Wolves of Mercy Falls

After all the hype and excitement around books like Twilight and Hunger Games I wanted to explore what other options were out there that appeal to the crowd of people who also enjoyed the above mentioned books. So far I've read a few series: Poison Study by Maria Snyder which appealed to the ability to live in the woods and rebel against the government with a hint of romance mixed in, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld which takes place in a futuristic society where everyone is equalized by "turning" pretty at age 16 and there is rebellion, clashing mindsets, and romance, and finally there is the Wolves of Mercy Falls which I want to review here. This series by Maggie Stiefvater is comprised of three novels.

Sam's not just a normal boy - he has a secret. During the summer he walks and talks as a human, but when the cold comes, he runs with his pack as a wolf. Grace has spent years watching the wolves in the woods behind her house - but never dreamed that she would fall in love with one of them. Now that they've found each other, the clock ticks down on what could be Grace and Sam's only summer together. Can Grace and Sam last? Each will have to fight to stay together - whether it means a reckoning with his werewolf past for Sam, or for Grace, facing a future that is less and less certain. Enter Cole, a new wolf who is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being human. For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is harrowing and euphoric, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But can it be enough?

My Thoughts:


Book 1: Shiver - This book is very twilight-like, with the main character being immune to the werewolves bites (similar to Bella being immune from the vampire special powers to read her mind), and with the main character falling head over heals in love with him at first sight even though she knows it's dangerous for her to fall for a wolf. If you enjoyed the general concept of falling in love against your better judgement with someone (or something) that is dangerous, then you may enjoy this series. While not much happened in the first book other than the main characters meeting each other in true form, it was a quick and easy read.

Book 2: Linger - While I enjoyed this novel better than the first there still isn't much plot or action. Essentially Grace is sick the entire book trying to figure out why, and Sam is fully human and trying to care for his pack, with some parental conflict, some romantic conflict and that's about it.

Book 3: Forever - Of the three novels this was my favorite because it had the most drama and action. Cole was the mastermind behind all the plotting and scheming, while Sam was the elected hero who still doubted his abilities, so while I didn't love the ending because it left me hanging and not knowing what happened to Grace and Sam, it was an enjoyable read.


Overall, I am not generally a fan of books written from several points of view as it becomes hard to figure how who is "speaking" and addressing whom. I would have enjoyed this novel more if it were one point of view. So pro's would be written with a similar audience to the Twilight Series, similar heroine, several main characters to keep confusion to a minimum, and easy to read, and the con's would be that books 1 and 2 are a bit slow moving, but this is made up for in book 3.

Let me know what you thought of this trilogy. :)