Book Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3)

When I finished the last book in the ‘Wolves of Mystic Falls’ series, I loved it, in a whimsical, bittersweet kind of way. A story can’t stop being sweet when it has characters like the lyrical, quiet Sam and the practical, supporting Grace and even the strong, recovering Cole. And likewise it can’t stop being slightly bitter, with all the vitriol leaking out of Isabel’s insecure core. This is a story that portrays love, love that actually is understandable. There are the two couples: Sam and Grace loving each other with absolute faith, while Cole and Isabel wistfully wonder if they’ll ever be worthy of that kind of love – and if they’ll ever be able to love somebody that way.

Forever ended the series, it’s true, but the story still feels incomplete, appealing to the reader’s involvement in imagination. Who will end up as the real pack leader: the living-by-code Sam or the larger than life Cole? Isabel and Cole’s story is incomplete too, and I wonder if there’ll be a spin-off book/series later on. But it’s obvious that there was no way they’d have had a happily ever after in the timeline of this series. Both of them had lots of bitterness to shed, lots of self-reevaluation to do. By the end of the series, Cole has already made his peace with his life and loves Sam and Grace enough to sacrifice his life for them. While Isabel has just reached the beginning of healing and loves Grace and Sam, and I think Cole too (whose “death” she blames on myself) to stop her father from killing the rest of the wolves. So at the end of the story, Sam has gotten over his past and healed himself; Grace has decided to risk death like Sam had, to stop changing to wolf; Cole has survived the bullet wound and busy with handling the pack; and Isabel has moved to California, where I believe she’s doing better.

And as a bonus, the rabid werewolf who was the cause of the wolf hunt, is killed by Cole.

The wolves are safe. For now.

So see how the story feels haunting, a bit incomplete? I’m holding out for another sequel, but you know, sometimes, it’s better to end a story early than after it drags on.

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