Title:  Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre:  Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Scholastic
Format: Paperback (ARC)
Source: Provided by publisher (via BEA)
Parental Advisory: alcohol, drugs, sex, criminal activity, violence
Teachable Moments: teamwork, responsibility, loyalty

“I didn’t remember being woken up.  I just remembered being.  I sat up, blinking against the harsh light, cupping my face in my hands and smoothing my skin. I ached — not like from a shift, but like I had been caught under a landslide.  Beneath me, the floor was a cold and unforgiving tile.  There was no window and a row of blinding light bulbs above the sink made everything permanent daylight.”

Summary (from the publisher):
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 all about to collide in one pure moment — a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

Opinion:
Love!

Love, love, love, love.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series is absolutely one of my most favorite and that is all because of the way Maggie Stiefvater writes.  Even though I loathe the cliche-ish descriptors like lyrical and poetic I can’t stop myself from saying them because they really fit.  She writes in the best most awesome way that makes my stomach fluttering and my skin tingle with the emotion of it all.  The kind of angsty goodness I just absolutely adore (as evidenced by this fangirling going on right now).  I’ll even admit that after reading Forever I think I told at least twenty people that I’d read the Yellow Pages front to back if I knew Stiefvater wrote it.  And you know what, I’d probably love that too and go back for more.

Anywho, let me get to the business of talking about this specific book.

Forever was a tragic, fitting and most satisfying end to this series.  Not to be outdone by it’s predecessors this book was equally action packed.  In fact, the whole plot centers around a rather large and meaningful fight to save the wolf pack.  Nothing heightens a situation like a race against time right?  The bulk of this situation is instigated, as usual, by Isabel’s father being a total jerk and being all about getting revenge on the wolves.  This revenge, as one would expect is in the form of killing them.  En masse.  The method of destruction?  I’ll let you read it to find out.

Don’t be scared off though, the plot isn’t all darkness and demise.  There are more muted moments here as well, quite times of reflection and contemplation by all characters.  The kind of thoughts and actions that express love and support of each other; the continued solidifying of the tight bonds of friendship and romance.  These characters are family in a way that even blood ties wouldn’t necessarily provide.

Phenomenal writing and plot aside, the glory of Forever is all in the characters.  Each of the four major players is uniquely positioned to play a particular role in this book be it a hero, a victim or the foundation that roots them all together.  I do like me some Grace and Sam and their presence as a loving and steadfast couple is allowed me to have a reason to root for a certain ending.  But I have to say that I LOVE me some Cole and Isabel.  They totally made the book.  The dynamic between them (fabulous push/pull) and the combined damage and dysfunction of their lives was fantastic to read. Theirs is the kind of relationship that thrives on conflict and spite but as a reader I liked that underneath all of that there was a true depth and connection.  It is the kind of character development and incremental story progression that takes you up and down and leaves you begging for more, more, more.  Sincerely, if I could make one wish at the close of this series it would be that Stiefvater would create a companion series with these two as the focus.  Holy.fantabulous.batman.

I know I’ve rambled on here and totally fangirled out but truly, I can’t speak highly enough about this book and the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.  It’s excellently written, fantastically plotted and filled with intriguing characters that you want to see find success.  I strongly encourage everyone to pick it up.