Book Review of "Forever" by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Classification: YA Fiction, Paranormal 

Source: Bought

Overall Grade: 
A
I thought...
Higher highs and lower lows make for a perfect end to one of my favorite series EVER!

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Summary (from Goodreads):

The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stiefvater

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.

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My Thoughts:

Sam. Grace. Cole. Isabel.

I love these books. I love the writing, I love the way that an otherwise ordinary story is made extraordinary with words and lyrics and poems committed to memory.

But most of all, I love the characters.

Maggie Stiefvater has done an incredible job with The Wolves of Mercy Falls. Each book adds complexity on complexity, as the characters are fleshed out and kissed and lost, but found again.

When Forever begins, each character still has their own set of problems that make their lives particularly difficult. By the end of Forever, these problems are addressed and resolved, but not SOLVED. There is no neat solution to the overall problems... Cole's guilt and tortured past, Grace's relationship with her parents, Sam's love/hate relationship with Beck, Isabel's explosive family life.

Nor is the problem at the heart of these novels, the mystery of the werewolf... disease? toxin? affliction? explained away and wrapped in a box with a shiny red bow. Rather, the issue escalates into a conflict where death, for every main character, is not only probable, but almost imminent.

While this book serves as a perfect conclusion to the series, in that it doesn't feel like a set conclusion, yet leaves very little lingering questions, it also stands out as a seriously enjoyable read on its own. Not only are we able to escape back into the heads of Grace, Sam, Cole, and Isabel, but we are also shown more romance, conflict, and complications than any of the previous books.

Forever is essentially a paranormal coming-of-age story with equal parts romance, thrill, and mystery. It is lyrical and poignant, but very, very readable. It is funny, yet brutal, honest, yet idealistic.

For those readers that are tired of overused clichés and characters that fall flat on the page, read this book. Well, read Shiver and Linger first... then read this one.

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Overall Grade: 

A

Would I recommend it? 

Higher highs and lower lows make for a perfect end to one of my favorite series EVER!

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Book Review of "The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: The Scorpio Races

Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Classification: YA Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy
Source: ARC from Scholastic

To be published by Scholastic on October 18th, 2011!

Overall Grade:

A+

Recommended to...

Those in want of a lyrical, romantic, and suspenseful tale!


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Summary (from Goodreads):

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

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My Thoughts:

For fans of Maggie Stiefvater's paranormal trilogy, The Wolves of Mercy Falls, The Scorpio Races offers a new gorgeous setting, enigmatic and unforgettable characters, higher stakes, and a perilous paranormal element.

For those that are not fans of her previous work, or that are simply unfamiliar with her, be prepared for a suspenseful, fantastic, lyrical and romantic thrill ride in The Scorpio Races! 

I am a big fan of YA novels that go outside the realm of predictable, cliché, and "regular," especially when those authors tell their stories with lyricism. This is why I am a huge Maggie Stiefvater fan. 

The Scorpio Races drew me in immediately with it's dual-narrative, told intermittently by Puck (Kate) and Sean (I almost said Sam--HA). Although I don't think that comparing this stand-alone historical/fantasy venture with Stiefvater's bestselling paranormal series is the best way to review this novel, it seems that most readers who come across this book will be familiar with her other work and will therefore be wondering how this novel compares.

In all honesty, a direct comparison is unfair, because each work is very different in terms of scope, theme, and extraneous elements, such as paranormal shape-shifting vs. fantasy fairy-lore.

However, the modes of operation present in Stiefvater's Shiver trilogy that make the series so wonderful in my eyes are also present in The Scorpio Races. For instance, Stiefvater's lyrical writing is still the delivery system for her ideas and still resonates with readers that are bored with straight-forward prose. Stiefvater's characters are also very well constructed, in that they are not shells of people or caricatures of characters (nice, huh?)

Rather, I can still picture the main characters, and several well-sketched minor characters, clearly in my mind even after reading several novels in between The Scorpio Races and now. With a normal novel, this added fictional database would wipe away less carefully crafted characters, but this is thankfully not the case with Stiefvater's work! 

Another main difference between The Scorpio Races and Shiver, Linger, and Forever is that the romance element is not as overtly present. This is not to say that there is not romance, because there is. But, I feel that Stiefvater did a great job of using this plot line to complicate and progress the more important plot: that of the Scorpio Races themselves. 

This dissection of the novel may not be the best way to review it, so I will give a few thoughts about the general experience of reading The Scorpio Races as well. 

Firstly, this novel is a fantasy, first and foremost, that takes place on an island called Thisby that is plagued by a race of magical creatures called the capaille uisce (copple ishka - or ooshka). These creatures, in short, are incredibly powerful and dangerous flesh-eating water horses that live in the sea. When not surrounded by ocean, these horses are the most powerful and fast of their kind, far surpassing the abilities of regular "ponies" like Puck's mare Dove. 

