Book Review: FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publication Date July 12, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Genre/Category: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Summary on Goodreads:

then.

When Sam met Grace, he was wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from 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 a 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 on one pure moment—a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

It had been so much easier when I was the wolf. ~Sam

I was learning to survive as a wolf, but I hadn't yet learned how to live as one. ~Grace

My Thoughts:

The story has relatively slow parts especially during the first half of the book and sometimes I wanted to skip them. But Maggie's writing pulls me back whenever I felt like drifting away. She never fail to capture my heart through her writing style and that's one reason why I enjoyed Shiver and Linger so much. Just like the first two books, Forever has the same elements that made me love the series--the lyrical writing, the beautiful plot, the amazing characters, and the emotional connections that pulls me into the story over and over again.

It's nice to hear different POV--from Sam, Grace, Cole and Isabel. It's good that I get to hear their thoughts and that made me understand the characters better. I always liked Sam, but in Forever, I got to see more of Cole... his character developed from an immature and irresponsible to a lovable and endearing sort of guy. I love how he care about Sam, Grace and Isabel. And I love his wit and humor that makes the story more enjoyable.

Though half of the book was a bit slow, there are certain moments that I was teary-eyed. From time to time, I've taken down notes on my favorite lines until I realized that I was writing too much! I have too many favorite lines in the story that I needed to write them down! All throughout the book, I had mixed emotions but I don't remember being happy. Don't get me wrong, the story is beautiful, it's just emotional and heartbreaking most of the time. The last part however is  exciting, it immediately put me on the edge of my seat. 

The hunt is on. Grace is a wolf. Sam is still human. And Cole desperately search for the cure. During the time of the hunt, as the wolves run for their lives, I felt like I was running with them. It was so intense and definitely the most gripping part of the story... it was hard to put down. 

Forever may not be the best among the three books in the series, but it is definitely one amazing book. And even if I'm not fully satisfied with the ending, I know that somehow the author made it a hopeful and promising one. I just can't help wonder what happens to the characters after that... there are questions remained unresolved. It felt like something is lacking, and the story needs a better ending. But don't let this thing stop you in picking up this book. It's heartbreaking and it's beautiful. Don't miss the Wolves of Mercy Falls one last time.

I sent an image to the pack. Not a request.
An order: us moving. Them following me.
…
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, we broke into a run, nearly simultaneously.
It was like we were on a hunt, only whatever we chased was too far away to see.
Every wolf listened to me. ~Sam

My Rating: