Review: Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

390 pages
Published 2011 by Scholastic
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

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This makes me very sad. I was so invested in this series. I liked Shiver, loved Linger. And absolutely hated the ending of Forever.

Grace has started shifting. In the months without her Sam barely lives. They have to find out a cure that makes sure they will be able to be together, forever.

Starting these novels, you know they aren't going to be action-packed. They're romance books of the dreamy kind. You float through them on a happy cloud of beautiful descriptions. Ms Stiefvater is a very talented writer, and her language is amazing.

Sadly, Forever fell flat for me. It was as if every bit of spirit was sucked out of the main characters. Dreamy Sam turns into whiny Sam. Independant Grace turns into numb Grace. They just mope around, feel bad for themselves and do absolutely nothing about it. Not even Grace who is such a do-person instead of a thinker. Cole and Isabel are a great couple, but there was way too little of them in the book. I wanted more chemistry, but instead there were more fights.

I'm one of those people that can't just abandon a series mid-way. I stick with the characters to the end. I want to know where they end up, and with who. I want to know who lives and who dies. Doesn't matter how long it takes, I like to have the closure of a series ending. I will not spoil it for you, but Forever ends on a big droopy cliffhanger. It ends with someone maybe or maybe not dying. That my friends, is not what I call closure. That isn't even what I call an ending for "open interpretation". That just damn sucky.

I wish I liked Forever better, I really do. It ruins the series for me now. Not feeling like rereading Shiver any time soon, to be disappointed by this book all over again.

Blurb

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.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5 Stars)
• Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (4/5 Stars)
• Review: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Eve by Anna Carey (3/5 Stars)

Review: Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton
(Anita Blake #8)

4 out of 5 stars

Published 1998 by Ace
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

There are so many characters in the Anita Blake series. Almost every book there are added more to Anita's group of sexy hunks. All these characters are both the strength and the weakness of Blue Moon.

Usually when I write a review, I add a little paragraph describing the main plot. The problem with this book is that there is so little plot that it almost seems useless to try to explain it. I'll give you a tiny summary instead: Richard is accused of rape, he'll turn furry soon, have to get him out of jail. And something with trolls.

Hamilton's heavy characterising is taking the toll on her plots. When this series started, the books were about a murder or an investigation, and you met some awesome people in between. Now the people are taking the stage, leaving almost no room for the plot. Seriously, there is so much talking, so much in depth flashes into the lives of about eight people of her sexy hunk group. The real plot could be described in just eighty pages.

The thing is, I really like character based books. So I don't get bored of all the interactions. But I know many of you are plot-lovers. I wouldn't recommend the Anita Blake books (the fifth and up) if you prefer plot-heavy books. In this one, there was a teeny tiny plot. From what I've heard, it'll only get smaller and smaller from now on.

Aside from the fact that I just detest Richard lately, this book was very enjoyable for me. It's like watching a horror paranormal soap series. Nothing very exciting, but definitely addicting.

On to the next one!

Blurb

When she chose master vampire Jean-Claude over her ex-fiancé, alpha werewolf Richard Zeeman, Anita learned that sometimes love is not enough. But though she and Richard won’t be walking down any aisles, she can’t turn her back on him when he’s arrested on a rape charge in Tennessee. Anita knows firsthand that Richard has the morals of a saint—or at least a boy scout. But his guilt or innocence is not the issue. He’s behind bars, and in five days a full moon will rise…

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Generation by William Knight (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Fire Baptized by Kenya Wright (2/5 Stars)
• Review: Enormity by W.G. Marshall (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Book Favourites: Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris

In a perfect world, reviewers would be able to review every single book they read. But as most of you know, you can't. Sometimes it's because you simply don't have the time. Sometimes it's because you just can't find the inspiration. And sometimes the book you're reading is so awesome that you can't describe it without turning into a blubbering fangirl. Every week I will be highlighting one of such books in Book Favourites.

After featuring The Fever series, I thought I'd share another of my urban-fantasy favourites. My reviews seem to be dominated by YA books lately, even though I'm not a purely YA reader. So this is what I read when I'm sick of angsty teenagers: the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series by Charlaine Harris! It's one of my guilty pleasures that I love to indulge in when I'm in the mood for something fast and fun. I've stopped at book four a few years ago, and am rereading them all now. So no spoilers for later books! *frowns*

Why this series is awesome:

• The heroine, Sookie. She can read people's minds, which is an awesome power, but she's a very realistic person too. I love how she struggles with accepting there are paranormal creatures in a much more believable way than almost any other main character
• The books are incredibly quick reads - perfect to read in between review books
• They have all kinds of paranormal creatures, without it making too confusing
• Viking vampire Eric. He's hot
• The fact that she doesn't sleep around while she's single. Seems like a strange thing to say, but I'm quite happy when paranormal romance doesn't have that much sex in it
• The mystery isn't predictable
• I want to know who Sookie ends up with!
• If you're not in the mood to read you can also watch the True Blood TV series. It's not the same, but it's fun

I recommend this series if you like:

• Urban fantasy
• Paranormal romance
• Realistic heroines
• Vampires
• Shifters
• Family drama
• Long ongoing series

Review: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
(The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)

5 out of 5 stars

Published by Scholastic
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

Ms Stiefvater is steadily becoming one of my favourite authors. As I said in my review of the first book of the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, Shiver, I liked it. This liking is slowly turning into something more, something that is reserved only for my all-time favourites.

