Summary:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater. In 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.
Release Date: July 12, 2011Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Source: Review copy from publisher
**This is a spoiler-free review!**
Review:
I hardly know what to say. When Natalie got Forever in the mail one month before its release, you could have knocked us both over with a feather. All we could think was, we're FINALLY going to know how it ends! And boy, do I ever know. I'm not telling, though. Not until Forever is released. I wouldn't even tell Natalie (who hasn't read the book yet due to the birth of her baby). I will not be spoiling the plot for anyone!
The story we fell in love with during Shiver and Linger has finally concluded. Stiefvater keeps us guessing up to the last minute as to what's going to happen. Will Sam and Grace get to stay together? Will Cole let himself love? What about Isabel and her bloodthirsty father? Will Grace's parents ever get a grip? What about Beck and Sam's twisted relationship and Olivia's newfound wolf-hood? These are all questions addressed in Forever. Notice I said 'addressed.' I'm not saying if they all get answered or not.
Maggie Stiefvater has such a unique writing style. When I'm in the mood to read one of her books (which I of course was for Forever), I really enjoy it. Her books are meant to be savored slowly. The lyrical writing abounds, along with lots of poetry: found in Sam's chapters, of course. Sam is the most well-read young man I have ever encountered. I have to admit that all of the poetry Stiefvater includes in her books makes me feel like an uneducated country bumpkin. I'm no fan of poetry, so I can't always perceive the depth Stiefvater tries to achieve with her poetry. I do appreciate a well-read character, though, even one with a taste for poetry that I don't always understand.
One thing that I really like about The Wolves of Mercy Falls series is the alternating points of view. It keeps the story moving so quickly, and makes me want to keep reading long past the point I said I'd stop. I just love a first-person narration! Forever explores the depth of Sam and Grace's love, but even more, it explores the bond between parent and child. I loved that!
The Wolves of Mercy Falls series has long been one of Natalie and I's few points of disagreement where books are concerned. She gives Shiver and Linger five stars, while I thought they were 3 star and 4.5 star books, respectively. Forever loses stars for two reasons. The first is that the ending felt rushed and the second I will reveal after the book's release. Once I got over the red print (seriously, WHY?) I really enjoyed the book. However, my complaints were too great for me to give Forever five stars. Upon closing the cover, I felt simultaneously happy and sad. I'll say more after July 12!
The story we fell in love with during Shiver and Linger has finally concluded. Stiefvater keeps us guessing up to the last minute as to what's going to happen. Will Sam and Grace get to stay together? Will Cole let himself love? What about Isabel and her bloodthirsty father? Will Grace's parents ever get a grip? What about Beck and Sam's twisted relationship and Olivia's newfound wolf-hood? These are all questions addressed in Forever. Notice I said 'addressed.' I'm not saying if they all get answered or not.
Maggie Stiefvater has such a unique writing style. When I'm in the mood to read one of her books (which I of course was for Forever), I really enjoy it. Her books are meant to be savored slowly. The lyrical writing abounds, along with lots of poetry: found in Sam's chapters, of course. Sam is the most well-read young man I have ever encountered. I have to admit that all of the poetry Stiefvater includes in her books makes me feel like an uneducated country bumpkin. I'm no fan of poetry, so I can't always perceive the depth Stiefvater tries to achieve with her poetry. I do appreciate a well-read character, though, even one with a taste for poetry that I don't always understand.
One thing that I really like about The Wolves of Mercy Falls series is the alternating points of view. It keeps the story moving so quickly, and makes me want to keep reading long past the point I said I'd stop. I just love a first-person narration! Forever explores the depth of Sam and Grace's love, but even more, it explores the bond between parent and child. I loved that!
The Wolves of Mercy Falls series has long been one of Natalie and I's few points of disagreement where books are concerned. She gives Shiver and Linger five stars, while I thought they were 3 star and 4.5 star books, respectively. Forever loses stars for two reasons. The first is that the ending felt rushed and the second I will reveal after the book's release. Once I got over the red print (seriously, WHY?) I really enjoyed the book. However, my complaints were too great for me to give Forever five stars. Upon closing the cover, I felt simultaneously happy and sad. I'll say more after July 12!
ooh i hate you. not for NOT telling us things...thanks for that...but for having already read this. gah, i can't wait. sorry about the red print. we'll see what I think. i do love the idea though, with all the books' inks having that color. it's different.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
Thanks for the spoiler free review. I'm interested to see how this all ends, although it's not one of my absolute favourite series either. I enjoyed Shiver but Linger bored me at times.
ReplyDeleteDying for it now... Seriously can you tell me one thing... is there anything at all about Shelby??? Does she come back???
ReplyDeleteThanks for the spoiler free review! I can't wait to read Forever, and don't want one single moment to be ruined.
ReplyDeleteI am ITCHING to get my hands on an ARC. Do you know of anyone who is planning to giveaway their copy after release?
Ah, red print. I'm already imagining how much that will bug me...Glad to see the trilogy ended with a great rating, though! Wonderful review :)
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Unfortunately, it just didn't cut it for me. I DNF it and what I did read was so s-l-o-w. And when you filled me in on what I missed out on, I was thoroughly disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI will say that I am looking forward to The Scorpio Races.