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A review by moonwisher
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
5.0
I feel like I need to write my review for Sinner RIGHT NOW -- right after I've finished it, but before I've read other reviews for it and potentially had my own thoughts tainted by them.
And yet all I can think is: OH MY GOD, which is exactly what I said (over and over) after finishing the book approximately three minutes ago.
To get to the point, Sinner is incredible. Absolutely amazing. And it happens to be about my favorite character from Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I remember that while I loved those books, I was never all that blown away by them. Sam and Grace were great and all, but they just seemed a bit... not dull, not flat... but just less than what Cole and Isabel were -- because even then, I was endlessly intrigued by both of them. Yet when I was done reading Forever, I had always assumed that their collective story was going to be left open-ended for the readers to speculate on. So the announcement of Sinner had me squealing with joy.
Now, I honestly don't know what to say about the content of this book itself. But I realized, sometime as I neared the end of the book, just how damn well-written it is. I mean, I've always loved Maggie Stiefvater's writing style. And it was present again in this book. Even as either Cole or Isabel did/said things that infuriated me (which Isabel was more guilty of), I couldn't bring myself to hate them, or to be pissed at the author for making them do those things. Because the writing was beautiful. It was organic -- regardless of whether or not I liked what the characters did, it made sense that they did those things. I never once doubted their intentions or motivations.
I also loved that this wasn't one of those books where the characters had to tell each other "I love you" all the time -- for some reason, I was just glad that it wasn't like that, because it wouldn't have worked in this book. Because as a reader, you don't have to hear them say those words. You just know that they love each other, despite all the demons that take over their thoughts and actions. And in the same way, both Cole and Isabel just KNOW how the other feels.
So maybe I'll come back to this review in a bit and add something I forgot, or maybe bring to attention something I didn't like, but for now I'm going to leave it just the way it is.
Side Note: Also, Leon. I loved him as a secondary character.
And yet all I can think is: OH MY GOD, which is exactly what I said (over and over) after finishing the book approximately three minutes ago.
To get to the point, Sinner is incredible. Absolutely amazing. And it happens to be about my favorite character from Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I remember that while I loved those books, I was never all that blown away by them. Sam and Grace were great and all, but they just seemed a bit... not dull, not flat... but just less than what Cole and Isabel were -- because even then, I was endlessly intrigued by both of them. Yet when I was done reading Forever, I had always assumed that their collective story was going to be left open-ended for the readers to speculate on. So the announcement of Sinner had me squealing with joy.
Now, I honestly don't know what to say about the content of this book itself. But I realized, sometime as I neared the end of the book, just how damn well-written it is. I mean, I've always loved Maggie Stiefvater's writing style. And it was present again in this book. Even as either Cole or Isabel did/said things that infuriated me (which Isabel was more guilty of), I couldn't bring myself to hate them, or to be pissed at the author for making them do those things. Because the writing was beautiful. It was organic -- regardless of whether or not I liked what the characters did, it made sense that they did those things. I never once doubted their intentions or motivations.
I also loved that this wasn't one of those books where the characters had to tell each other "I love you" all the time -- for some reason, I was just glad that it wasn't like that, because it wouldn't have worked in this book.
Spoiler
In fact, Isabel only says it once, at the very end of the book, and I don't think Cole ever says it out loud.Spoiler
And the epilogue. Ah, the epilogue. I love a good epilogue, and this one hit the spot. Some people could argue that it was a little too HEA-ish, a little too perfect. But it was exactly what I wanted for Cole and Isabel. After all the shit they'd been through, it was exactly the kind of ending they deserved. Also, I had to do a double-take reading that first paragraph, because I assumed the last radio interview was taking place relatively soon after Cole's first album released. But I was surprised -- and so freaking happy -- to realize it was taking place quite a while after that, and yet my OTP was STILL TOGETHER! It gave me all kinds of happiness to realize that not only were they still together, but that Isabel was actually in a happy relationship despite what her parents had her believe about "real relationships". I applaud you, Maggie Stiefvater. You're one hell of a writer.So maybe I'll come back to this review in a bit and add something I forgot, or maybe bring to attention something I didn't like, but for now I'm going to leave it just the way it is.
Side Note: Also, Leon. I loved him as a secondary character.