Now Beck is gone, Sam has to take his place. With the three new wolves he is feeling the burden of responsibility. With every single day Grace becomes sicker, and he doesn't know how to help her. Isabelle is falling for Cole, one of the new wolves, but he is even more broken than she is. There is a lot going on in Mercy Falls, and not all of it is good...

Reading Linger felt like returning to old friends. I read it during the hectic mess that are my review books. I read it when I went to sleep and wanted something comforting. The dreaminess of Ms Stiefvater's writing draws me in so effortless. I can pick up her book after a long stressful day and within a few words get transported to her world.

Another thing I love is how realistic her relationships are. Sam and Grace are still an amazing couple and I was very glad that she didn't insert petty fights to make it more exciting. The only issues they had were things outside of their doing. A big issue in Linger are Grace's parents. Now Grace and Sam have been together for so long, eliminating their oh-it's-just-a-fling attitude, they are getting in the way of their relationship. The whole situation is so life-like. I can imagine parents all over the world reacting the same way.

The budding romance between Isabelle and Cole is awkward and adorable. I think one day they will make a great couple. They are absolute opposites to Grace and Sam, yet awesome all the same. I'm looking forward to see what happens to them in the next book.

One thing I didn't like - the cliffhanger! Argh, now I have to read the last book in the trilogy, Forever. I heard a lot of people are disappointed with the conclusion. I just hope reading Forever is just as enjoyable as reading Linger.

Blurb

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Passion by Lauren Kate (2/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads
• Book Depository

Review: Burnt Offerings by Laurell K Hamilton

Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton
(Anita Blake #7)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Penguin
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

The Anita Blake series is a guilty pleasure of mine. I just don't know why, but I enjoy reading them. I like to see main character Anita struggling with herself and her countless "I'm bigger and badder than you" enemies. I like the horror side of the series. Ms Hamilton definitely has a sick mind sometimes, but it works.

Burnt Offerings was perfect for satisfying my Anita Blake fix. I'm glad Anita is still (kind of) monogamous in this one, from what I've heard she won't really stay that way. The infamous vampire council comes to town, which brings a big bunch of amazing characters like the tortured Asher and another triumvarate.

Anita, as always, runs around waving with her gun and generally kicking ass. She's getting some very interesting powers with Richard and Jean-Claude behind her. But I see a bit of a change in this book; she's mellowing down a bit. Don't take me wrong, she still has attitude problems. But she knows when a person needs a bit of comfort, and she doesn't shy away of giving it.

There was a lot of plot going on in Burnt Offerings. Anita has to deal with the vampire council, an arsonist on a rampage, two kinds of shifters that vie for her attention, and a jealous boyfriend. I wasn't completely satisfied by the way everything wrapped up. Probably just because I wasn't expecting it to be that way.

The Anita Blake series is one that you can't recommend or discommend. You either hate it, or love it. Some people love the early books, but hate the latter. There is just one way to find out to which team you belong, and that is to try it. I personally know for sure, I'm not done yet with Anita.

Blurb

Anita Blake is a vampire hunter. But when someone else sets his sights on her prey, she must save them both from the inferno.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Generation by William Knight (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Enormity by W.G. Marshall (4/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
(The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Scholastic

Usually when it concerns a book like Shiver, there are two teams. There is the "OMGZ THIS IS THE BEST BOOK, SAM IS HOT<333" team and the "this sucks. i'd rather die than read this shit again" team. They're both pretty self-explanatory. But right here, right now I will make a third team. I will call it "We Like Shiver". Because that's how I feel about this book. I don't love Shiver, I like it. I like the main characters, I like the romance, I like the werewolf lore, I like the story, I like the ending. But there's no passion for me here, there are no "oh my god" moments.

Well, except for the animal torturing part. If you read the book, you will probably know what I'm talking about. Yuck. Seriously. I had to put the book down for two days, it put me off so much.

Shiver is basically a classic young love story, with the big obstacle being that one of the two is a werewolf. The writing was pretty good, it was quite rich with some beautiful descriptions. There were a lot of little details to this book that tells you that a lot of time and effort went into this book to make it as good as possible. For example, the colour of the letters match the blue on the cover. Every chapter states the temperature, which is pretty relevant to the story. Overall it felt like a very polished effort.

