Review: Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater

Sinner (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #4)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Buddy Read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Isabel and Cole have both left Mercy Falls for Los Angeles, where she’s determined to move on with her life and he’s determined to win her heart. Even with his prodigious Cole St. Clair charm, Isabel won’t be easily swayed, especially since Cole also happens to be in California to star in his own reality show. She needs to know that he’s there because of her, but returning to the spotlight may supply one too many distractions—and temptations—for Cole to remain focused on why he followed Isabel to L.A.

Review: Isabel Culpeper and Cole St. Clair—what have you two done to me?!

Seriously. I’ve loved Isabel since Shiver and Cole since Linger, but I still was not prepared for the brilliance that is Sinner. As much as I adore Sam and Grace, and I adored them heaps throughout the previous Wolves of Mercy Falls books, Cole and Isabel refused to release their iron grip on my mind and my heart. Their chemistry is explosive; if either of them struck a match, everything within a fifty mile radius would ignite, too. I am eternally grateful to Maggie Stiefvater for deciding to give these two their own book because not knowing what the hell ever happened to them would have gnawed at me for an absurdly long time.

Sinner is an absolutely perfect novel about two imperfect people, and it’s all the flaws that make Cole and Isabel so damn real and their story so damn addictive to read. Maggie Stiefvater is unparalleled at taking the nuances of everyday life and examining them under a microscope: every word, every gesture, everything. Sinner often feels like a contemporary novel, propelled by two characters with equally towering page presences. There is not a weakness in either POV, and whether they’re in the same scene or separate ones, Cole and Isabel play off of each other’s narration seamlessly.

What more can be said about Cole St. Clair that he hasn’t eloquently said about himself already? He wears his ego like a badge, and on anyone else, it would come across as arrogance of the insufferable kind. But Cole also knows how to work a crowd, and did I fall hard for charming Cole. He’s a smartass to boot, a trait that I hold in very high esteem in my fictional characters, and so I found myself laughing maniacally at his Cole-isms. Because I never knew when the next outburst of cackling would occur, I nixed the idea of taking this book to work to read during lunch.

While Cole’s unique perspective on the world and Isabel’s snark amused me very, very much, Sinner did not hesitate to put my heart through the wringer, too. I felt anxious for Cole, who’s back in the public eye and surrounded by all of his old vices, some even provided by the producer of his new reality show because disasters make for compelling TV. I just felt for Isabel, so guarded with her heart, especially in light of witnessing her parents’ marriage in its death throes. Isabel isn’t the type of girl who wants anyone’s pity, though, and I love her for that. So too do I love how Stiefvater waves that magic wand of hers and convinces you unequivocally that Isabel and Cole are the only two people who truly know the real Isabel and Cole, the ones behind the ice queen and rock star exteriors.

Although the werewolf aspect isn’t as much of a focal point as it was in the previous books, it still surfaces at key moments. I’ve always marveled at the effortless way in which Stiefvater weaves the supernatural through stories that could otherwise fall under contemporary; her slight touch of paranormal in Sinner is particularly well done.

I’ve totally written an ode to Sinner and to Cole and Isabel instead of a review, but it wasn’t possible to do anything else but gush about how much I loved this book in its entirety. Maggie Stiefvater could not have written a more perfect conclusion to a fantastic series, and now I can proceed with life because I have my Isabel and Cole epilogue.

All in All: If you haven’t read Sinner yet, you MUST! I savored every single word of it, and it’s easily one of my favorite books of 2015.

Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

* This review contains spoilers for the previous books in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buddy Read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Sam is still human, but Grace has finally shifted into a wolf at a time when all of the Mercy Falls wolves face imminent and grave danger. As the all too few minutes tick by, Sam, Grace, and some unlikely allies work to find a way to save the wolves. What does become clear is that Sam needs to lead them, but he may have to become one of the pack again for the rescue plan to even have a sliver of hope for success.

Review: Oh man. Where to start talking about this book?

I feel like I’ve already used all the words, especially superlatives, to discuss Maggie Stiefvater’s The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. Forever continues in the brilliant footsteps of Shiver and Linger with compelling characters, exquisite storytelling, and insanely beautiful prose. I can’t get enough of the latter; it’s terribly addictive. It’s writing that makes me look forward to the next word on the page. Whether she’s describing the wolves or the Mercy Falls weather, animate or inanimate objects, the abstract or the concrete, Stiefvater does so with such effortless grace (no pun intended). She always selects the perfect word/perfect phrase for every scene and finds a story in even the most seemingly ordinary details of everyday life.

