Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: July 12 2011
My Source: Borrowed ARC

Other Books in Series:
Shiver
Linger

***WARNING: Contains mild spoilers for the 1st two books in the series!***

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Goodreads Summary:

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.

That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.

Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

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My Review:
I recommend you read my reviews for Shiver and Linger before this one so you know where I'm coming from. I thought Shiver was ok, but I loved Linger, and that was due to the introduction of actually interesting characters- Cole and Isabel. Not that I don't like Sam and Grace (they have an amazing romance) but I think they work better as side characters and I would be lying if I said I didn't occasionally get bored reading the sections of the book from either one of their perspective because it's the same thing over and over.

The first 100 pages were a little difficult to get through because neither of the two couples were talking to each other- either by choice or not. So it was really slow. But after I got past that part, it was unputdownable!

I love seeing how all of the characters in Mercy Falls have grown. In paticular Isabel- probably my favorite to read her sections- I was frustrated with her for a lot of the book but I was so proud of her when she finally took the stand that she needed to at the end. Sam finally overcame the fears crippling him and I was happy for him too.

There's not a whole lot I can think of saying about this book that isn't reiterated from my reviews of the first two books. If you liked the first two books, you'll like Forever as well. I'm not exactly sure about the title though. I wished the ending could've given us a better definition of what forever was for our main characters- it wasn't a cliffhanger but I would've loved an epilogue or something.

In conclusion, if you like romance and emotion and beautiful writing, read this series! Shiver is my least favorite of the three, but if you make it through that one you'll have a treat to look forward to in the final 2. Though I know there are some that disagree with me and think Shiver is better... I guess that means you'll have to read them and decide for yourself!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2
Release Date: July 13 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
My Source: Bought
My Rating: 4.5/5

***Warning: This review contains spoilers if you haven't read Shiver. Read at your own risk!***

Goodreads Summary:
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.

My Review:
Linger is the sequel to Shiver (read my review here). Sam was a werewolf who couldn't stay a human, but now he's permanently a human. I thought Shiver ended really nicely. I liked it, but I couldn't see how a sequel would be interesting, and therefore did not jump to read Linger. Shiver just ended very nicely on it's own. Not to mention the fact that I wasn't terribly impressed with Shiver. It lacked a really interesting driving plot and the characters were very predictable.

So that's why it took me forever to get around to reading this one. I am so glad I did! I thought this book would be a rehashing of Shiver, but the other way around (Grace turning into a wolf?). But it wasn't, thank goodness. Here's what made the book amazing for me: Cole and Isabel. Cole was a new character and Isabel was a supporting character that shifted into a main character. We got to hear from both of their points of views in this book.

Both Cole and Isabel presented entirely unique voices and thoughts on the werewolf conflict. The characters were extremely well developed and unique, and I loved and hated them both at the same time. I think this whole book could've been told about just the two of them- those were the good parts.

The adorable romance between Sam and Grace was the highlight of Shiver. It didn't develop much more in this book, but it was still nice to have there on the side. I loved it how both Sam and Grace really wanted to be with each other forever and were even plausibly thinking about getting married. (Not right away of course, but in the future). It was realisitic to me that they wanted this because that's what real people do when they're in love- they want to get married. It felt like a real romance.

There wasn't a lot of plot or action going on here, and this is probably the first book where that didn't bother me. I got so lost in reading about the characters I didn't care about action. Credit to Maggie Stiefvater for being such an amazing writer to make me not care about action. That certainly doesn't happen often.

I'm debating on 4 and 4.5 stars on this one, but I think I'll go with 4.5 stars because it was better than Shiver. I recommend this one if you liked Shiver- or even if you didn't.

Cover: 3.5/5
It fits the book, but I don't think I would've picked up this book on cover alone. Though I do like the color scheme of the series and the words of the book being printed in each book's color.

Shiver Giveaway

I'm giving away 2 paperback copies of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, as part of First Come Second Served Month!

Goodreads Summary:

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

Shiver is an awesome book I read awhile ago-see my review here! If you haven't read it yet, here's a perfect opportunity to get started on The Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Giveaway rules:

• Please only fill out the form ONCE.
• You can have a total of 4 entries (all on the one form).
• US only
• You must be a follower of Book Infinity.
• Contest deadline: December 21
  

To enter: Fill out the form here.

Giveaway generously supplied by Scholastic, Inc.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Book Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: August 1 2009
My Source: Library

My Rating: 4/5

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.

Shiver was exactly what I expected it to be. The two main characters, Grace and Sam, have loved each other forever, it seems. The romance is really nice and refreshing. They've never met in person, but when they do, they're instantly attatched to each other. There's not of that "which boy should i choose?" or anything. It's just the two of them, but it fails to get boring, because of the way they interact. What they have is like a dream relationship. I'll admit- it probably is unrealistic in some ways, but for a story it's good none the less. That was definitely my favorite part about this book.

On the other hand, it was extremely predictable and lacked tension. I felt like I knew what was going to happen and there was really nothing there to keep me reading. The only reason I kept reading was because of the romance between the two main characters- they kept it interesting. But when I got done with the book, I looked back at it and thought what a great read it was, it just left me with a happy satisfaction when I was finished, so I gave it four stars. The only thing I wish this book could've done for me is leave me eager to read the next one. I still will read Linger, but it seemed like Shiver wrapped up most of the loose ends, so I'm not dying to read the next one. Maybe Linger will top Shiver with some kind of new plot to keep it going. I sure hope so.
*content warning: some mild language and suggestive content