But maybe it felt a bit too polished for my tastes. It felt like every real and raw emotion has been polished out. Shiver is just a big string of poetical moments. If you have one of them, they can be strong and memorable, but if you have too many, they just turn into a blur. What am I trying to say? Maybe the relationship between Grace and Sam was too easy.

That doesn't mean this isn't a very enjoyable book. But I never really swooned over Sam, even though I usually love a tortured hero. Conclusion is, I liked Shiver. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Who's with me?

Blurb

Grace and Sam share a kinship so close they could be lovers or siblings. But they also share a problem. When the temperature slips towards freezing, Sam reverts to his wolf identity and must retreat into the woods to protect his pack. He worries that eventually his human side will fade away and he will be left howling alone at the lonely moon. A stirring supernatural teen romance.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Passion by Lauren Kate (2/5 Stars)
• Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4.5/5 Stars)
• Review: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (5/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

3 out of 5 stars

Published by Knopf
Review copy received through Netgalley

Ms Rice has made some pretty weird twists and turns in her writing career. She has written BDSM erotica, steamy romance, ancient vampire fantasy, contemporary witches, religious fiction. Now she has left the Church, this is her latest addition to her bibliography: werewolf literary fiction.

The Wolf Gift is the story about a man that has been called Beautiful Boy all of his life, a label he detests. He is a reporter, and when he visits a mansion to write an article about, he gets attacked by an mysterious assailant. He survives, but it seems like things are changing. Changing his whole identity.

Even though Ms Rice may have left the Church, religious themes are very distinctly present. Very distinctly. I call this book werewolf literary fiction on purpose. This is not a light fast-paced paranormal read. The Wolf Gift is heavy stuff, continuously spiralling toward philosophical insights and ethical inner conversations about the true nature of good and evil. I guess she brings up some valid points here, but to be very honest that was not what I was expecting. I was hoping to see something more like her older work from her vampire-era. The Wolf Gift wasn't what I thought it would be at all.

This just really isn't my kind of book. I started skipping their philosophical discussions after a while. I am sure some of you will enjoy them, but I will warn you. Do not expect this book to be fast-paced or something that keeps you on the edge of your chair. This is something you might read in a comfortable chair with a sophisticated alcoholic beverage of your choice. Something you will discuss over dinner with your theological discussion group. Or something like that.

If the only thing I didn't enjoy in this story was the themes, I might have given this a higher rating. Something that really bummed me out was how horribly shallow the characters were. They felt like sock-puppets, just for show. They had no real personality, they weren't consistent. At some point I got confused by who was speaking, because all of their voices are almost identical. I was a bit disappointed by this. The woman who has created one of my favourite characters of all time, the vampire Lestat, wasn't able to bring this promising cast of characters to life.

Another thing that struck a nerve was how she handles the female relationships with Reuben, the main character. He switches effortlessly between lovers, loving (as in "I love you", not as in lusting after) them in a single week. Someone that made a very deep impression to him in the first half of the book, gets completely forgotten in the second half. He cheats on his girlfriend, but his girlfriend doesn't care because she understands. He gets a different girlfriend, and when he sees the old one, they're friends. No awkwardness at all. Even if a book is fiction, I like the story to have a certain credibility. I was very much disappointed in that area.

The Wolf Gift is not a bad book. There is a market for this kind of book, and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it. But in my humble book-lover's opinion, this isn't Ms Rice's best work so far.

Blurb

The time is the present.

The place, the rugged coast of northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.

A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer. . . an older woman, welcoming him into her magnificent, historic family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . an idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence. . .The young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing who—what—he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

As he resists the paradoxical pleasure and enthrallment of his wolfen savagery and delights in the power and (surprising) capacity for good, he is caught up in a strange and dangerous rescue and is desperately hunted as “the Man Wolf,” by authorities, the media and scientists (evidence of DNA threaten to reveal his dual existence). . . As a new and profound love enfolds him, questions emerge that propel him deeper into his mysterious new world: questions of why and how he has been given this gift; of its true nature and the curious but satisfying pull towards goodness; of the profound realization that there are others like him who may be watching—guardian creatures who have existed throughout time and may possess ancient secrets and alchemical knowledge and throughout it all, the search for salvation for a soul tormented by a new realm of temptations, and the fraught, exhilarating journey, still to come, of being and becoming, fully, both wolf and man.

Other reviews you might be interested in

• Review: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (4/5 Stars)
• Review: Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice (3/5 Stars)
• Review: Quicksilver by Joy Spraycar (3/5 Stars)

More links

• Author page
• Press
• Goodreads

Review: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
(Sisters Red #1)

4 out of 5 stars

Published by Hodder Children's Books

When I read in other people's reviews that this book is loosely based on the Red Riding Hood fairytale, this story was not what I was expecting at all.

