:              Inara Scott

Publisher:          Hyperion|Disney

ISBN/ASIN:        9781423116363 (proof)

Release Date:   August 24, 2010

Rating:    3.5 Stars

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound | Powell’s |

Check out Inara’s page and find out more about The Candidates.

Read up on Inara at Authors Now.

What exactly does Dancia Lewis have? Well other than a startling white girl ‘fro, blue eyes and a mediocre wardrobe. Not much.  Dancia has perfected the art of being nondescript. Her two-step jitterbug of misinformation to “not” know someone and her introvertedness pretty much assures that she won’t be noticed. And that’s the way she wants it.

Because when Dancia ends up caring for someone, has friends, or anything remotely resembling a normal life, then things just happen. Weird things-things that she cannot control. Like a power within her that she cannot control if anyone she cares about is threatened. Like that man who threatened her grandmother and who is now in a coma, or that car she spun out of control, or the branch that “accidentally” fell on that guy.

Dancia has learned to tamp down her power. But someone has noticed. When two recruiters from Delcroix Academy come knocking at her door, Dancia and her grandmother don’t know what to expect. But Delacroix does, and they want Dancia-badly in their academy and in their program. Because Dancia is a Level 3 Talent, and Delcroix has been watching her for some time now. Watching her and Jack Landry, another candidate. And he is just as talented as she is. Who will use their talents for good and who will use them for evil?

Inara Scott has written a juicy YA paranormal that hooked me right away. I read it in one sitting. It’s well written and the pace is steady and sure. Scott takes the time to develop Dancia and her relationships with Cam and Jack. In fact, that is the draw to the story. Who is better one for her? The one who is the Watcher? Or the one who frees up her Talent? Unfortunately Dancia is drawn to both of them.

The only hiccup that I care to mention is the big reveal, which ultimately gets drawn out to the end, and is somewhat lackluster. I understand the need for placing the climax near the end, because it sets up the reader for the expected cliff-hanger. After all, there is a sequel in play. Scott is currently writing Delcroix Academy 2 |The Watchers. (and yes I will read that as well)

There is so much latitude with this story that Scott could have developed further. She could have really propped up the backstory of the Governing Council or had the opportunity for some real action scenes involving the Watchers. She definitely sets up what could be potential conflict in #2 with Dancia’s and Jack’s powers. Will they go head to head in the future? Maybe. How will their feelings conflict as well? There is a lot hanging at the end of Delcroix Academy besides your nimble fingers clutching that cliff. Is Delcroix Academy best characterized by sweet love or intrigue? For this particular effort it cannot be both.

I could easily see this series on the telly, it definitely has that Hex feel to it.  You’ll be drawn into Dancia’s world-spun along a tale that has an even greater promise of a flourishing series. I look forward to seeing where Scott takes the characters next.

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Book:                 Crave

Author:               Burns & Metz

Publisher:          Simon & Schuster

ISBN/ASIN:        9781442410312 (galley)

Release Date:   Sept 21, 2010

Rating:              3 Stars

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | Borders | IndieBound | Powell’s

Visit Metz & Burns’ Simon and Schuster Page

Shay isn’t an ordinary girl and her illness, a rare blood disorder, has largely identified who she is and what her capabilities have been. She is the “Sick Girl”, the one who gets a free pass in school. The one everyone feels sorry for. The one with a ticking clock, living on borrowed time.

 That is until Shay’s stepfather tries something new. The blood her doctor stepfather has transfused her with is richer and more life sustaining than ever before and she is finally able to live a normal life-even if it is in short bursts. Shay revels in her newfound energy.

But what about the visions she continues to get while she is being transfused? These visions haunt her about Gabriel. Who is he? Is he a vampire? Do such things even exist? With each consecutive treatment, Shay peers into his past-of he and his family being hunted like prey and forced to hide. Shay is drawn to this enigmatic creature. She is drawn to his tortured soul. Is he a figment of her imagination?

With each red drop Shay is beginning to crave the blood even more. Where is the blood coming from? What is her stepfather putting in it?  With each new transfusion she ends up needing more and more until she is completely dependant on it. This insatiable craving will lead her to hunt down its source and when she finds it, nothing will ever be the same again.

