REVIEW: LAMENT

Lament
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Scholastic
UK Release date: January 2011
Genre: Faerie
Kindly given to me by Sarah at Feeling Fictional

Deirdre is a cloverhand, gifted with the ability to see faeries and move objects with her mind. It is only when the mysterious and enchanting Luke Dillon helps her win first prize at the music competition that she realises her hidden gifts. But they are the very reason that he has turned up, because he is charged with the task of killing Deirdre.

Review: I’m not particularly a big fan of faerie stories but Maggie Stiefvater has a way of intrinsically weaving the plot, regardless of what it’s about, so into her characters that you can’t help but get swept up in their stories. And for me, Deidre is the kind of protagonist I love to love – humble and vulnerable on the surface and underneath she’s strong but still a good person.

The faerie aspect was balanced really well – Brendan and Una are obviously fair-minded, they live for beautiful music and dancing but they are still mysterious and wild. And then there’s Aodhan and Elanor who both really gave me the creeps. They’re out for blood and they enjoy it. What could be more scary? The descriptions of the faeries such as their smell and unusual looks add an extra layer and sensory element to the writing, instantly able to invoke a sense of fear or otherworldliness.

There are several subplots and facets to the story, such as Deidre’s family with her uptight controlling mother and suspicious catty aunt, and although they aren’t all explored in huge detail they still give the story depth, history, complexity and a sense of continuing mystery. This is still so much potential to look at the different factions of faeries as well as what will happen to Luke and Deirdre’s family that I naturally want to read on in the series. There are lots of first books in a series that I pick and kind of enjoy but wouldn’t bother reading the next book; but with Maggie Stiefvater and this series I do want to read on because I know undoubtedly that I will enjoy the rest of the series.

I honestly cannot find fault with the writing style because the plot flows so beautifully and naturally, bringing characters to life and giving a poetic, melodic quality to the story. I read Lament really quickly, lapping up each word and felt completely involved in the story. Few stories can do this from page one, but like her other novels Lament does this, pulling you straight into Deirdre’s life.

I’m seriously starting to think that Maggie herself has been touched by the fey because her writing is so magic, I love every word she writes!

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: FOREVER (WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS #3)

There are writers that create magic, and there are series and characters that hook you in. The Wolves of Mercy Falls is one of those series…

Forever
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: Yes, Wolves of Mercy Falls series #3
UK Publisher: Scholastic
UK release date: July 2011
Genre: YA

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. (Goodreads)

Review: One of the main endearing qualities to this series is the characters. Grace is undergoing huge changes, which feel both natural and unwanted at the same time. Sam is accused of Olivia and Grace’s disappearance, whilst trying to come to terms with Beck’s past and Grace’s future.
I love the contrast between quiet, thoughtful Sam and brash Cole, who is quickly becoming my favourite character. Cole and Isabel both feature a lot more in Forever, which I really enjoyed. They fight against each other, both scared to open up and be themselves. I really do root for them as I know deep down they are good people.

Mr Culpepper is one of those guys that not only loves power and seeing other things destroyed, but feels that other people must pay for his losses. The irony is that as I start hating him more for wanting to hunt down the wolves, his relationship as a husband and father improves. Hating him is easy and hard at the same time.

Forever has a perfect balance between being character and plot driven. You get right inside the heads of Sam, Grace, Cole and Isabel, all of whom are very different. Yet each of their stories is endearing and gripping. At the same time, there is a definite race against time to protect the wolves from Mr Culpepper’s plans to destroy them.

Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is undoubtedly beautiful, poetic and flowing. What I love best (and I’ve probably said this before) are the little details that make things seem so real and true. Minute details and nuances that nonetheless make the characters jump up off the page in full 3D glory.

When you get to the last book in any series, there is always an underlying expectation as a reader…for the story to go out with a bang, for the perfect happy ending, or for some real resolutions. What I like about Forever is that Maggie Stievfater doesn’t give you these things in bucket loads, but the story is better for it. I like that little bit of mystery. I can understand that some people might find this frustrating, but I wonder whether happy endings really exist anyway?