In Sisters Red the story follows Scarlett and Rosie that have made it their personal mission to rid the world of the Fenris. After a brutal attack of a werewolf at their home Scarlett is scarred all over her body and she only has one eye left. With the help of long-time family friend Silas, they hunt on the Fenris. But how can three teens go up against the hundreds of Fenris?

It seems like there is a new trend developing in young-adult fiction. After a whole wave of angsty teenage girls that needed a supernatural boyfriend to save them (following the Twilight trend) I'm reading book after book of kick-ass heroines that know how to wield guns, bows or in this case even axes and throwing daggers. I love seeing more girls that know how to fight back in books. Being the damsel in distress doesn't cut it any more.

What surprised me most in this book was the great emphasis on the sister-relationship. Yes, I should have seen that one coming. It was interesting to see how these two sisters feel so alike, yet are both so completely different. For me it was hard to sympathise with such a close bond between two siblings. Their connection goes a lot further than the ordinary sister-love.

The story is basically about two things. One, finding your own identity and how to deal with changing relationships. Two, go out hunting and killing some monsters to save the innocent. Sometimes I had the feeling this was about everything this book has to it, with some filling between the two.

(Trying not to spoil anything.) I think the biggest problem was that I figured out the massive exciting oh-my-god plot twist after about fifty pages. While reading through the story I kept going "No...It can't be that easy, right?". Turns out, it was. Maybe I've read so many books that I just assume that the unassumable must be the solution. I was disappointed that I was right. It doesn't really make me feel clever or a good mystery-solver. I like to be surprised with something I didn't see coming at all. (End of possible spoiling area.)

Sisters Red is a very decent read. I think a lot of young-adults can identify themselves with Rosie, who wants to be someone else than her environment wants her to be. There is quite some gore, so maybe this isn't for the easily scared, but overall this is a well-written book. I would recommend this to all those very close sisters out there. I think those will thoroughly enjoy this story.

Blurb

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Review: The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton

4 out of 5 stars
This the 6th book in a series. May contain spoilers for previous instalments.

The Killing Dance is the sixth book in the controversial Anita Blake series. There are different camps in the ongoing discussion whether the books get better later on, or complete crap. I'm not sure yet which side I'm on.

What I do know is that I had a great time reading The Killing Dance. In this book Anita is in danger. That's nothing new. But now someone is hiring professionals to kill her. She has a price of about half a million above her head. It's just a matter of time until someone takes his chance.

In order to keep safe she has to hide in the notorious Circus of the Damned, where the daytime hiding place of the vamps is. This puts a strain on her fragile balancing act, the love triangle with vampire Jean-Claude and alpha were Richard.

These books are my guilty pleasure. They are certainly not literary prize winners, and you can't really identify yourself with the main character (if you are as gun happy as Anita, you do have a problem), but the story is engrossing and fast-moving. There are always tons of troubles and dangerous situations Anita has to overcome, and I like to see how she escapes death this time.

It's getting clearer and clearer that Anita isn't the straightforward good guy any more. She's dating the enemy. She doesn't think twice about killing. But it's nice to see that even the Executioner can get downright scared at times.

She's quite good at shooting moving targets, but in the relational department she can use some training. I though it was rather funny to see how she's struggling to keep everything from falling apart. There was some great JC/Richard interaction in The Killing Dance. I enjoy their jealous fighting over Anita. That being said, I have to admit that after reading this book I'm completely partial to Jean-Claude. He shows once again that deep down in his corpse-body there is still a heart somewhere. He truly wants Anita to be happy. Opposed to Richard, who just can't get past his jealousy. I already know a bit of how their relationships are going to evolve, but I'm still curious to how they become that way.

Maybe it's important to keep enough time between reading the Anita Blake books. I can understand how you get sick of Hamilton's repetitiveness when you read them all after each other. I thought the repetition of phrases wasn't as prominent in this book as in the others. The excessive use of the word "power" was slightly annoying, but I couldn't really come up with an alternative, so I don't blame the author.

I'm going to keep reading this series. I still find the books enjoyable, even though I can see them changing. I won't rush into buying book seven, Burnt Offerings, but when I'm looking for some fast-paced killing with sexy vampires and a lot of tension between the characters, I'll pick one up again.

Blurb

With a price on her head and professional killers on her trail, Anita Blake, prenatural expert and vampire killer extraordinaire, turns to the men in her life for help. Which in her case, means an alpha werewolf and a master vampire. She needs as much protection as possible, human or otherwise. But Anita is beginning to wonder if two monsters are better than one.