Forever

Written by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis:
then.
When Grace met Sam, 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 Confession: The first book in this series, Shiver, is one of my favorite YA books. The characters are so engaging, the mystical aspect so refreshing. Linger  introduced a new character, Cole, and developed a tenuous relationship between him and the other characters, namely Sam, Grace, and Isabel. And at the end of the second book, the careful peace established among the characters shattered when Grace turned into a wolf. This sends Cole into a crazed frenzy as he tries to discover a cure that will last. With Linger  ending with such a bang, I knew a lot had to be resolved in Forever. Would Grace be cured for good? Was Sam really cured? What was going to happen to their relationship? Would Isabel's father succeed in his mission to annihilate the wolves?

Well, we can answer one of those: [SPOILER ALERT!] The plot really revolved around the massive wolf hunt instigated by Tom Culpepper, Isabel's dad. It's a problem from the moment the book opens, and remains the driving force and only real sense of urgency throughout the story. Everything revolves around when this wolf hunt is supposed to take place, and I found myself becoming bored. I wanted more information about a cure (which, in the end, still isn't resolved). I wanted to see Isabel and Cole's relationship evolve more--all I ended up feeling with them was that no matter how attracted to each other they were, their "love" still couldn't hold a flame to what Sam and Grace shared. But I kept getting the feeling that Cole and Isabel were being underestimated because they were merely second-string players to a bigger love story. I think they had something special as well, and perhaps it was so magical because it was so subtle.

I love the relationship between Sam and Grace. It's unconditional without becoming annoying or creepy. At one point, they're both wolves together -- something they've both dreamed of -- and Cole realizes that they have the same connection as animals that they have as humans; it translates. I was so invested in them and their story. Which is why I was so upset that their story was left as open-ended as it was, with Grace still a wolf, Sam still a boy, and the cure still unknown. Even though a massive crisis was averted with the wolves, we were still left in the same problem Linger  left behind. Meningitis may or may not be the cure. Grace and Sam are still beholden to the weather. What happens when Grace's summers are numbered? I didn't like how there was no resolve. It's the last book in the series; there isn't another opportunity to wrap these frayed ends up. And I needed more closure than what Forever  left me with.

Recommendation: Stiefvater is a fantastic writer, and I've loved this series. If you've read the first two books, you have to read this. It's a good book--written well, great dialogue, great romance. I really enjoy how the story is told from four different perspectives (five, if you count Shelby's voice in the prologue) and how those narrations give the story extreme depth. This story is so great, which is perhaps why it can illicit such a strong emotion of disappointment from me. I understand that not all stories get their "happy ever after," but I would have liked to know if it was even within reach. There's open-ended, and then there's just open. Too open.

Rating: 3/5

386 pages, published by Scholastic Inc (July 12, 2011)