Forever is a beautiful, heart wrenching and gripping end to the Wolves of Mercy Falls series.

Rating: 5*

IN MY MAILBOX: DEBRIS AND FOREVER

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme.

I know it's not classy to brag, but please excuse me just this once. Normally I get most of my books from the library, and if I'm lucky I get to buy the occasional book. But this week, I got sent a book from Angry Robot. I'm so excited.

So firstly today IMM is Debris, the futuristic science fantasy debut novel by Jo Anderton.

Debris, Jo Anderton
October 2011
Angry Robot
In a far future where technology is all but indistinguishable from magic, Tanyana is one of the elite. She can control pions, the building blocks of matter, shaping them into new forms using ritual gestures and techniques. The rewards are great, and she is one of most highly regarded people in the city. But that was before the “accident”.
Stripped of her powers, bound inside a bizarre powersuit, she finds herself cast down to the very lowest level of society. Powerless, penniless and scarred, Tanyana must adjust to a new life collecting “debris”, the stuff left behind by pions. But as she tries to find who has done all of this to her, she also starts to realize that debris is more important than anyone could guess.

I also bought Forever,  the concluding story in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It has a very shiny silver cover and I can't wait to find out what happens to Grace and Sam.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
July 2011
Scholastic
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

What's in your mailbox this week?

REVIEW: LINGER

Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #2)

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

UK Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: YA

Summary (from Goodreads): 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 Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

Review: Linger continues on from Shiver, where Sam was cured of being a wolf. Now he is the only member of the pack who hasn't changed with the cold temperatures, and he has to come to terms with his new role and the loss of no longer being a wolf. Grace meanwhile has to face the returning threat that will soon change her life forever.

Whilst it is not a hugely action packed plot, there is a lot of suspense around what is happening to Grace and the new pack members. The story is however more character-orientated, focusing on the thoughts and feelings of the characters as well as the developing relationships. The narrative is split between the four main characters: Grace, Sam, Isabel and newest member of the wolf pack, bad-boy Cole. Despite being told from four distinct characters' perspectives, the story flows really well with the poetic quality of the writing buoying you steadily along.

Sam is such an adorable character - caring and thoughtful, he must deal with the changes of not being a wolf. I really love the way he thinks of everyone else, and has overcome his past. This is in contrast to Cole, who took his life to the excess with alcohol and drugs and not letting anyone in emotionally, but you do see some rare moments of change in him. Isabel develops more in Linger, and we see a more caring side of her. Grace has to stand up to her parents - in Forever hopefully we will see more of her as she faces up to the changes that have taken over her body. All of these characters have had different relationships with their parents, generally in a negative way, but are all dealt with in a very real and sensitive way.

Maggie Stiefvater's writing style is beautiful, flowing and very poetic. Sam's narrative is infused with little songs and rhyme and the plot encompasses lots of little 'moments' that happen in real life and make the story feel so real and alive. They are really only tiny little details, but I found myself thinking, oh yes I do that, and it made the story so much more intimate and real.

I did get a little frustrated knowing from the start that Grace would change, but having to wait to see what exactly would happen and when. The 'science' behind this however is interesting, and I really enjoy the refreshing way the whole series takes a very different approach to the were-wolf scenario. In fact you certainly wouldn't call Linger a were-wolf story, and this is down to the focus on the characters and the fact that the shapeshifting is more transformational and emotional, more natural rather than dramatic like most wold stories.

Rating: 4*

NEW 'FOREVER' COVER ART

Thanks to 'Down the Rabbit Hole', I discovered that the new cover for Maggie Stiefvater's book 'Forever' has been unveiled. And it looks so cool. Well, this is the US version anyway.

I don't imagine the UK cover art will be quite as cool, but I'm still looking forward to it coming out.

What do you think of the new cover?