Crave doesn’t gain its momentum until midway through the book-the first part devoted to Shay’s school life and the effect of her new treatments. But there is a gaping shallowness to it, a slightly anemic “vampire-lite” feel to it. It lacks in an essential vitalness, and emotional depth that does not come later.

When Crave finally picks up, it is because its inevitable action has finally occurred. Rescuing Gabriel from his forced captivity as her blood source, Shay has broken away from her family, and is on the run. But is she Gabriel’s prisoner or his ally? This allegiance switches back and forth, as Shay and Gabriel come to feel something for one another. And a more desperate truth emerges-without Gabriel’s blood, Shay will die.

Crave is very likeable because of its slightly different take on the YA vampire genre. It strongly reminds one of The Society of S. Mid-way to the ending, where it was chock-full of action, and teeming with emotional conflict between Shay and Gabriel and there is definitely the promise of more. Crave will leave you on a cliff-hanger, desperate for an outcome that you will have to patiently wait for.

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Book:

Author:        Peter Moore

Publisher:   Hyperion Books

ISBN:          9781423116653 (arc)

Rating:        4 Stars

Release Date:2/15/2011 & Nov 2010

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | Borders | Indiebound |

Find out more about the book here 

Red Moon Rising is a strong contender for one of the most realistic teen wolf books I’ve read, more reminiscent of the sci-fi/horror section than the young adult. So where to place it? That’s up to Hyperion. Peter Moore renounces the typical soft werewolf lore in favor of something more authentic. His story is less angst, less “girly”, less Twilight (and Shiver for that matter). Instead, it has more substance and is chock full of real world issues than any other. Can it reel in the girl demographic?-that remains to be seen.

At Carpathia Night, Dante Gray has no idea that his world and his high school life are going to get just a bit more difficult. The product of a wulf father and a vamp mother, Dante has mostly favored his mother’s genes. Mostly. After a few genetic treatments to suppress his wulven side, Danny lives his life with his family mostly as a vampire. He sleeps in a Sol-Blok, hangs with a vamp crowd at school, drinks SynHeme and tries to monitor his daily globin levels when he can.  He thought he would in the clear until he starts to exhibit some strange effects.

Red Moon Rising is the story of a boy who is at the mercy of fifty percent of his wulf genes and now must potentially embrace a society that is wholly ostracized against. In Moore’s world, Wulves and vamps are two disparate sects of society, and the parallel between real world segregation becomes hauntingly and uncomfortably clear.

Wulves are thought to be lesser in both intellect, and civility, worthy of only the most menial of tasks. Vampires on the other hand are at the highest echelon of society, even above that of humans. Every month wolves are forced into containment, into wolf “compounds” where they are at the mercy of their animal side. Some walk in, others don’t walk out.

As he experiences all the pre-moon phase jitters, it becomes apparent that Moore has no intention of fluffing the story up. Werewulf change is painful, harrowing, and mind bending. But even as Danny succumbs, his awkward genetic makeup spins him into an anomaly that defies classification. With werewolf issues at a critical point in his society, does he have the ability to bridge the gap?

Moore’s voice is one of seriousness that even the most light-hearted banter cannot even alleviate. This tale will wildly appeal to the male crowd who understands the chest pounding and (grrrr) rites of passage present within its pages.

If Hyperion expects crossover to the girly-girl crowd then Red Moon Rising will have to be significantly diluted down into more frothy fare. Less bone, blood, and fur. Lighten up on Gunther, and cut Huey and his activist cause as well as the requisite visuals of wulves being hunted down indiscriminately by the police and the LPCB.

On the other hand, if you believe in the book just the way it is then let it be. I enjoyed Peter Moore’s vision. Red Moon Rising is indeed, all sharp edges, but it’s a fierce read. I could not put it down. Danny is in perpetual motion throughout the book fighting off hurdles one by one. It’s page-flippingly addictive, action-packed and steaming with obstacles coming from every direction.

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Book:                  Monster High

Author:               Lisi Harrison

Publisher:          Poppy/Little Brown & Co.

