Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater Book Review

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.

Rating: 5/5


[ARC Review]



In the third and final installment in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater, you immediately start off with an action packed prologue, prompting you to read on.

I received an ARC (advanced reader copy) of Forever from Scholastic Press, and I thank them for that. Maggie Stiefvater is truly one of a kind and one of my favorite authors and inspirations for writing. Maggie and I are kindred spirits, and I found her trademark brand of humor to be very witty and recognizable.

The first time that I read Shiver, I fell in love. I couldn't help but absolutely fall head over heels for Sam and Grace. In Linger, I was bummed out by the fact that Grace wasn't involved in the book as much as I'd hoped she would be, because Grace is an amazing heroine because she is strong, smart, kind, caring, generous, studious, and independent. When Forever came in the mail, I literally dropped everything and tore into the packaging once I saw the Scholastic insignia printed on the front of the package. When Forever slipped out into my hands, my heart race quickened and my fingertips trembled in anticipation to read it.

I quickly finished the current book that I was reading at the time, Torment (Fallen, #2) by Lauren Kate and tore into Forever. Going into Forever, I knew the end would be hard but I honestly didn't know it would hit me so hard and with so much force that I would literally be left reeling afterwards, much like I was after finishing Shiver and Linger, the first two books in the epic trilogy.

I was ruthless in reading Forever; it was just that good. I wanted to finish, because I wanted to know the outcome of the story, but I had to literally pull myself away to save some of the story for later, because I knew I would suffer from wolf withdrawal. However, I was weak and ended up reading it in 1 1/2-2 days. Now, onto my opinion....

I decided to rate Forever with five out of five stars because I found Forever challenging Shiver in epic greatness. The writing, plot development, visual effects, and characters all added up to the perfect equation for a book. The setting of the story is Mercy Falls, Minnesota. Mercy Falls is a fictional town, but is based on a very real small town in Minnesota called Ely. One of the many things I love about Maggie Stiefvater is her descriptive phrases and how she describes her settings and where she creates lives and loves for her characters. Mercy Falls is definitely one of my favorite settings (real or fake.)

Every time Maggie Stiefvater sits down at a computer and touches the keyboard, imagine a brilliant light followed by the Hallelujah chorus...and you have Forever.

I never say anything is perfect, but Forever really was perfect. I found relationships, both romantic and platonic, being tested at every single corner and I felt comfort while reading this book because the dialogue and vivid descriptions were so enjoyable.

If I were trapped on a deserted island and only allowed to have one book for the rest of my life, it would probably be Forever.

If you have watched any of Maggie Stiefvater's interviews or been to one of her book signings, she explains that the inspiration behind The Wolves of Mercy Falls series came after she read The Time Traveler's Wife for the second time and bawled like a baby. From that moment on, she knew that she wanted to write a love story that will make you cry, particularly while wearing mascara or while in your place of business. Well, Maggie, you succeeded! After I finished Forever, I cried. Tear drops fell from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks like raindrops from the heavens. I know, it may sound lame, right? Well, it's true and I'm not ashamed, as a teenage male, to admit that I cried. For an author to make me feel so much emotion, so much...passion, they have to be pretty darn good.

Towards the end of the novel was when I literally could not stop reading. I felt so much power and energy flowing off the page that my adrenaline was pumping and when something HUGE happened (no, I'm not going to tell you. You're going to have to buy and read the book to find out!) I jumped up and screamed, "NO!" and cried for the first time over a book (except at the end of Breaking Dawn...but those were happily ever after tears. The tears that Maggie had extracted from me in Forever were full of sorrow and shredded heart. To put it simply, Maggie ripped out my heart and poured salt on the open wound.

Anyway, I do not want to drone on and on about Forever because I want every single action to come as a complete and utter surprise to you as they were to me. OH, and when I read the author's note...ugh, tragic, TRAGIC I tell you!

*Reminder: Forever comes out on July 12, 2011 where ever books are sold. If you want more information on Maggie or the wolves, head over to her website: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/. If you pre-order a copy of Forever from Maggie's local indie bookstore, Fountain Bookstore, you will receive a signed/doodled copy. Check out their website here: http://www.fountainbookstore.com/.

Before I end this post and officially say good-bye to the wolves of Mercy Falls, I would like to announce to y'all that on July 31st, I will be going to Maggie Stiefvater's book signing in Nashville and cannot wait. Also, on August 8th, I will be attending a book signing in Nashville including the following authors: Beth Revis, Myra McEntire, Victoria Schwab, Rachel Hawkins, Julie Kagawa AND MORE! If you would like more information, check out the following blog: http://www.ash2nash.blogspot.com/. Finally, authors are touring the rural south! SOUTHERN PEOPLE READ TOO!