Forever (Shiver, Book 3)

I love this series. I love Forever. I love Maggie Stiefvater. And I love how often tears formed in my eyes and how often I smiled and ached and yet, this is not a sad story. It’s just emotional. And Forever was perhaps my favorite book in the trilogy. It was beautiful and tragic and hopeful. I don’t think I can do this series justice by talking about it. I feel like there are so many things to be analyzed and discussed. Not only is the writing style worth discussing, but nearly every aspect of the story is, as well. The wolves and everything about how their pack worked is worth discussing. The relationship between Sam and Grace, the way they compliment and complete each other despite their obvious differences is another thing worth discussing. The way that Maggie Stiefvater created a love story that represents the kind of love that should be respected, admired, and attained just makes my heart melt. The relationships between Sam and Beck, Sam and his biological parents, Isabel and her parents, and Grace and her parents are all different, complicated, and I could probably spend hours discussing what those differences are and why each of those relationships are significant and what they mean for the growth and well being of a child. Cole and his own struggle with his past was complicated and interesting. The relationship between Cole and Isabel was significant, too. And that is not all worth discussing. How would I even begin? The books in the series aren’t very long, but they are the kind of books I sort of fell into and lingered inside of. It took me far longer to finish the series than it should have based on page number, interest, and my reading speed. But the way it was formatted had me stopping and thinking and the writing style forced to me slow my reading speed to some degree. To me, these are good things. I spent enough time in the books and I am glad the author was able to make the books feel longer in a positive way. The emotions rolling through me while reading Forever were all over the place. I was full of hope, anger, sadness, happiness, love, concern, angst, fear, worry, satisfaction, anticipation, and a handful of other emotions. It was the kind of book that had me crying, though I couldn’t quite figure out why I was so emotional when nothing bad was happening. It was the kind of book that just demands emotional investment. I highly recommend the series. I thought I’d only mildly enjoy it and if I’m being honest, I wasn’t drawn to the books at all. They didn’t sound very good. If you strip the plot down and tell someone what it’s about, it almost sounds dumb. It certainly could have been terrible quite easily. But it was magical and amazing and profound. I am such a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater and this series is perhaps the greatest example of why she’s amazing. I’m not sure it is my favorite work of hers, but it was certainly the most surprising.

Wow. I don't know where to really begin. I read through a lot of the reviews and I was surprised by some and baffled by others and then there were the ones that I relished and smiled at. Since I am older than anyone who has probably read this book, yes, I am that old, since I read across all genres, A. S Byatt wrote my favorite novel, and I've got a lot of history and reading behind me, I am going to go all Cole St. Clair on everybody and say, if you can't see how pretty this book is, how carefully it was written, how delicate it is at moments, how it is the best plotted of Maggie's books and well, how wonderful a character Sam Roth is in this wild mix of young adult fiction, then you are just singing the wrong chord and don't know a damn thing about music. Cause this is an awesome book. It's got lines in it that just break my heart and bringing in Cole St. Clair was genius, but Sam Roth, o-m-g, he is one of the most nuanced characters I've read in YA fiction or any fiction for that matter. He is so good on the page. Flawed, troubled, good, easy, scared, in love, o-m-g, he ruled this book supported by a great heroine in Grace. Even Cole is a better man for knowing Sam Roth. I want to go back to high school and go steady with Sam Roth, yeah, I'd probably cheat with Cole at some time if I got drunk, but I'd want Sam Roth to love me. He's the most unlikely werewolf that I can imagine. But I could see me, baking bread with him or running through the woods.The most romantic image I'll carry with me is Sam Roth, standing in front of that store window and looking at that white dress he wants to buy for Grace, and later when Grace is wearing that dress and we all know what he is thinking even if that scene is from Grace's POV.Damn, Sam Roth even loves German poetry.This is a great love story and I think it's a perfect book. I mean I had to go and buy that paperback with its nasty red font (I am ordering hardcover for my collection cause I marked this book to pieces as I read it. No one could read it now cause I marked the pages, folded them, pinched corners, tore some pages, cried on them, cookie crumbs are everywhere) and fragile paper.I still don't like Grace's parents and glad I didn't have to see them much. I am glad I got to meet Cole, such a book boyfriend and the perfect bad boy and gawd, he's even smart too, and figures out how to save the wolves who are endangered. Oh, yes, this book has tension, all kinds, and this tension and dread is moving against all the characters, it's never sentimental, it's never easy, it's a mess and even gory sometimes, and everyone smells like wet dogs.BUT. I. LOVE. IT.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. BUY THIS BOOK.

bien reçu merci

Fantastic

I absolutely adore this series! What more can I say? Relax and lose yourself in this beautiful, chaotic, enchanting, wonderful story.