Puck is the nickname of smart and hot-tempered redhead Kate Connelly, who enters the Scorpio Races against all odds in order to overcome a desperate situation. Sean Kendrick is the four-time winner of the Scorpio Races and the only person that is able to somehow speak with, control, and connect with the capaille uisce, like Corr, the blood-red stallion that has helped him win. 

At the center of The Scorpio Races is the danger of the races themselves, as the contestants ride these flesh-eating monsters at the base of Thisby's cliffs. The horses at once longing to pull their rider's down into the ocean with them and to rip into the flesh of the humans on their backs, spectators that get too close, other capaille uisce that ride alongside them... nearly everything and everyone in their path.

Other plot devices and elements in The Scorpio Races include Puck's struggle in the all-male society of the races, financial and economical hardship, the love and complicated relationship between siblings, differences in societal classes, connection to animals and animal cruelty, and the duties associated with protecting those you love. 

An absolutely wonderful read! 

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Overall Grade:

A+

Recommended to...

Those in want of a lyrical, romantic, and suspenseful tale!


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Book Review of "Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Classification: YA Fiction, Paranormal
Source: Bought

Overall Grade: 

A
I thought...
Maggie Stiefvater is my favorite person.

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Summary (from Goodreads):

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other.  Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack.  And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

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My Thoughts:

I'm officially a Maggie Stiefvater fan-girl. I absolutely love her lyrical writing and the ability she has to create emotion on every page.

The characters in this series continue to amaze me! Not only are Grace, Sam and Isabelle explored further, but we also meet the tortured and seriously-hot Cole. Cole is my new favorite! I loved his interesting story and his struggle to abandon his painful past in favor of a future without human emotion. I loved his relationship with Isabelle, as well. What a couple, huh?!

Linger just might have been better than Shiver. Probably because of the addition of Cole and the constant shift in POV from Grace, Sam, Isabelle and Cole. Some people don't like this, but I loved getting into the heads of characters that I have grown to love so much.

Although there have been some complaints about Linger being more slow-moving than Shiver, I didn't mind the pace at all. I found myself savoring each paragraph as I heard each character's story. Stiefvater is so amazing at making every sentence lyrical and interesting.

The only complaint that I have about this series in general is the use of the wolves howling. It seemed like too many chapters were ended with "And then the wolves began to howl." Yes, it's a poignant and appropriate ending, but I started to get sick of it after awhile.

A great sequel to one of my favorite paranormal series ever! Can't wait to read their conclusion in Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) out July 12th, 2011!

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Overall Grade: 

A

I thought...

Maggie Stiefvater is my favorite person.

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Book Review of "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Classification: YA Fiction, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Source: Bought

Overall Grade: 

A

I thought...

Simply one of my favorite books ever. Really.

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Summary (from Goodreads):

the cold.
Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—watches back. He feels deeply familiar to her, but she doesn't know why.

the heat.
Sam has lived two lives. As a wolf, he keeps the silent company of the girl he loves. And then, for a short time each year, he is human, never daring to talk to Grace...until now.

the shiver.
For Grace and Sam, love has always been kept at a distance. But once it's spoken, it cannot be denied. Sam must fight to stay human—and Grace must fight to keep him—even if it means taking on the scars of the past, the fragility of the present, and the impossibility of the future.

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My Thoughts:

Wow.

Why didn't I read this book sooner?

I absolutely LOVED Shiver.  I loved the split narrative between characters.  I loved Grace and I loved Sam.  I especially loved Isabel.


Stievater created characters that lived and breathed in the room with me while I read.  When Sam ruminated on the poetry of German poet Rilke, I ruminated with him.  I watched while Grace watched the wolves behind her house and I felt like her wolf was my wolf, too.

The paranormal and romantic sides of Shiver were perfectly balanced and well paced.  I always felt that pull to keep reading, even in moments when the conflict wasn't especially strong.

I know this review isn't very balanced. So I'll try to sum things up:

Shiver is a welcome addition to YA lit's Paranormal Romance genre with its lyrical narration, deep characterization and new element of mysticism in the popular werewolf meme.

The only other thing I have to say about Shiver is a bit of a warning: this book is not the light-and-airy YA read that is full of rainbows and dancing puppies.  It's not dark either. It's neither. It's different.

I'm reading the sequel in this "Wolves of Mercy Falls" series, called Linger, now. I'll let you know what I think. ;)

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Overall Grade: 

A

I thought...

Simply one of my favorite books ever. Really.

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(Full Disclosure: Any books purchased from Amazon through the links on this page will result in a small commission to me.)