Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater *Spoilers*

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*Spoilers*

Review

This was by far my favorite book of the series. I know it ends without resolving the wolf/human problem…but still, it seemed strangely finished to me. Having that last image of a fall leaf as a wedding band around Grace’s finger is a beautiful one. Leaving the couple on the verge of transformation and future. Whether that future be a traditional marriage and family, or a life in the wild as wolves remains to be seen. But I guess ultimately the reader feels as though whatever the choice, the love between Grace and Sam will have its forever together.

I think Isabel and Cole will also have a future. Maybe if Cole is ever cured he’ll join Isabel in California. Their relationship was always far more realistic than Sam and Graces…never an instant forever attraction…instead it seems like one that will grow over time. Not everyone needs to find marriage at 17.

Now for just a few things I loved about Cole and Isabel’s relationship this book:

• The little black mustang Isabel gave Cole, and that scene where Cole drives the car around Isabel’s body. Seeing Cole play with it at inopportune moments. Very endearing.
• The scene where Cole and Isabel are hiding underneath the lab table – making out!? – and getting caught by Isabel’s mom…who (luckily, lol) just kind of rolls her eyes and lets the two of them off the hook.
• Isabel watching Cole give his life for Sam and Grace and then rolling that SUV off the road to save the pack. She, more than anyone, has given to a cause that has done nothing but hurt her throughout this series. For that I will always love Isabel as my favorite character from Mercy Falls. That girl has heart and guts and deserves the kisses and affection of that hot St. Claire boy.

*sigh*

Now more random notes about Forever…

I also loved the scene in the beginning of the book where Isabel loses it at the Italian restaurant and her mother again saves the day with understanding rarely seen in parents in this series. The way her mother instantly understands the situation and helps her daughter was unique and heartwarming. It was just perfect to see Isabel finally show some emotion over all that she’s been dealing with and then getting the support of her mother. That scene made me very happy.

Another happy moment was when Sam and Grace drive off to see the northern lights. Throughout these novels Grace and Sam get one good scene per book. One happy, uncomplicated, field trip where they just get to be two crazy kids in love. The whole thing reminded me of getting lost in the country with my hubby when we were teens. Granted he was never lost because he has a good sense of direction…where as I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag with a map. Still it’s the thought that counts, and it’s always kind of romantic to be alone in a car watching the stars with the man you love.

I guess I’m a little sad to be leaving Mercy Falls. Part of me wishes I knew what really happened to all the characters in the future. But I think that the strength in the ending is really that Stiefvater picked her battle. She chose to focus on the struggle to find a new leader of the pack and the escape from the shotgun of Tom Culpepper. Her characters matured and are now ready to face their lives as adults. At the age of 18 there’s no way to ensure a happily ever after anyway…Because fans of Mercy Falls are all hoping for a long life and relationship between Grace and Sam and to have a full life is to have one full of both joy and sorrow. The ending of this series is really the beginning of life for its characters.

Who else is hoping for a 10 year update? lol. Maybe Stiefvater will return to the falls someday…

Rating: 9/10

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Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) by Maggie Stiefvater *Spoilers*

*Spoilers*

Review

One of my favorite parts of this book was when Grace told off her parents. I normally don’t support this type of outburst from teen characters. I often find that either the adult they are ranting at was such a caricature of a person that it seems unfair…or that they aren’t seeing a valid adult point of view. Not so in Mercy Falls. Grace’s parents aren’t super strict or super unfair, they just kind of ignore the fact that they have a child. And they have a good child. A cooking, homework completing, friend-having child. And that they finally care after all these years…after Grace has finally assembled her own support system is both realistic and the epitome of the word injustice. I read the section where she tells them off twice! And my only critique was that if I was Grace…I would have run away that night!

And Sam had his own bit of empowerment. In this book Sam really begins to come into his humanness. It’s like watching the thaw from winter to spring. Even when Grace is dying/changing into a wolf, Sam is still secure in his choice to stay human. It’s what makes their love so heart-wrenching…They’re obviously meant to be together but both are driven by what’s inside them to desire wolf or human. Neither feels the need to force the other to stay one way or another. You can’t help but fall for the connection these two have. Everyone who sees them feels it.

