{Review} Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stiefvater.
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

Title: Forever {Wolves of  Mercy Falls, book 3}

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publication: 12nd July 2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

386 pages

This review may be spoilery for the first two books. This book is the third novel of a trilogy.

My review

After Linger, the second instalment, I could not wait, I had to know, I needed to know. So I started Forever, this third installment, immediately. Like in the two others, the beginning is quite slow to start and the tension is building up quite slowly. There are also a few lengths, but I nonetheless spent a great time with this novel and it remains true to the previous books. I think this one is my favorite of the three, it's the one I liked the most, although it also left me a bit frustrated with the ending.

In Forever, we follow again our four heroes: Isabel, Cole, Sam and Grace. The narration is still alternated between them. I loved it and I love these kinds of novels because it allows the reader to have all their points of view and opinions. It also allows us to have a better understanding of some things and events. I've got the impression that the story focuses more on Isabel and Cole than on Sam and Grace.

In the beginning of this novel, the pace is quite slow and the plot is building up relatively slowly, as in the previous ones. However, pages after pages, and as we approach the denouement things accelerate. And there are also more twists, suspense and action. Even if the beginning is a bit slow-paced, the last pages are full of suspense and surprises. They kept me spellbound all along, and I think that it's really one of my favorite moments of the whole trilogy. The pace gets a lot faster, unfortunately perhaps a bit too fast, in my opinion.

I would have liked more explanations and details, especially scientific details. Indeed, all these aspects remain a bit too vague for me. The ending also left me with many unanswered questions and I was a bit disappointed. In fact, I got the impression that some details, very important in Shiver, the first instalment, such as wolves and their transformation, were a bit put aside and that the story focuses more on the tragic events of the four teenagers' life and their adolescent angst.

Some passages of Forever are totally moving and once again the feelings are very well-described and perfectly written. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is really poetic and touching. The characters have a lot to cope with and life is really not easy with them. Maggie Stiefvater also emphasizes the notion of good and evil, their presence in everyone and in all our actions. Forever also focuses on the causes and consequences of our acts.

To sum up, this third instalment remains true to the two others and if you liked the previous ones, you will totally love it. However, in my opinion, it suffers the same flaws, namely a slow start. For me, it's a bittersweet ending, a few threads are left pending and when I turned the last page I was very surprised to see that it was the end, that there was nothing else, no further explanations. However, Forever is nonetheless a very successful conclusion to an utterly sweet, romantic and poetic series. Last but not least, my review would not be complete without mentioning the "Boyfruits" because it's a passage that made me shriek with laughter.

At the end of Forever there is a short excerpt of The Scorpio Races, Maggie Stiefvater's next book, and it sounds really awesome and promising. Now I'm really looking forward to reading it and I can't wait for October 2011.

{Review} Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

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.

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.

Title: Linger {Wolves of  Mercy Falls, book 2}

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publication: 13rd July 2010

Publisher: Scholastic Press

360 pages

This review may be spoilery for the first book. This book is the second novel of a trilogy.

My review

I liked the first instalment of this trilogy, despite a pace sometimes a bit too slow for me. I also quite liked Linger even if, in my opinion, it has the same flaws as the first one. In this second instalment, four points of view and narrations are alternated. Indeed, we follow alternately: Cole, Isabel, Sam and Grace. Each of them brings his voice, his point of view and it enables Maggie Stiefvater to break the monotony. I was never confused by which character is talking, as it may be the case when a book has multiple voices. Indeed, it is clearly stated at the beginning of each chapter, moreover they are relatively short so that the reader is never lost and finally every voice is quite unique and relatively different from the others.

I enjoyed getting to know better Isabel and Cole, and discovering more about the young girl. Their stories are painful, heartbreaking and especially Cole's one, we discover a young man who is a little broken by life and above all very lost. Isabel is still stricken by her brother's loss and she tries to express her pain in her own way, sometimes very clumsily. Gradually, they begin to trust in each other. I also liked to see Grace and Sam together. However, when the reader finally thinks that everything will be alright and that they will have their happy ending, we discover that life has more trick up its sleeve.

It's sometimes a bit predictable. There are some lengths and some passages are a bit slow, especially in the middle of the book. In fact, I really don't know how to describe my feelings. On the one hand, I was sometimes a bit tired by the lack of dialogues. On the other hand, I wanted to know the end of the story, how things would evolve for the characters and I was compelled. I got into the universe and I could not help read it. In fact, I read it fairly quickly to finally know the ending, although I would have liked a faster-paced. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is still smooth and poetic, she really has a magnificent way with words.

If the beginning and middle are quite slow, the ending is really exciting. As we approach the end there are a lot of twists and suspense. The plot accelerates and Linger ends on a cliffhanger. I was really curious to find out more, and especially to discover the end of the whole story so I immediately dived into Forever. I was right to wait to have Forever in my hands before reading Linger because the wait would have been unbearable.

As in the first instalment, the ambiance and atmosphere are well-described and really pleasant. In my opinion, it's one of the strengths of this series. Feelings are also well-written, they are perhaps more varied than in Shiver. Some events are really infuriating, startling, unfair, while others are more touching and moving. If the first half of the book is very similar to Shiver and has the same kind of plot, the second half gets more exciting, captivating and unexpected.

To sum up, I enjoyed this second instalment, even if I found it a bit slow-paced. I especially liked the second part of the plot, it was less traditional and the ending leaves the reader extremely curious to know the rest of the story. Isabel and Cole's points of view are also an aspect of this book that I particularly liked, especially because it changes and brings a little variety. If you liked the first book, I think this one will not disappoint you. However, if you were waiting for more action, you may not be pleased.