Forever

Following Shiver (2009) and Linger (2010), the tables have turned. Instead of changing himself, Sam must wait and watch as his beloved Grace undergoes the sudden shifts from human to wolf. Former rock star and recently turned werewolf Cole believes he is close to a cure, but tensions in Mercy Falls have stretched to the breaking point in the wake of more attacks, and sharpshooters are being brought in to kill every wolf in the Boundary Woods. A hastily put together plan involves moving the pack, but who will lead them? The parallel love stories contrast beautifully with each other: Grace and Sam are sweetly innocent together, constant and enduring; while Isabel and Cole's relationship is more knowing, with sharp edges and an uncertain future. Stiefvater's emotional prose is rich without being melodramatic, and she clearly shares her fans' love of these characters. In a brief author's note, she describes her resolve to stay true to real wolf behavior and provides insight into her choice of settings.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2010 Booklist

Gr 8 Up-Readers will like much about this conclusion to the series. The love between Grace and Sam grows stronger and stronger, and the pain of their plight is palpable and heart-wrenching. The book begins where Linger (Scholastic, 2010) left off: Grace, thought to be immune to the "werewolf gene," has turned into a wolf, fleeing the hospital bed where she was dying. Much suspicion now surrounds Sam, the last person to see her. And now another local girl, Olivia, has been found dead, ravaged by wolves. Cole St. Clair's life as a famous rock star is at odds with his drug abuse. He sees no reason to live, and becoming a wolf seems like the best solution. But something is keeping him from shifting, so he begins to experiment on himself to find a cure for the werewolf gene. If he can find it, he can possibly save Grace and ensure that Sam is permanently cured. There isn't much time, though, as Tom Culpepper is still out for revenge on the wolves that killed his son. To make matters worse, Grace, the most logical of the bunch, keeps shifting between wolf and human. Sam's character is one to make teen girls swoon as he bakes, recites poetry, and sings love songs to Grace. Cole offers a nice contrast to Sam, with his rock-star charm and reckless ways. There is much action and suspense, although the idea of Officer Koenig riding in to help save the day is a bit far-fetched. The only downside to the story is the ending, which is left open for interpretation. While some readers will like drawing their own conclusions, others may feel let down at the lack of closure. This is not a stand-alone novel; familiarity with the previous two books is a must.-Lauren Newman, Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School, Columbus, NJ (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Forever SAM. Without Grace, I lived in a hundred moments other than the one I currently occupied. Every second was filled with someone else's music or a book I'd never read before or work or making breakd -- anything to fill my head. I played ceaselessly at normalcy, at the idea that it was just one more day without her and my family and that the next morning would be her walking through my door and life going on as it hadn't been interrupted. Without Grace, I was a perpetual motion machine, run by my own inability to sleep and my fear of letting my thoughts build up in my head. Every night was a photo copy of every day that came before it and every day was like the night that was like the day beofre. Again and again and again. Everything felt so wrong, the house full to the brim with Cole St. Clair and no one else; my memories edged with images of Grace in her own blood, shifting into a wolf; and over all of it, me, unchanging, my body out of reach of the seasons. I was waiting for a train that never pulled up at the station. But I couldn't stop waiting, because who would I be then? I was looking at my world in a mirror. Rilke said: This is what Fate means: to be opposite, to be opposite to everything and nothing else but opposite and always opposite. Without Grace, all I had of her were the songs about her voice and the songs about the echo left behind when she'd stopped speaking. And then she called. Excerpted from Forever by Maggie Stiefvater All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.