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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!
Title: linger
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls Book 2
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: July 13, 2010
Source: borrowed from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Format: hardcover, 360 pages
Get your copy: Amazon
/ Barnes and Noble
Goodreads Summary:
The astonishing #1 New York Times bestseller.
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 Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
My Feelings:
I have to say Linger is my favorite book of the series so far! It was just so breathtaking with the writing and the action scenes throughout the book. I don't think my review could even possibly do this novel justice but I am still going to go ahead and give it a try.
Everything in Linger, spoken and unspoken, comes to play in this beautifully written story. Grace has finally made her parents come to terms with their style of "parenting" through the actions Grace makes. I really disliked Grace's mom and dad, and I really tried to like them. I tried to look through their eyes, understand the whys of their complete lack of parenting, but I simply could not get it. And I did look at it through a parent's point of view. I guess that may be one reason it ticked me off so bad.
Grace really grows in this novel more than ever. She becomes stronger and more in charge of what is really inside of her.
Sam grows a little bit but I think he is still troubled and probably a tad more confused even though his dream has come true. Or what he thinks is his dream. But we get to see more of what makes Sam tick in Linger and again we get to know the pack by living through Sam's memories of them. Sam's memories are a great and sad thing but one of the things I enjoy the most about him.
Isabel has really changed the most in Linger. She started out as the vindictive popular girl in school and now she is so much more. I really didn't think I was going to like her but I have been put in my place. I am now torn when it comes to Isabel. Some of the things she says and does makes me want to scream at her but then she still seems to be the voice of reason in the midst of all the chaos. I have a feeling that Isabel will play a very major part in this series till the very end.
We also get to meet a new character in Linger. Cole St. Clair. Wow! That name is a mouthful in itself!
Cole is our "bad boy" wolf who brings a whole another element to our series. I honestly think Cole is exactly what Sam needs, besides Grace, to come into his life and the pack. And Sam is exactly what Cole needs to help him become a better person and wolf. These two are really fun to watch interacting with each other. They want to dislike each other so bad and yet can't help finding traits that they both have in each other. It didn't take me very long to see why Beck chose Cole to come into the pack to help lead.
All of these characters bring different perspectives to the book, making us look through their eyes to see the heartache and pain they have had to endure to bring them to where they are now. I absolutely loved seeing the different povs and I felt it helped us understand what went on in their minds. The fear, the love, the understanding, and the pain is all brought to the front in this second book.
In Shiver, we are introduced to Mercy Falls and the different characters but in Linger we are brought inside their beings as we become a part of their very existences.
I gave Linger five hearts for the most compelling, emotional story ever!
Title: Shiver
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls book 1
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Date of Publication: August 1, 2009
Source: borrowed from Leigh Ann at Silver Wings Reviews
Format: hardcover, 392 pages
Get your copy: Amazon
/ Barnes and Noble
Goodreads Summary:
Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance
My Feelings:
So this is one of those books that left me gasping for air from the way the story was crafted so breathlessly. Ms. Stiefvater is a true storyteller in every sense of the word.
I first fell in love with this book on the cover alone a while back. I love how we are gazing into the forest, through the brambles and wispy branches, to find a solitary wolf staring back at us. I love love love the blue tints and it automatically makes me think of winter. And of course, the only other color is the spot of red which looks closely similar to a drop of blood.
Alright, I know you guys are telling me to get on with it but I just really loved this cover as well as the others in the series.
The theme is a well known element: werewolf, but Stiefvater takes this and puts a very unique twist on it creating something completely different and very compelling.
Our wolves in this story are more dependent upon the seasons and temperatures than the moon.
Ms. Stiefvater crafts a wonderful tale full of emotion that just spills out everywhere. And then we have poetry...ahh poetry. I love poetry and I love how much research she did to find poems that fit Sam and Grace so well. You can really tell that our author went all the way out with the research on wolves as far as pack structure. I just cannot get enough of the whole "Alpha-beta-omega" tier that goes with these pristine creatures.
Shiver is a slow paced novel that doesn't rush into anything. It takes its time but that is the beauty in the story. When I was reading it, I didn't want to rush through the story (even though I only took 2 days reading it) but instead I wanted to enjoy each and every descriptive scene. I have never been a fan of snow and winter but after reading this novel, I wanted to go wander in a snow filled forest just to hear the crunch of the packed snow under my feet!
The characters in Shiver are complex in every sense of the word. Sam is so hurt, so fragile and yet I can't help but feeling he is more than what he seems. I love the fact that Sam doesn't take anything for granted. He looks at life in a very special sweet way that will make you appreciate the simple things that surround us.
His HEA, Grace, is the opposite of Sam but his perfect match too. I guess it is true that opposites attract because these two seem like they were meant for each other. She is the realist in the relationship and operates on the facts that are presented to her. This makes it even more interesting for us to see how she processes the fact that Sam is the wolf that saved her so long ago too. She feels connected to the pack of wolves that live in the woods behind her home. My most favorite trait of Grace? Her loyalty to those she cares about. She will be loyal to the very end, even if it is a losing battle.
I really liked the other characters in this book too. I loved Beck, even though I wasn't sure how to feel about him through some of his more questionable acts.
I really enjoyed getting to know the other pack members through Sam's memories. That made me feel even worse for Sam. Bless his heart!
Grace's friends are okay but I couldn't really feel any kind of relation to them.
Her parents actually just ticked me off! As a mom myself, I felt like her parents were just out of everything. I am not sure if this lack of parenting is a foreshadowing of events coming up or more of an explanation as to why Grace becomes such a strong female at a very young age.
The antagonists will definitely surprise you. Sometimes the ones that start out as "the bad guy" will make you stand up and applaud.
Was there parts that I felt were a little to emo-isque even for me? Yeah there was times I thought Sam did wallow in self pity but after you figure out what he went through; hey I can understand why he has so much doubt.
All in all, Shiver brought a lot of emotion out of me and there were times I couldn't help but cry and gasp at the situations these troubled characters have to go through in their life. Yeah there is parts that tend to drag a little but the climax is so strong my heart still flutters thinking about it.
I gave Shiver four hearts!
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