Zum Inhalt Mercy Falls steht Kopf. Grace wird seit zwei Monaten vermisst, nachdem sie aus dem Krankenhaus verschwand, wo sie hätte sterben müssen. Man hält sie für tot, und man hält Sam für den Mörder. Denn steht er nicht im Mittelpunkt der Geschehnisse? Dann wird der Leichnam eines Mädchens in den Boundary Woods gefunden, getötet von Wölfen. Tom Culpeper, Vater des von Wölfen getöteten Jack, will die Wölfe ausrotten Endgültig. Mit Hubschraubern und Scharfschützen. Als Grace sich endlich wieder in einen Menschen verwandelt, scheint es schon fast zu spät, und es sind so viele Probleme zu lösen. Kann man die Wölfe noch retten? Wenn ja, wie? Was hat es mit der Verwandlung auf sich? Cole arbeitet mich ganzem Körpereinsatz (im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes!) an einer Lösung. Dann ist da Shelby, die weiße Wölfin, deren Hass und Wahn das ganze Wolfsrudel in Gefahr bringen. Von unerwarteter Seite erhalten Sam, Grace, Cole und Isabel Hilfe. Doch der Ansatz eines Plans, der sich abzeichnet, kann nur funktionieren, wenn es Sam gelingt, aus dem Schatten seiner Vergangenheit zu treten. Kann er den Platz einnehmen, den Beck einst für ihn auserkoren hat?Meine Meinung Ich liebte dieses Buch so sehr wie die ersten beiden Bände, oder noch viel mehr. Es hat mich gefesselt, mich in seinen Bann gezogen, der aus jener melancholischen Grundstimmung besteht, die von Anfang an da war und immer intensiver wird, aus der Emotionalität, die aus jeder Zeile spricht und aus den Charakteren, die so unterschiedlich mit ein und demsleben Problem umgehen und die jeder auf seine Weise zum Ende beiträgt. Allen voran Cole. Er ist der Charakter, der mich am allermeisten fasziniert hat, weil er so anders ist, weil er eine Entwicklung durchmacht, von dem Wrack, das wir im zweiten Band kennengelernt haben, zu einem Anführer, einem Retter, einem genie. Dabei verliert er doch nie seinen Charakter selbst, den Zynismus, die Bereitschaft, über alle Grenzen hinaus das Unmögliche zu wagen, alles zu riskieren und damit durchzukommen. Hinzu kommt seine Beziehung zu Isabel. Was sich zwischen den beiden entwickelt, ist ein krasser Gegensatz zu dem Verhältnis zwischen Sam und Grace. Beide sind schwierige Charaktere, mit Ecken und Kanten, unendlich stur udn eigenwillig, dass sie allein ein ganzes Buch hätten füllen können. Ich bin ehrlich - Sams und Grace' Beziehung konnte damit nicht mithalten, denn hätte diese so viel Raum eingenommen wie im ersten band, wäre es sicher irgendwann langweilig geworden, weil die beiden einfach ein so "perfektes" Liebespaar sind. Coles und Isabels Beziehung liefert jede Menge Zündstoff für Konflikte und Reibereien, was dem Ganzen eine prickelnde Note verleiht. Das Ende scheint im einen Moment noch fern zu sein, um dann rasend schnell zu kommen, und letztlich flogen die Seiten nur so dahin. Es ging alles so entsetzlich schnell. Ab einem bestimmten Punkt wurde alles zu viel, sodass ich nur noch meinen Schlafanzug vollheulen konnte. Das Ende ist hochemotional, spannend bis zur letzten Seite, irgendwo zwischen gut und schlecht, traurig und fröhlich. Ein Abschied, und dennoch voller Möglichkeiten.

Ok, so I sat staring at a blank screen for several minutes before attempting to write this review. I really don't know what to say. This may be a bit higgledy piggledy.Firstly I liked it, hell in some places I loved it. I found myself completely pulled in (yet again) by Maggie's truly engaging story telling. She makes me feel like I know these characters, like I know exactly what they would do in any situation they are put in. I know what they would be thinking. And I felt myself willing them to survive, to conquer what ever battle is facing them and come out well on the other side. That is how well she writes her characters.At the end of Linger, Grace is a wolf, Sam is human and Cole and Isabel are struggling to attempt some form of relationship - badly.In Forever, its pretty much more of the same but with more danger, more relationship building and more revelations discovered about the past of the wolves/Beck. After another body is discovered in the woods as being attacked and killed by the wolves, Mr Culpepper decides its time to get rid of the wolves once and for all with a full scale areal sweep exterminating the wolves with guns and helicopters. This is bad, very bad news for Sam who's girlfriend is a newly unstable wolf, shifting left right and centre with no control over it. Sam goes through a lot in this book. Not only is he trying to help Grace and save the other wolves from extermination but he also has the police and Grace's parents on his back accusing him of murdering her.Cole is still trying to discover a cure, or even a way of making himself shift into a wolf at will or visa versa. He overcomes a lot of his demons in Forever when he finally plucks up the courage to set the world straight on his supposed death and begins to fully embrace a life that is actually worth living, and friends who are worth dying for...And Isabel. God I love Isabel. She is so refreshing, so hard faced on the outside but soft on the inside. I really enjoyed watching her turn away from the ice queen path and really become more human again with Cole. Their little on/off romance side story was one of the things I really loved about this book. They both had emotional issues and together they helped each other.The climatic ending had me reading intently into the early hours of the morning simply needing to know who survived and what happened to the wolves. It was a very VERY good last few chapters.The ending. This was probably the only bit of the book where I have a slight criticism. Sorry Maggie! I know a lot of people have praised the fact that it has been left quite open ended and in some ways I did appreciate that. It means that everyone can come to their own conclusion as to what happened in the future. But I would have been more happy with that had there been plans for another book to fully explore a bit more of a final ending. A real conclusion. Don't get me wrong, many conclusions were came to but I felt it was just a little too open to feel satisfied enough that these characters I have come to love so much are going to make it in the future.Heads up Maggie - write another one! I'm sure no one else would object.Overall though - outstanding. I'm extremely sorry to see the series end and look forward to reading more of Maggie's future works.