Now to the eye candy of the novel…I’ll say this first, Cole is hot! But he’s so self-centered. I just don’t think that his issues stand up to his attitude. I mean, I get that stuff went wrong in his life – jaded rock star and all. But others in these books have more valid issues and less trouble interacting with others…Sam’s parents tried to kill him, Isabelle’s parents are on the verge of divorce and she’s lost a brother, and Grace could be dying. What’s so wrong with being Cole St. Claire anyway? He’s a rock star genius whose parents believed in him. Wow, bad luck with that one. When he throws Sam into the bathroom with the tub, or is unable to help Victor…to watch Victor die because of Cole’s decision. I was really seeing no redeeming qualities in Cole. Until he saves the day at the end of the story by finally getting with the program and helping, I was ready to kick Cole out of the pack…call up Tom Culpepper!

But wait…if we got rid of Cole we wouldn’t have the relationship between Cole and Isabelle. There were those scenes where they began to break down each other’s walls. So amazing. Probably my favorite part of the book. Watching them begin to save each other – to see the life and the fight come back to each of them was invigorating. Between the kissing, muscles, and opening up I was hooked. They keep dropping lines claiming that their love is nothing like Grace and Sam’s but I think they aren’t seeing how special it is that they are able to open up to one another.

In the end I admit, sometimes in these novels I get a little lost. There’s so much seriousness…the looks, longing, moments to read into. I can get a little bogged down. But then Stiefvater writes those endings. Victor’s burial where Cole cracks, Grace’s hospital bed yearning for Sam, Cole stepping in at the 11th hour to save the day. Seeing it all come together is worth all the heavy setup. It makes me even more excited to finish the series. For an author who is so amazing at endings the finish of a series should be the ultimate read. Excited to see what she does with it.

Rating: 8/10

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Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Publisher’s Weekly gave this the enticing review of: “darkly sexy prose and suspenseful storytelling”. On Amazon and Barnes and Noble hundreds of readers give the paranormal novel a combined star rating of 4.5 stars along with reader reviews titled things like “Highly Recommended”, “Yummy”, and “My Absolute Fav”. 12 years after it was originally published I still had to wait list the title from my local library’s e-book collection. Needless to say, I had high hopes of a Twilight-esque read. I wanted that sexual tension that can only come from the combination of hormonally charged characters who can’t consummate anything…due to being of different species…and the restrictions of sex in YA lit. I’m telling you, it creates a tension you could cut with a knife!

But…

I was utterly disappointed with this book. Such a fail for me that I felt as though I was literally choking down the pages. During the reading I sought out every distraction possible…I responded to e-surveys for goodness sake. I felt the main character of Vivian Gandillon was difficult to connect to. I understand the author’s premise, teens in a love triangle, two-thirds of which is paranormal. What makes it unique is that this time it’s the girl who is the creature of legends: The Werewolf. Vivian is rebelling against her pack by dating (and loving) a human boy, Aiden. She attempts to stay in a relationship with him while fending off the far more interesting relationship of ‘Queen Bitch’ to the older, but super sexy ‘Pack Leader’ Gabriel. The problem is Vivian loves apparently loves Aiden’s sweetness. Why, I’m not quite sure, because Klause includes very few scenes of the two interacting. Instead the reader is generally told that they had some type of date/conversation/make-out session and it was beautiful, sweet, and perfect. But as the reader I never really felt the connection.

What makes it difficult is that Vivian has a fully imagined, wolf-like, internal dialogue. This thought process, while realistic, alienated me as a reader. I didn’t get Vivian, she was more wolf than human, and spends the better part of the book distracted by sex and mating. If in Vivian’s head I didn’t like her or understand her, I was unsure how other humans were responding to her so well. I was left wondering about the human response because there were so few scenes involving interaction! Klause does give explanations for all of her character’s motivations, but they fall flat because the reader never feels that they ring true.

Another issue I had with the book was that the mother was so sexual and open with her daughter. Like, slinky dress wearing, alcohol offering, knowing look exchanging, open. Again, I’ll chalk it up to the wolf mentality…but lets just say that Vivian and her mother end up going for some of the same men…And everyone is ok with it. Weirded me out!

My advice is to skip this one. There is far better YA lit out there to read. If you want teen paranormal look in another direction.

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