Forever

A lot of you aren't going to agree with me on this.

Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy has kept me interested enough to follow it to the end, but not enough to remember details. For example, Forever, the third and final book in the series, begins with a prologue where Shelby is the narrator. I had to look up who Shelby was. A character that has been an antagonist in the two previous books and caused countless drama, and I had to look her up because I just couldn't place her.

I don't know why this series is like that for me. When I'm in the middle of reading each of the books, I'm glued to it and it's all I read (no switching back and forth with other books to take a break), but when it's over I'm just...done with it. It's not a book or series I really think about much after I've closed it. Which isn't to say it isn't good, it's just not mind-bending or paradigm-shifting or, apparently, all that memorable.

And I feel bad for saying it, because I really enjoyed reading each of these novels. I felt that Forever was a fitting conclusion to the trilogy and I applaud Ms. Stiefvater for ending it the way she did (I won't spoil it for you; it was just nice that she took a different turn than simply putting a pretty bow on it and calling it a day).

I figure if you're interested in reading Forever it's because you've also read Shiver and Linger, so I won't waste your time with a detailed synopsis. You know what's going to happen: Sam and Grace need to figure out how to beat the werewolf gene with the help of Isabel and Cole, while battling the likes of Shelby and Isabel's father. There's plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments and heartfelt romance to balance it all out, and in the end, well, it's a bit predictable, but you won't see everything coming, which is what I expect in a YA novel (especially in the conclusion of a series).

3 out of 5 stars. I liked it, but I didn't love it. And if you like the genre of paranormal YA novels, you're more than likely going to like this series, as well as this particular book because it, quite simply, fits.