Review: Forever

by Maggie Stiefvater
publisher: Scholastic
date of publication: July 12, 2011
format: ARC
pages: 386
source: from the publisher
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N
challenges: Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge; 2011 YA Reading Challenge

From Goodreads:

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.

What I Thought

What a whirlwind trip it has been. Having only discovered The Wolves of Mercy Falls this year, I have feverishly worked my way through the entire trilogy in a matter of two months in my enthusiasm. Now it is time to say goodbye to Mercy Falls. There is a certain bitter-sweetness in seeing this series come to an end. This is one of the series that helped to reignite my interest in YA. That re-kindled interest also helped to point me in the direction of what I want to do after undergrad school. For this, I will be forever grateful.

Before sitting down to write this review, I took a couple of days to mull over what I had just read. I closed the book feeling a little shell-shocked and unsure as to how I felt about the conclusion. At first glance, it appears to be very abrupt and inconclusive. I was wowed by the beautiful prose that made up the rest of the book, but felt indecisive as to my opinion on the final chapter. It was only after reading the chapter once more that I was able to settle my feelings on it. I hope I have come to the correct conclusion as to what Ms. Stiefvater was aiming for when she wrote the conclusion to Forever.

In any case, I feel a better understanding for it and will vehemently encourage everyone to read that chapter twice if necessary, especially if you begin wondering if you've missed something. It is a very different animal from the rest of the book, as it shifts gears considerably. A certain cooling off period is needed after the tumult and danger inherent in the rest of the book before the last chapter can be fully appreciated. When you read it, you may be a bit disappointed. I know I was, at first. However, after re-assessing the chapter and reading the author's note again, as well, I have some conjectures. First, I feel that the final chapter conveys a certain serenity in its construct. It is time for the characters to move on with their lives, so we are left with a hint as to what they will be doing in the near future without seeing them actually start out on those journeys. I feel that if the book had gone on longer, there would have been an even steeper cliff hanger. The way it ended was as it should be, in the grand scheme of things. Secondly, I noticed a certain wording in the author's note that left me wondering if this is, indeed, the last we will see of these characters. She specifically says that it is time to say good bye to Mercy Falls. However, there isn't a specific mention of saying goodbye to the characters. May we be seeing more books in the future with these characters, only in a different setting? Am I simply being too hopeful and resistant of the series ending? I suppose only time will tell, but I will say that the contemplation of where the characters may go is an interesting one.

Now, it is time to talk a little about the characters that make up this fantastic tale. I won't go too in-depth since There is still a little less than a month left until the official release date of Forever. However, I can say that there is great emphasis put upon the relationships between the characters. Each and every character is tested in some way in this book. Some fail, some succeed spectacularly, and others simply survive to fight another day. The result is a greater scrutinizing of the characters (including a certain former rock star) that leaves them revealed in new ways. I really enjoyed the character interaction and the ways in which old hurts were hashed out between them. All was accomplished with Stiefvater's signature style of prose that manages to be both breath-taking and frank.

To say that I was blown away by Forever is an understatement. Rarely do I feel the need to take entire days to contemplate a book before writing a review. The fact that the book managed to draw such a reaction speaks very highly of it, in my opinion, and bumps up the rating I was originally going to assign to it. I am very glad that I took the time to mull it over and re-read the final chapters. Based upon its beautiful prose, engaging plot, and thought-provoking finale, I give Forever 5 hoots.





Obligatory legal statement: This advance reading copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.