Review - Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: Final Book (Shiver, Linger)

Pages: 390

Published: July 12, 2011 by Scholastic

ISBN: 9780545259088

Source: Library

Description: In Maggie 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.

I Give This ...

  

I should have left this one alone.  For me, Shiver was good as a stand alone.  But, I read Linger and while I wasn't overly found of the 4 viewpoints, I liked it overall.  I didn't think this one would be such a huge let down.  I will try not to be to negative during this review, because a lot of people really liked it.

The storyline felt incredibly slow.   It seemed like a lot of the book was waiting for something to happen.  We waited for Grace to become human and then we waited for the hunt.  The story didn't seem to really pick up pace until the hunt was moved and then it was over.  

I liked Same and how he obsessed over Grace when she was gone.  And the torment he must have gone through when everyone thought he had something to do with her disappearance.  I liked Isobel and Cole's relationship.  Since we see so little of them actually together, their relationship seems particularly volatile and intense.  I wasn't overly found of Grace.  She seems really selfish.  The attitude that she has drove me a little crazy.  To think she can be missing for so long and waltz back in with no explanation and expect privileges was a little audacious of her.

Besides the incredibly slow pace, the book had two major drawbacks for me.  First one is completely personal.  The first time the hunt was mentioned in conjunction with Idaho, the wolves, and killing sheep, I really should have just put the book down.  Because in the end, it felt like an agenda to me, and one that I really didn't like.   And second, the ending was... well it wasn't all that great.   I felt like it answered nothing.  There was no closure.   

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

 


Title: Linger

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Published: July 20, 2010

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 368

ISBN: 9780545123280

Source: ARC from Around The World Tours

Description: In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, 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. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole. 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 Give This Book 3.5 Stars!

I think this book might have been better if it would have been more of a companion novel instead of an actual sequel.  With 4 narratives, the story seems almost mundane at times.  Grace and Sam's story feels like it's just going through the motions.  I wonder if  the author included them because she was afraid her fans would be uupset if she left them out.  I actually preferred the story when it was told from Isabel and Cole's points of view.  I think it would have be just fine with just those two.  We still would have got some of the story of Sam and Grace, but I think it would have felt more intense from an outside point of view.  In fact, I was really annoyed with Grace at times.  I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the attitude teenagers get with their parents in today's fiction.  I wonder if it sets a bad example...

The book still has that wonderful poetic flow.  It's easy to get caught up the story even if you're not enjoying it as much as you would like.  I don't think fans of Shiver will be disappointed!

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1

Published: August 2009

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 392

ISBN: 9780545123266

Source: Library Book
 

Description: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I Give This Book 4 Stars!

I must have missed that memo that stated this book was like Twilight.  I saw it a little (girl likes boy who is not human, the "sleeping" together without the parents knowledge), but after that I don't think the stories compare.  Grace and Sam just clicked.  Aside from the fact that this is a paranormal romance, their relationship is totally believable.  Grace was an interesting voice in the story.  She's someone who tries to make the most of her relationships because her parents are emotionally distant.  Maybe that's what promotes her fascination with the wolves.  She can sense the feeling of family with the pack.  I thought the different take on wolves changing with temperature was great.  I don't think the rules that govern the pack were as developed as much as other stories.  But, maybe that will come with future books.   I did really like Sam's history.  It was a total surprise to me, and think it really defined who he was as a wolf and as a human.  I'm curious to see what it is that makes him a special wolf.  Because, I know it's there.  There didn't seem to be a lot of minor character development.  But, I think that's the point.  The story is about Grace and Sam.  I was surprised at how fast the story seemed to fly by.  I started it one night intending on reading about 50 pages and soon realized I was 100 pages into it.