Forever
(Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 3)Author: Maggie StiefvaterPublisher: Scholastic Press, 2011
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.
My Review:
Shiver and Linger made their way to my little pile of books last year, and while I was interested in the story I had trouble with the narrative because it didn’t flow as easy for me as other books. However, once I got the hang of it and the constant POV shifts I thoroughly enjoyed every page. That’s why this year I eagerly waited for the release of Forever.
It’s a conclusion to the tragic-sweet story of Grace and Sam, but it left me somewhat cold…and pissed. All this time I’ve been taken along for a fairy tale of love, loss, and dealing with things that are out of your control, and for this last book I expected to feel more. But, like the characters with their constant cool and stoic attitude towards the tragedy that was turning out to be their life, I kept feeling nothing. Even when Sam and Grace finally reunite after months apart there’s almost no reaction whatsoever. None! Nada! After going through two heart wrenching novels about Sam and Grace’s love and struggles to stay together, and the reaction is...
I kept waiting for the parts with Isabel and Cole, because honestly their “relationship” outshone Grace and Sam’s. It was like, Isabel and Cole had suddenly become main characters and left Grace and Sam to fade into the background. And if this was the third book of say a six book series that would be fine. But no, it’s the last one.
I also thought I would get some answers to some of the main issues like: the whole wolf dilemma and why they change with the cold, or why Beck turned Sam, or even if they could get a real cure…but again I was left wanting because we never get a clear answer to it and the book ends.
The final part was all interesting and fast paced with them mentioning the time back and forth and the sunrise looming in the horizon, but the ending was almost a non-ending. It’s one of those that I really hate, because it is neither good nor bad. Like…it’s not black or white, it’s freaking grey, and grey does not satisfy me. At all.
My only recommendation is to read the book because it’s the conclusion to a great series, but don’t expect it to elicit strong emotions like the other two.
