Review: Forever

Forever

By Maggie Stiefvater

Publication date: July 12, 2011

My review:

In this conclusion to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, Sam and Grace are still trying to find a way to be together in spite of overwhelming odds. Cole is racing to find a cure and Isabel's father is desperate to eliminate the wolves, using his considerable political clout to do so. Meanwhile a dead body is found in Boundary Wood with signs that it was attacked by wolves. Time is running out for everyone...

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is beautiful as always. Whether it is poetry, song lyrics, or description, she really knows how to set the scene. In Shiver, she did a particularly good job of making the reader feel the cold that causes the wolves to shift by her descriptive imagery. In Linger she used music to good effect to reflect the mood of the characters. In Forever she uses lyrics and poetry again to capture what the characters are going through. 

Just as in Linger, the chapters once again alternate between the viewpoints of Grace, Sam, Cole, and Isabel. Cole and Isabel have served as a foil for Sam and Grace since the second book. Here though they aren't officially in a relationship they become the more likeable couple as they work together to save the wolves. Sam and Grace kind of descend into Edward and Bella territory with their "forever love" which annoyed me. I think they are too similar to each other. Their relationship reminds me of the relationship between Bingley and Jane from Pride and Prejudice. It is sickeningly sweet at times and I preferred reading about Isabel and Cole instead which is ironic considering how I wished they were not so much of a focus in Linger. There are some nice moments of character growth especially for Sam and Cole. I liked how Sam was able to face his fears and feelings about what happened to him as a boy. I also enjoyed seeing Cole fulfill some of his potential. He improves a little bit as a character. Even Grace grows up in the way she stands up for herself with her parents though she has a long way to go.   

For some reason, I found this book to be a slower pace than Linger. At one point I was ready to give up on the story, feeling that I didn't care anymore about what was going to happen to the characters. The pacing is uneven. Once the action of the story gets under way it does get better but the first part of the book is so slow and at times Sam and Grace seem to need a jolt of adrenaline. Isabel echoes this complaint when she gets angry at them because they don't appear to be worried about the threat to the wolves. Sam is a very laid back character and he sometimes tends to bury his head in the sand. I could really relate to Isabel's frustration with Sam and Grace and their inaction. Thankfully they do finally decide to do something about the situation with the wolves. 

Forever does have an open ending but this will not bother everyone. For some it will be an echo of real life but for others it will feel like a letdown because of the lack of closure. I did not need to know everything that happens but I did want some closure to the story after hanging in there through the boring parts. This is the first time that I have ever compared Breaking Dawn favorably to another book. I thought the pacing was better in Breaking Dawn and though the ending was so neatly wrapped up at least there was closure! Overall I thought Forever was a good book but it could have been so much better. Maggie Stiefvater is a talented writer and perhaps I just expect more from her because I know she is capable of it.

Readalikes: The Dark Divine and The Lost Saint by Bree Despain, The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, 13 to Life by Shannon Delany, Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin, Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Note: I received an ARC of Forever as part of a blog tour courtesy of I Read Banned Books.