Sam and Grace have absolutely become one of my favorite YA couples. Ever. “Epic” doesn’t even begin to cover the depth and strength of their love for each other. It’s impossible to imagine Sam without Grace and Grace without Sam; they are truly as one.

Sam’s mettle really gets tested in Forever, as of course first, he must cope with Grace shifting and the growing suspicions of the Mercy Falls residents that he’s responsible for her disappearance. He also finds himself increasingly questioning how well he actually knows Beck, the man who’s in all essence been his father for most of Sam’s life. Finally, a huge threat looms over the entire pack, and with Beck no longer shifting back to a human, it falls on Sam’s shoulders to take action and save the wolves, including Grace. Sam is far from comfortable with this role, which frustrates Isabel, who goes through her own struggles in Forever (most of them Cole-related). Sam’s troubles are all interconnected, and when they converge, reading this becomes simultaneously heart-shattering and heart-pounding. I had about fifty pages left in the book and very, very stupidly thought I could read just a few more before leaving for work. Well, naturally I had to pry myself away from the book at a most inopportune point. Trust me, you do not want to read Forever in stolen moments here and there; you need to be able to spend quality time with it.

I must gush for at least a sentence or two about my other favorite couple, Isabel and Cole. They’re technically not a couple here, but they so are in my head! Forever sees Cole find a purpose, one that is integral to the wolves’ survival. Isabel finds that she’s really grown to care for a certain handful of people. Come on, Sinner: please let Cole and Isabel now find that they belong together!

I have devoured every book in this series. While I know that it’s not quite over yet and as much as I’m dying to jump into Sinner (GAH—more Cole and Isabel!), I’m going to miss Mercy Falls. A lot. Sam and Grace sent my heart spinning in every possible direction, and I loved every single minute of it.

All in All: There are no more words that adequately convey all the things Forever made me feel: happy, sad, fearful, and whatever adjective that best captures how you feel after reading some stunningly gorgeous writing.

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

* This review contains spoilers for the previous book, Shiver.

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buddy read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Sam's cure seems too good to be true, even to Sam. As he tries to believe that he can now spend the rest of his life with Grace, he also attempts to reconcile himself to the fact that he might be the only one who can help the new wolves, including the very complicated Cole St. Clair, adjust to their new lives. But Sam has no choice but to face the increasing evidence that something is very wrong with Grace; after everything they've been through to keep Sam human, they may not be able to stay together after all.

Review: It's book two into Maggie Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls series, and I am madly, madly in love with it. Each page is an exquisitely composed piece of prose; I'm fumbling to find the right words to describe how addicted I am to reading her writing. It's as though she infuses language with magic.

Shiver was heartbreakingly beautiful—emphasis on the heartbreak. But, the ending did kindle a spark of hope, which then gets doused fairly quickly in Linger. Sam appears to have been cured and no longer shifts into a wolf, but he struggles to believe that his humanity is permanent. Unease hangs over the story from the beginning, and it only snowballs from there.

Grace and Sam's swoon-tacular romance forms the centerpiece of this series, and anything that interferes with it shreds my heart. In Shiver, the pair's main obstacle was Sam's shifting; Linger doubles their adversity, which centers around Grace this time. There's something . . . amiss with her (vagueness necessary here to avoid revealing too much), plus her parents snap out of their self-involved bubble and actually try to parent. I'm still wrapping my head around that because their world consisted almost exclusively of themselves in Shiver. Now that Grace has a boyfriend, they're suddenly concerned and feel the need to establish rules because surely this is mere teenage infatuation on their daughter's part. I find it kind of funny, and maybe even a little ironic, that I've read plenty of YA in which the supposed romance lacked the emotional depth to make it come across as more than attraction or infatuation. But what Grace and Sam have—it’s the real deal. They picture themselves married one day and talk about growing old together. I can't think of many other YA couples who see beyond the here and now, and to me, that's what really sets Sam and Grace apart.

