Forever - Long Awaited, Much Anticipated, Beautiful Read

Title: Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls - Book #3

Genre: YA, Paranormal Fiction

Page Count: 400 Pages (Hardcover)

Pub. Date: Published 2011 by Scholastic Press

Rating: 5/5

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Wolves of Mercy Falls 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.

~My Review~

A friend of mine was reading Forever at the same time as I was, but finished it first and told me that she didn't like the ending. So I stopped half-way through, not wanting to shatter my love for the series with an unsatisfactory ending.

Fast-forward a month, and I couldn't take not knowing...and I loved it. I was quite happy with the whole book. Funny how everyone seems to react differently to it. I have been reading reviews and they seem to be all over the map.

Personally I don't think that Maggie could have ended this series any more perfectly. Maybe it's because I love Cole and there was lots of him, maybe it was because I quite enjoyed the ending, but I loved Forever. I laughed, I cried, and I hugged the book when I finished the last page.

It seems to me after reading a few other reviews and talking to that friend who wasn't happy with the ending, that maybe I am skilled at reading between the lines - at putting two and two together and getting the closure that everyone seemed to be begging for. Or maybe I am just an eternal optimist, so when things are left to my imagination, I see all sunshine and rainbows.

I liked the ending, it wasn't drawn out or over done. It left me with the sense of mystery I had throughout the series without leaving me on the edge of a cliff. Love prevailed, just desserts were served, and answers were whispered instead of shouted.

Don't get me wrong, do I wish there had been an epilogue telling me that everything turned out ok? Hell yes! Do I wish certain characters had lived? Absolutely! Do I secretly wish that Litter was more than just an April Fools joke so that I could see Sam and Grace living their happily ever after? You betcha! But I liked that the strings were left a bit untethered, so that I could weave them into my own perfect ending, full of possibilities - and sunshine and rainbows of course :)

Bravo Mrs. Stiefvater Bravo!

My Rating: 5/5

My Reviews for Shiver and Linger (Click on Title)

~ You'll like this series if you liked ~

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater, Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

~Links 4 More~

Author Website: here
Add to your Shelfari: here
Add to your Goodreads: here
Buy it at BookDepository (free shipping): here

Forever Trailer

Maggie posted the new Forever trailer and a contest over on her blog. I'm super excited for this one to come out. If you want to pre-order a signed copy go here.

If you read Shiver, that is the song Sam wrote for Grace "Summer Girl", performed by Jonas & Plunkett. You can purchase the song here.

My Love of Linger, by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Page Count: 368
Rating: 5/5
The sequel to Shiver and the second book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

The Longing.
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know that they must fight to stay together.
For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.
The Loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is
wrestling with his own demons embracing the life of a wolf, while denying the ties of being human.
The Linger.
For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces --
wolf and human -- with love baring its two sides as well. It is harrowing and
euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart,
love is what lingers. But will it be enough?

My Review:

First off; Shiver is one of my all time favorite books, so I went into Linger with HIGH expectations. I actually only read the first 2 chapters over the span of a week (definitely not normal for me) because I was too afraid that I wouldn’t like where the story went after Shiver. I’m not going to give away anything for those who haven’t read it yet, so all I’ll say is that I am glad that I read it.

Grace and Sam continue their journey after the winter that almost claimed Sam for good. Now they have to deal with the loss of Beck and Jack, and the gain of the new wolves that have been left behind.

This is how we are introduced to Cole. Cole is one of the new wolves, and in Linger we get to read from his and Isabel’s perspectives as well. It adds a whole new flavor to the book. They brought sarcasm, sass and a whole other element to the story that filled in the corners perfectly.

Cole is determined to stay wolf, while Sam convinces himself that he’s really going to stay human, and Isabel is struggling with Jacks death while Grace is fighting to live.

I laughed, I cried and I let out a big frustrated sigh at the last page knowing I had to wait too long for the last book (Forever) to hit the shelves.

If you liked;

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, Need by Carrie Jones, or The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (or so I’m told I’m staring that series next week) this book/series should be on your TBR shelf.

My Rating: 5/5

...Bree Tanner

Title: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Author: Stephenie MeyerGenre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Page Count: 192
Rating: 5/5

Plot in Under 10:

Newborn vampire trying to discover the truth about her creator.

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

My Review

I actually feel a little strange, I created my tag/blog/persona around the theme of discovering other literature and art to love while I waited (and hoped) for Stephenie to write another Twilight book. But now I’m still left wanting more, I think I have an addiction, and of course now I’m still hoping for more to continue the series *shakes off the weird feeling* moving right along…

This untold story of the newborn army, as told by Bree, was a great read. I thought it was a little weird without chapter breaks but I got used to the idea and kind of liked the flow. 

The 3 things I loved most:
1) Bree: I loved Bree and was totally sad at the end even though I knew it was coming. She was well written and I really enjoyed her “voice” for the story.

2) I liked that it was a more realistic look into what a newborns mind would be like in the Twilight world. I was a little let down that Bella didn’t experience (and therefore I didn’t) the normal newborn mindset.

3) Obviously finding out what was really going on in Seattle was awesome and what Edward heard from Bree in the field to make him vouch for her.

*Side Note*

I also read the Twilight graphic novel for kicks, and quite enjoyed it. I wish that it was the whole thing in one volume but I guess that's just how it is :) I loved the illustrations, totally how I had most of them pictured while reading (before I saw the movie). Two thumbs up for sure!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls: Book 1

Pages: 390

Published: August 1st 2009

Rating: 5/5

Description:
For years, Grace has w

atched the wolves in the woods behind her house.
One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.
Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl.
In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away.
It's her wolf.
It has to be.
But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay hum

an--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My Review:

Plot in under 10:
Girl gets attacked by werewolves then falls for one.

*smiles* I just…I just…LOVED this book. Five stars for sure! I loved Sam and Grace. Most of the time I don’t like one of the main characters for some reason or another, but I was in love with them both from the start.

The characters wooed me, but the story captivated me. Great plot development and killer suspense throughout. Shiver is a completely new take on werewolves that was fresh and riviting.

I feel like there is so much I could say about the awesomeness that is Shiver, but my mind is a big mush of happy incoherent thoughts. Seriously if you haven’t read this one, it’s a must.

My Rating:

You'd Like This Book if You Liked:

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer,  Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa or Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause