Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)

Forever
Maggie Stiefvater
July 2011
Reading Level: YA

Summary:

In Stiefvater's "Shiver," Grace and Sam found each other. In "Linger," they fought to be together. Now, in "Forever," the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Review:

The Wolves of Mercy Falls books are some that just get better and better. The first one was good, the second one left me dying for more, and this final installment is an incredibly satisfying conclusion.

Forever contained everything you would hope for to conclude this wonderful trilogy. The romance that readers have come to love is back full force, and it's wonderful to see Sam and Grace transcend even more boundaries that threaten to keep them apart. The individual character building of Cole and Isabel is once again prioritized with them as narrators, and it was fulfilling to see how their lives unfold and intertwine with each others.

Basically, this book has everything. Romance, teen angst (and I mean that in the best way possible; not the Twilight-y kind of angst), hopeless situations that have to be overcome somehow, and a whole lot of action. The writing was also incredible. Maggie Stiefvater has such a poetic way of writing, and I feel like it has grown and developed a lot since Shiver, and so this book was truly a pleasure to read and I definitely look forward to reading more from her.

You definitely will not want to miss this finale to the Shiver trilogy. You will not be disappointed.

Also in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy...

Linger

This sequel to the wonderful novel Shiver definitely did not disappoint.

My favorite part about Linger was that it answered most of the burning questions that we were left with at the end of Shiver. I had questions about the wolves and about Sam and Grace's relationship, and it answered those questions as well as introducing new conflicts and ideas.

I also really enjoyed the incorporation of new characters into the story. While it bothers me that there were two entirely new narrators, I was also pleased because I think that's how it should have been in the first place. There were a few places that I got confused with who was talking, but overall Maggie Stiefvater did a good job alternating points of view.

Like Shiver, Linger was a book that leaves the reader wanting more. I can't get enough of this series. I love the characters, all of which have such unique and interesting stories and ideas, and I love the writing. These books have a way of painting wonderful pictures in my head, and I can't wait to see what Stiefvater comes up with next.

I would definitely recommend these books to anybody who could go for a good love story, or even a good werewolf story.

Shiver

I finished Shiver late on Saturday night, and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

This book mixes romance and the supernatural with a not-so unique twist: two lovers who can never be with each other. It was almost too sweet how amazing Sam and Grace's relationship was. They were passionate and fun, and they had a connection that was almost unimaginable.

The supernatural part is that Sam is a werewolf, and Grace is not.

Shiver was filled with suspense, and events that keep the reader wanting more. It's a real page-turner, and despite my problem with a few implausible events, I couldn't help but keep reading. I had to know what happened, and the ending kept me wanting even more- immediately!

However, I did have a minor problem with this book: it seemed unrealistic. I know that any book that involves werewolves is unrealistic, but I felt like it just wasn't thought out enough. The idea that the werewolves change with the temperature is an interesting concept, but it seems too inconsistent throughout the book (although that is part of the mystery of the werewolves). I also had a huge problem with Grace's negligent parents- they seem like they are even more clueless than any parent ever could be.

Despite these slight flaws, I thought that this book was definitely worth my time. Between the adorable romance, the suspense, and the very descriptive language, Shiver is a book that makes readers fall in love, and if you're anything like me you will be dying to get your hands on Linger.