Linger adds two POVs to those of original narrators Sam and Grace. I loved Isabel's character in Shiver and was thrilled to discover that she had a POV in Linger. I know that she's not an easy character to warm up to, but I totally relate to and love how she has a very low tolerance for BS. Don't even consider spinning her a yarn because she doesn't have time for that crap.

Linger also introduces us to Cole St. Clair, former rock star and newly created wolf. His character is such an interesting study, especially when you compare it side-by-side with Sam's. Music has played a prominent role in both of their lives, but where it's still going strong in Sam's, Cole has walked away from it. He's walked away from the entire rock and roll lifestyle and now wants to lose himself in the oblivion of being a wolf. That's another key point on which Cole and Sam differ significantly—Sam wants to hold on to his human form and his human memories.

Not only does Cole cause some ripples for Sam, but he also creates quite a stir in Isabel's world. These two—it’s all sharp edges and cutting words with them, but there's also an undeniable magnetism there. I loved every Cole/Isabel scene, and I'm as wholly invested in what happens next with them as I am in Grace and Sam's future.

Linger is an entirely apt title for this novel; I kept thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I'm still thinking about this book, and this series, and the characters, and how I excited I am to read Forever, even if it destroys me emotionally, which is highly probable.

All in All: Another brilliant and very, very sad installment in the series. I'm even more in love with Grace and Sam's epic romance, and the addition of Isabel and Cole's POVs were most welcome.

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)
By Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
Buddy Read with Micheline of Lunar Rainbows Reviews

To Sum It Up: Six years ago, Grace Brisbane was saved from an attack by a pack of wolves—by another wolf with yellow eyes. Whenever the weather turns cold, the wolf returns, and although it keeps its distance, Grace can't help feeling that a connection exists between them. That's because the wolf is also a human named Sam, who's never forgotten about Grace. Sam's remaining days as a human are severely numbered, however, and it seems he's destined to live out his life as a wolf.

Review: As a rabid fan of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle series, reading her Wolves of Mercy Falls series was a must for me. And with the final Raven Cycle book still months away, well, I needed to get my Stiefvater fix somehow. So this was an ideal time to dive into Shiver.

The cold plays an integral role in this werewolf story, and, unsurprisingly given her prodigious talent, Maggie Stiefvater never lets you forget about it. Even living in a warm climate where it still feels very much like summer although it's almost fall couldn't keep me from believing that I needed a parka whenever I picked up this book. Every sensation and mood that can be associated with winter made its presence known within the pages of Shiver. The imagery is simultaneously gorgeous, haunting, and somber, as befits the overall tone of the novel.

I was pre-warned that this is a sad read, and I found that to be true. As Sam’s backstory unfolds, it just becomes more and more anguishing. I wouldn’t call it angsty, though; if anything, Sam has borne it all without devolving into self-pity. And just when Sam finally, as a human and not as a wolf, gets to know Grace, whom he’s fallen in love with over the six years since he saved her from nearly being killed by the rest of his pack, that damned cold stands between them. Dropping temperatures cause Sam to shift, and very soon, he won’t be able to fight off the change at all.

As the novel went on, I was surprised by how invested I became in Grace and Sam’s struggle to stay together. I’ve said it in a few other reviews: I’m far from being a romantic. Gooey love stories aren’t my cup of tea, so if the romance ends up being my favorite aspect of a book, it has to be nothing less than phenomenal. I admit to feeling a bit iffy about Grace and Sam’s relationship at first; it seemed like we were headed for another case of insta-love. But the more that I considered how they had a link from the day that he rescued her and that bond then continued to develop over six years, the more I came around to the intensity of their feelings for each other. Ah, analyzing matters of the heart is such a subjective thing, especially for someone whose brain is so ruled by logic like mine is.

Reading Shiver reminded me how much I absolutely adore Maggie Stiefvater’s prose; you could set it to music, just as it is. Once again, I can’t quite believe that I’m saying this, but it’s the truth: I LOVED the romance in this book. I desperately wanted Grace and Sam to find a way to be with each other as much as they did. Now, please excuse me while I resume trying to figure out just what the hell this book did to my heart.

All in All: I had really high expectations for this because of all the love that I have for The Raven Cycle, and I was not disappointed. Shiver is a beautifully written story that I’m very happy to have read at last.