ISBN/ASIN:      9780316098533 (arc)

Rating:              3.5 Stars

Release Date:  Sept 1, 2010

Buy: | Amazon | B&N | Borders | Powell’s | Books a Million |

Check out Lisi’s le fabulous page ici

Get your excerpt on here…

In a perfect world…in Frankie Stein’s world, it’s little more than wishful thinking that monsters and normies get along. Barely fifteen days old, and birthed in her father’s lab (aka Fab) with the Glitterati (her pet white mice) looking out for her wardrobe selections, Frankie could be just like any teen. With the exception of the bolts in her neck, her minty green complexion, and the seams that are holding her appendages together that could rival Sally’s in Nightmare Before Christmas.

See..the thing about Frankie is that she’s totally fine with the way that she looks. She doesn’t want to go in hiding like her parents…and the other RAD’s that are terrified of a witch-hunt against their kind. 

Even at Merston High, Frankie believes in who she is, likes who she is, and hiding her green skin under mounds of makeup is simply not in her bag of tricks. But she’s forced to do so. The most liberating thing for her is to meet other monster kids in hiding like: Claudine (Clawdeen), Draculaura, Lagoona Blue, Deuce, D.J./Jackson Hyde, and Cleo. 

And when the opportunity presents itself to conduct their own “unveiling” at the September Semi whose theme is aptly entitled “Monster Mash’, the poop really hits the fan. Are they willing to jeopardize the entire monster community in Salem, Oregon simply because they believe in outing themselves? 

Lisi Harrison has two stories intersecting in Monster High…that of normie, Melody Carver who is fresh off the boat from Beverly Hills, rhinoplasty intact, and the story of Frankie Stein, a monster who is just trying to adjust….well to being a monster in hiding. I would have been just fine with the story about Frankie’s adventures alone, and have Melody end up on the chopping room floor. I’m not quite sure how Melody serves a purpose other than a mirror for Frankie in some ways. Her role has little if no heft to the plot, and Frankie is clearly the superstar of Harrison’s tale.

Monster High is adorabalicious in many ways, pom-pom cute if in fact a bit disjointed, as well as hip and crafty and was fun to read. Frankie Stein is a genuine character that sings out. The entire time I was devouring it, I kept thinking of what would happen if Living Dead Dolls ever became subjected to going to high school. If so, then Merston High would be their school of choice!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Book:

Author:              Kelly Creagh

Publisher:         Atheneum/Simon & Schuster

ISBN/ASIN:      9781442410220

Rating:              5 Stars

Release Date:  August 31, 2010

Buy:   | Amazon | B&N | Borders | Powell’s | Indiebound |

Kelly Creagh’s Website

Check out her Author’s Now! Page

Simon & Schuster’s Website for Nevermore

Something otherworldly is haunting Varen Nethers-invading his dreams and consciousness. But is it real? When does the line between fantasy and reality blur? When does it become deadly? For the rest of the student body of Trenton High, Varen, is a mysterious pariah, a black clad bad boy-a green-eyed enigma. And as Trenton mainly keeps to its segregated cliques, mixing is strongly discouraged-from all parties.

But when cheerleader Isobel Lanley is paired with Varen on an English project, the two opposites find that there is nothing more combustible than their unlikely attraction to one another. But that becomes the least of their worries. Because Varen is in deep, dark trouble. As they become more involved with their English project on Edgar Allen Poe, his life, his words, and the stories of his creation become sinuously alive in the hands of Varen. Something oily and evil is spilling over from Poe’s world and it wants the power that Varen has…and it will not hesitate at a body count. Their connection for one another has to take a back seat to the unfurling of an evil that threatens to pull Varen in-for good. Can Isobel manage to save him? Can they get out when they are trapped between two realms?

Creagh takes her time building the story, carefully fleshing out Varen and Isobel’s roles, who they are and what each of them need from each other. In many ways the readers are just as much a part of this romance as Creagh’s two leads. It doesn’t happen instantly-it is more of a gentle unfolding. She allows the readers to get to know both characters intimately-their motivations, and their untapped potential. It is these hidden characteristics that surface and makes them so appealing-that smashes the stereotype. Isobel realizes there is more to her than cheerleading and her former vacuous lifestyle-even her friends seem so different, so alien to her just from her exposure to Varen. Likewise, Varen lets Isobel into his life-sharing painful bits of it with her.

