Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Published: July 12, 2011 by Scholastic Press
Received: gifted by Melanie

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

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. {taken from goodreads.com}

Every so often you come across a series of books that becomes a part of your life.  The Shiver trilogy is one of those, for me.  I first read Shiver before book blogging was even a blip on my computer screen.  I then anxiously & painstakingly waited for Linger's release.  Not long after devouring the second book in this series, I began my book blog.  Both Shiver & Linger sat pretty, high on top of my shelf (I keep my prettiest books on the top shelf).  Months passed, more books were read & added to the shelf.  The looming release date of Forever, the final chapter in this trilogy, approaching.  I was just as anxious to read this book, yet terrified to see the series end.  Caught between wanting to read Maggie's final words about this story, and not wanting to say goodbye just yet - I was gifted with an early copy from a friend, and the decision was made for me.

If you've read the series, then you know this story is about more than just wolves.  It's a culmination of love, friendship, trust, independence, and bravery.  The characters are brought together by one common element, but just as easily torn apart by that mutual bond.  Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words.  Her writing is brilliant, poetic, lustrous -- only leaving the heart heavy by wanting more, more, more.  I never mark my pages in my books, yet I felt compelled to while reading Forever.  There were just too many moments, too many phrases, that I wanted easy access to so that I could go back and visit time and time again.

The tale of Sam and Grace is timeless.  Their love reminds me of an old married couple, who sit hand in hand, just as smitten with each other as they were the day they met.  In the author's note at the end, Maggie wrote, "Many, many readers have written me asking wistfully about the nature of Sam and Grace's relationship, and I can assure you, that sort is absolutely real. Mutual, respectful, enduring love is completely attainable as long as you swear you won't settle for less."

Take some time to let that sink in.  I know I needed to.

I spent the most time reading this book, than I have in a long while.  Aside from not wanting the story to end, I took the extra time in letting the words seep in to my soul and breath a life of their own. This story, these characters, this world, is beyond just a story for me.  It's literature at it's finest.  I knew Forever was going to challenge my heart, and that it did.  I feel like I'm saying goodbye to an old friend.  It's bitter-sweet, yet I know it's time to let go.  The beauty of books is that they never really go away.  I know that Shiver, Linger, and Forever will still be sitting pretty - high up on my shelf - any time I want to go back and revisit Grace and Sam.  Their story may have been written, but the amount of time I live it over and over again is endless.

Thank you Maggie, for chiseling a piece for yourself in this great big world of beautiful literature.

...To Be Continued (sequels of 2011)

There are quite a few books coming out this year with book 2, book 3, & so on in their series... that I thought I'd create a post to highlight some of these eagerly anticipated sequels!  I know of a few off the top of my head right now.. but if there are more, please feel free to list them in the comments below!

Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting - February 15, 2011

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.
Violet can sense the echoes of those who've been murdered—and the matching imprint that clings to their killers. Only those closest to her know what she is capable of, but when she discovers the body of a young boy she also draws the attention of the FBI, threatening her entire way of life.
As Violet works to keep her morbid ability a secret, she unwittingly becomes the object of a dangerous obsession. Normally she'd turn to her best friend, Jay, except now that they are officially a couple, the rules of their relationship seem to have changed. And with Jay spending more and more time with his new friend Mike, Violet is left with too much time on her hands as she wonders where things went wrong. But when she fills the void by digging into Mike's tragic family history, she stumbles upon a dark truth that could put everyone in danger.

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5) by Melissa Marr - February 22, 2011

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.
Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman - April 5, 2011

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare - April 5, 2011

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

The Dark and Hollow Places (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #3) by Carrie Ryan - April 7, 2011

There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.
Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.
Except, Catcher has his own secrets—dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah—can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?

Chain Reaction (Perfect Chemistry #3) by Simone Elkeles - May 24, 2011

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?
Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater - July 12, 2011

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.

Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) by Andrea Cremer - July 12, 2011

Betrayal, loss, pain, fear. How many trials can love endure and still survive?

 

The Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare - August 30, 2011

The Infernal Devices is a series of prequels to The Mortal Instruments series, set in 19’th century London. The story concerns 16-year-old orphan Tessa Gray, whose quiet life is thrown into turmoil when her older brother Nathaniel suddenly vanishes, leaving her alone. Her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London’s dangerous supernatural underworld, where warlocks throw masked balls for half-demon Downworlders. When Tessa discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must come to trust her natural enemies, the demon-killing Shadowhunters, if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother. Torn between the beautiful Will, a Shadowhunter who isn’t what he seems, and the devoted Jem, whose own deadly secret is slowly destroying him, Tessa must draw on all her strength to save her brother and keep herself alive in this deadly new world.

Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick - October 18, 2011

The Hush, Hush series has captivated readers with the story of Nora Grey, her friend Vee, and a mysterious fallen archangel named Patch. In the gripping conclusion of the trilogy, Nora finds that as things start to unravel around her, she is more drawn to the enigmatic Patch. She soon discovers that the answers lie closer to home than she realized, and it is time for her to take control of her destiny once and for all.

Authors We ♥

When ever I have something random to share about some of my favorite authors, I will post it under the "Authors We ♥" label.  

To start off this trend, here is the first post! and what a delightfully exciting first post it is!!

 Maggie Stiefvater just revealed the cover for her third & final book in the Shiver trilogy, FOREVER!!  I adore these books & can not wait until July 2011 when the final chapters to Grace & Sam's story will be told.

To read more about this cover art and the fantastic Maggie Stiefvater, click here.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

The sequel to Shiver follows the story of Grace and the wolves of Mercy Falls.

Maggie says: "It's about after. What happens after you discover there are werewolves in the wood, after you've fallen in love for the first time, after you've lost what you think you can't live without, after you've become someone you can't live with."

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.

Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn't cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.

But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it's only me who's not firmly in my own skin. 

{re: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/linger.php}

It's been quite awhile that I have been anticipating the release of a book!  When I found out that Linger was going to be released a week earlier than the publisher's original date, I was ecstatic! because God forbid I had to wait another week ;-)  I popped in Barnes & Noble to purchase it, and began reading immediately that day.  Maggie Stiefvater is becoming one of my favorite authors.  Her words are so rhythmic to me.  Each story just as compelling as the one before.

Linger begins where Shiver left off.  Sam is now a boy & Grace has her one true love back.  Everyone should be happy, right?  Not exactly.  There is an unspoken change occurring within Grace.  Her past of once being bitten by the wolves has caught up to her.  What she thought may have been a cure, may not necessarily be the truth.  While Sam is struggling with the idea of being human again, of making plans, of living out his future that he thought was once lost.  Isabel is still coping with the death of her brother, and living with the guilt that it was she who killed him by injecting him with the meningitis.  A new character, Cole, is introduced as one of the newest wolves in the pack.  He and Isabel are drawn to one another immediately based on their damaged pasts.

The character relationships is what dominates this book, in my opinion.  There is so much raw emotion floating around that it is hard not to get sucked in.  Even though the outcome is obvious, it is still hard to believe once it occurs at the end (I will not say due to spoilers).  A part of me felt relieved because there was so much being built up to that point, but then another part of me was very saddened by the ending results.  Linger grabbed me from the beginning, and I found it very hard to put the book down.  Maggie's descriptive nature is mesmerizing and beautifully told once again in this novel.  I was very pleased with this sequel, and even more intrigued to read the 3rd and final installment to the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (which I believe comes out in 2011).