Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater {Wolves of Mercy Falls book 3}

Title: forever
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: July 12, 2011
Format: hardback, 388 pages
Source: borrowed from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Get your copy at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

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 loved moved from 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 kill 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.

My Thoughts:

Everything really comes full circle in the conclusion to this wonderfully sweet and highly emotional YA drama.  I was very impressed with Ms. Stiefvater's writing and I can't wait to delve into more of her worlds she creates.  
I am going to try my best to not include spoilers, but being that this is the third book in the series, that may be hard to do.  So be FOREWARNED: 
there could be some SPOILERS.  
Whew!  I am glad I could get that off my chest!  

I feel like all the mistakes, all the sacrifices, all the betrayals are hashed out and finally put into reason in this last book.  I felt like we did get a lot of closure on many aspects of the story line but the ending : not so much.  

Sam is such a sweet character, so fragile and broken, I didn't think he would ever man up.  I honestly didn't know if he had it in him but I was pleasantly surprised for him.  I found a tough exterior to him I didn't know he had and I actually liked it in him.  I feel like Sam has grown to be the man he was supposed to be, finally leaving his demons to rest.  

Grace seemed to grow a little bit more, though, I don't think she really needed to anymore.  She was already pretty tough and tired of being hurt from the people that she needed the most.  I loved the fact she stood up to her parents and  I feel like they deserved every bit of it.  If not more.  I felt like Grace lost a lot but she also gained something she wanted the most: a real family.  

I absolutely loved Cole!  He was the proverbial "bad boy" that every girl thinks is the best!  But I really enjoyed reading the book through Cole's eyes, experiencing the feelings that he had on the inside.  I feel like he really grew as a character and became someone that was a wonderful addition to the pack and especially to Sam.  

The character that I seen the most improvement throughout the entire series was Isabel.  In the first book, I didn't really like her, and now; I feel like she was the pivotal factor that saved them all.  Besides Cole, I think Isabel ended up stealing my heart, and I didn't even know it until the end.  

I loved the writing, the poetry in it, and the intense love between all of these characters.  
What I couldn't stand was the way it ended!  I felt cheated at the end and no closure at the relationships.  I would have liked a more in depth look at everyone's HEA but instead I felt like we were being pushed out like a guest that has outstayed their welcome.  
It was left wide open but with no promise of another book.  I guess I should just assume everyone got what they were looking for and everything turned out perfect for them.  But it would have been nice to see just a glimpse into the aftermath before we left the world of Mercy Falls.

Forever is a great book with lots of emotion to be felt during this calming read. I enjoyed the series; loved the characters I was introduced to, and enjoyed the descriptive prose throughout the story. 
I couldn't give it five hearts just because of the way the ending made me feel, or didn't as the case may be.  I was left with too much longing....
But I can give it four hearts for everything else!