Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Little Red Riding Hood complete with hood and a Big Bad Wolf!

Scarlet and her grandmother are farmers. They sell their produce to the local stores and taverns in the nearby town. When Scarlet first meets Wolf she is startled by his looks, yet drawn to him. They are soon thrown together in the search of Scarlet's missing grandmother.

In the meantime Cinder is working at escaping prison before the Lunar Queen Levana has her put to death. Cinder and renegade Captain Thorne set out to find why Cinder is so important to the Queen and to hopefully find out more information about the dead princess Selena.

Both Scarlet and Cinder find secrets about themselves that have been kept from them for years. Will they be able to grasp who they each are before it is too late for the people of earth?

Scarlet was every bit as good as Cinder! I was not disappointed...well maybe a little bit at the ending, but only because Scarlet ends with a HUGE cliffhanger! I enjoyed reading Scarlet's story and her attraction to Wolf(there are a couple of sigh-worthy tender moments!). But I also enjoyed jumping back into Cinder's story and to read how both Scarlet and Cinder's lives collide. A bit of romance, a bit of suspense all set in a dystopian world~doesn't get much better than that!

Thanks to my friend Karin at Karin's Book Nook(and the Edgy half of Edifying and Edgy) for allowing me to borrow her ARC copy of Scarlet. Karin received her copy at TXLA in Houston in April. Scarlet will be available in February 2013 and I plan on buying a hardback copy to go with my copy of Cinder. Love the covers!

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Sam no longer turns into a wolf, but now Grace does. While Sam waits for warmer weather and Grace's return a girls body is found in the woods. This sets in motion Isabel's father's attempts to get the ban on hunting wolves lifted.

Since the girl was found near the Boundary Woods and close to Sam's house he is instantly a suspect. Especially since Grace too has seemed to have disappeared.

With the looming threat of the wolves being hunted and Grace being out there with them Sam and Cole must find a place to move the wolves.

In order to save the lives of the wolves and Grace Sam must do something he hoped he would never have to do again.

Although Forever is not always filled with action the ability of Maggie Stiefvater to keep a person engaged in the characters provides a fascinating page-turner. She has a way of explaining the thoughts and actions of the characters that makes you feel their emotional trauma right along with them. The love between Sam and Grace tugs at your heart. When you read about Sam's struggle to get his thoughts out into words you feel empathy for him. The relationship between Cole and Isabel was filled with tension. And the drama of the wolves' peril kept me holding my breath wondering which ones would survive. Great job Maggie Stiefvater! I will miss Sam and Grace, but I do have one complaint: I wish there were a different ending!

WORD DEFINITION: I have looked this word up and cannot find it in the dictionary. I am wondering if it is a typo, or if it is actually a word.
"I saw now that the kitchen floor was covered with dirt, the dull yellow lights illuminating where Cole's pacing had painted an OUROBOROS  of filthy footprints in front of the cabinets." pg. 32 of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

I love to read and find new words and their definitions. But this one is not find-able. If you know what it means let me know!

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

*SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER* *SPOILER*

Before Beck turned into a wolf forever he made some new wolves. One of those wolves is Cole. Cole was the lead singer for a huge rock band. He was burned out and wanted out. He thought being a wolf would keep him from thinking about what a poor excuse for a human he was.

Sam no longer has to worry about turning into a wolf. They found the "cure" for him. But it is now his responsibility to take care of the other wolves that show up at Beck's house. His girlfriend Grace was bitten many years before but has never turned into a wolf. They thought she was immune. Unfortunately that is not the case.

Shortly after the story opens Sam is caught in Grace's bed by her parents. He and she are forbidden to see each other. Having been absentee parents for all of Grace's growing up years Grace is not about to bow to their authority now. She refuses to be separated from Sam.

Something is happening inside of Grace's body that has her too scared to tell Sam. Sam knows something is going on, he can smell the faint wolf smell coming off of Grace's body. Neither one of them want to admit though that Grace may soon be out wandering the forest with the rest of the wolves.

Cole can't figure out why he can't stay a wolf longer. His friend Victor can't seem to stop changing at all. Grace was bitten years ago and just now the symptoms of transforming to a wolf are manifesting. Everyone thinks Sam has been cured. 

 Unfortunately we won't find out the answers to any of these problems until the 3rd book. And since this is an Advanced Copy I don't see the 3rd one being available for a long while. I hate being left hanging!

Obviously this wasn't my favorite between Shiver and Linger. But I still am caught up in the love story between Sam and Grace. I am still wrapped up in all the emotions of the characters. And I can't wait for the 3rd book to be available as an ARC or purchased copy. Please hurry Ms. Stiefvater!