Release Date: July 12, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Wolves of Mercy Falls #3
Received From: Gift
IBSN: 9780545259088
Blurb:

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.

No author leaves me at a loss for words more than Maggie Stiefvater. I think the reason is that after I finish one of Maggie’s books my head is still filled with her beautiful words. There’s no room for anything else. Forever was no exception to that. If anything I am more speechless than I have ever been.

Forever is definitely a bittersweet book. I’ve come to love Grace, Sam, Isabel, and Cole so much that’s it’s hard to let them go. But I can’t think of a book I was more excited about in 2011. All that excitement and anticipation was certainly worth it. I am often disappointed by series conclusions–we could probably analyze that and say that I’m just disappointed that the story is over, though. I don’t have even an ounce of disappointment with the conclusion of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to say goodbye the these characters and this world.

The writing is as always, beautiful, gorgeous, lyrical, captivating, I really could go on and on, but I think you get the point. It’s amazing. I can’t think of another YA series out there that is this beautifully told. That’s high praise since, you know I read a lot.

I have noticed that Maggie also has this uncanny ability to take a huge conflict, the sole conflict of a story and make it subtle and somehow in your face at the same time. I really can’t explain it. The conflict really isn’t the main focus, the characters are, but everything is riding on this one huge thing that is quietly there. This way of approaching it makes the tension build and build and build until you can’t stand it anymore but you love it all at the same time. This is how her books get you, hook line and sinker. Forever might be the best example of that yet.

Maggie also has a incredible talent when it comes to writing very complex characters. Sam, Grace, all them are real (no, I’m not crazy). They are so well written and so layered that it feels like you could pick up the phone and call them–if you were worthy enough to have their numbers. It feels like NARKOTIKA should be a real band on the radio. They are not flat words on a page. They’re realistic but..impossible problems make them jump off the page. The intense love and connection between Sam and Grace is so believable that you almost feel their emotions with them. Saying these are the best, most well developed characters I have ever read is probably the highest compliment I could pay a book or a author, and that still doesn’t even begin to explain how extraordinary this book really is.

I want to make it clear that this review doesn’t even begin to cover how amazing these books really are. I am saddened by the fact that it is over, but I’m really just thrilled that I got to read them. I know that I will miss Grace, Sam, Isabel, and Cole in the future, but when that happens I’m going to open the pages of Shiver and fall in love all over again.