Nevermore was tender, and engrossing, so richly textured and acutely rendered. Creagh managed such an innovative twist on Poe lore, and turned it into a creepy reality. What an incredible premise! The chemistry between Varen and Isobel is positively simmering and as necessary as breathing. I love that Creagh painted these two as so dissimilar. Through the journey of Nevermore, they manage to build something, and forget what clique they are from-what their differences may be. The high school settings where Varen and Isobel cross swords is uncannily and brutally familiar. Creagh totally “gets it”, the whole painful and traumatic high school experience and it becomes a vital part of this fantasy piece. There is one scene where Isobel confronts Varen that’s a guaranteed tearjerker for readers. So get ready and grab the Kleenex girls! Many elements have managed to be woven together and it works to bring this beautiful story to the forefront-an unforgettable and graceful story. When you reach the end, just remember its not the end. Remember that “Nevermore” is a trilogy…so we will definitely be seeing more of Varen and Isobel!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)

Book:

Author:             Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher:        Scholastic

ISBN/ASIN:       9780545123280

Rating:   5 Stars

Release Date:  July 20, 2010

Buy:   | Amazon | Borders | B&N | Powell’s | Indiebound

Find out more about the Wolves of Mercy Falls series HERE as well as listen to Maggie Stiefvater read from Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 of Linger as well as check out her blog!

The race against winter came and went-the penetrating cold seeped into our veins with every page turned. Slowly, but surely, the leaden snow blanketed and crystallized every surface…the forest, the tangled branches of Boundary Wood, and the aching ground. Our hearts were torn apart with every drop in temperature and gave up the ghost to the heart of frost when the last leaf fell.

Shiver was all of these things-a continual bated breath as Maggie Stiefvater flung us to the edge over and over again while we watched the mercury drop-a bittersweet love story held capture by the seasons: Grace perpetually human with a few wolfish traits and Sam, her vigilant protector, destined to watch from afar, imprisoned in a form he could never fully be released from.

This enduring connection between Sam and Grace was tender, steeped in the internal turmoil of a world they enveloped us in. And Stiefvater left a few unresolved issues at the end of Shiver, Sam’s anger at Beck for his recruitment of new wolves to the pack, the morphing of Olive into a wolf, how would the authorities handle her disappearance? Would there be any lingering issues with the meningitis “wolf” cure? Would others be compelled to try it?

This time, in Linger, Maggie Stiefvater's shining sequel, brings us further into the psychology of the motives about Mercy Falls very own pack, on an intimate and individual level. The newest recruits, especially that of Cole St. Clair has highlighted the desperate angst each wolf has gone through-at one time or another.  Cole, who plummeted down the rabbit hole after a trail of drugs and booze as the lead singer in Narkotika will do anything to escape the pain he feels in everyday life. Even if that means to lose himself into the oblivion of being a wolf-forever. What will happen when this famous loser gets found by the paparazzi and exposes the pack?

And in the middle of this gorgeous hot mess, Stiefvater has dropped a few cluster bombs on our fairytale couple-Grace, whose road has never been easy, is ill. As in life threatening. And in this eerie role reversal of a sequel, Grace must face this new threat on borrowed time and brutal conflict-her notoriously absentee parents have decided to separate Sam from their daughter-at any cost. With Grace declining quickly, Tom Culpeper hell-bent on shooting anything with four legs, and Sam thrust into a guardian role over the wolves, there is an overwhelming sense of impotence in the air-an intended lack of real action on the part of the characters that fuels the reader into a frenzy. What will happen? What can only end up happening at the end of Linger?

Linger was amazingly brilliant-tumultuous, brave, and as full of sorrow as it is full of joy and hope. Stiefvater’s wolves are painfully real, born in heartache and destined to live their lives trapped within animal form, their human counterparts forgotten and withered. But within that hopeless conundrum, Stiefvater has managed to embody hope-manifested in the love of Grace and Sam. No matter what fate has in store for them, the connection that these two share will circumvent any boundaries placed before them. Or whatever shape they might take. Forever (out 2011) Stiefvater’s final installment to the Wolves of Mercy Falls will most likely be packed with an explosive and teary ending. Positively cannot wait!

A Fiendishly Bookish Review (and one grumpy cat)