Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3
Publication Date: July 12th 2011 by Scholastic Press
Rating: |

Summary: The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie StievaterIn 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.

Review Overview:

• Beautiful, lyrical writing from the talented Maggie Stiefvater
• Well-written characters with distinct voices
• A memorable romance between Sam and Grace

It has been a while since I’ve read Maggie Stiefvater’s books and I must admit that I was instantly blown away by her beautiful writing. Stiefvater is such a fantastic writer and I made sure I had a pad of sticky notes beside me to mark my favorite lines while I read. Sometimes, even the simplest observations made by her characters just blew me away.

I know I’ve mentioned this in my review for Linger, but again, I will point out the fact that I love that Stiefvater attempts a scientific explanation behind the werewolf. I wish that Stiefvater could have delved into the “werewolf disease” even deeper, but it is understandable that she doesn’t; afterall, the majority of research is done by a teenager. I admit that I was impressed by Cole’s discoveries. He is a genius, but he does lack formal lab training and the education.

I am usually such a plot-driven reader that it was so surprising that I was more interested in the characters this time around than anything else. I was, of course, interested in what would happen to Sam, Grace, Isabel, and Cole, but I became so attached to them that I desperately wished that all would end up happily ever after. Stiefvater has written these characters so vividly and distinctly that I hardly needed an introduction when there was a change in perspective. I can tell the difference between each character’s voice.

Speaking of characters, as much as I love Sam, I admit that Cole stole the spotlight for me in FOREVER. He just has the best lines, and I think he melted my heart a little. I love how everyone thinks the worst of him, but Cole proves them all wrong. He is so much more than what meets the eye. He really developed as a character throughout the series.

The love between Grace and Sam is just so powerful and it’s obvious to everyone who has a chance to spend time with them together. Being together just seemed natural for the two of them and their chemistry is just right. There’s no questioning their love for each other. This is definitely one romance that I will not forget.

Since I did read the ARC, I am curious to see if there are any significant changes in the final version. While I thought the ending was satisfying enough, I did crave for just a little bit more closure – especially because this was the final book in the trilogy. After reading the last few pages of FOREVER, I didn’t want to let go of Sam and Grace and Mercy Falls. I still had some questions left unanswered and while my imagination could certainly have filled in the gaps, I wanted to know for certain how everything – every little detail – turned out. FOREVER was a fantastic conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

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