The official last book of the Wolves of Mercy Falls. Ultimately it was the best one for me, and it wasn’t even a part of the main series. It’s probably because we got a completely different mood for the book, which I did like. Regardless let’s dive in!
Customary warning: This is a reminder that these are my personal opinions. My thoughts and feelings are not your thoughts and feelings. I may not always be the target audience for a book; sometimes I am. If I do not like a book, that doesn’t mean you’ll dislike it. If I love a book or simply like a book, you may hate it. Take everything I say with this knowledge. If it sounds interesting to you despite what I’ve said, then go ahead and read it. You’ll only know you like something if you read it yourself.
That being said… Spoilers ahead.
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Synopsis From The Book
found.
Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn’t just want her. He needs her.
lost.
Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It’s not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes. But what’s the point? What is there to win?
sinner.
Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to love each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go.
Initial Thoughts Before Reading:
So this is the final book, a sort of novella, for the end of the Wolves of Mercy Falls. How can I explain how I feel? Well these last two books were the first two for my October reads and they were well worth the wait. Or at least I hope so. Begin my year in Mercy Falls and end my year here too. Hooray!
Initial Thoughts After Reading:
Okay so I always thought I hated Cole St. Clair. Turns out I just needed him in a different situation than living up with the wolves of Mercy Falls. I love Cole St. Clair. Who would have thought that out of all the books for this series, I’d love the last novella more than the main series. WOW.
Plot Overview:
Cole St. Clair has returned to LA. He has decided to work with a womaned named Baby North, notorious reality TV producer. She has produced shows of people with the craziest of stories, all typically ending in disaster. Cole knows all she wants is good television and all he wants is Isabel.
Isabel is in LA studying to be a doctor, working at a retail shop when she’s not studying. Cole shows up without telling her but she does agree to go out with him to a dinner, because she does still care for him. This book is essentially two different stories interwoven: Isabel and Cole, and Cole’s personal Journey.
Isabel and Cole
They go on multiple dates over the course of the book. Baby North tries to get Isabel on the show but Isabel effectively disagrees. She does not want to be on the show and luckily she gets to retain that right. The two are pushed into situations thanks to Baby North, such as Isabel walking in to seeing three topless girls before Cole. Or Cole partying it up after a good recording (although he was sober, just high off of excitement). Much of the time spent in Isabel’s perspective is her trying to keep herself from falling all while being jealous and not being able to believe that Cole has become a new person.
Cole
Cole has many interviews where the world expects him to fail. Upon arriving back, outside of checking on Isabel, he fires his new bad and convinces Jeremy to come back (After breaking several noise codes on the beach). He fights with Baby to control his life after she does things that are questionable, trying to make him lose control. He uses the wolf serum to numb the pain in his heart, and Isabel as his only reason to live. He doesn’t want to be Cole St. Clair anymore. He gets kicked out of restaurants for his past, roasted and not believed he has talent anymore, and beaten by a microphone by Victor’s sister.
He does ultimately reveal to Jeremy that Victor is dead, and creates some of the best music of his life. He has to confront his parents who are brought out for his birthday, and what that means. Ultimately he ends up causing himself such a panic, and releasing the wolf too much, that he turns into a wolf in LA’s streets right at Isabel’s shop. She ends up burning down the shop to get him back to human. She tells him she never wants to see him again.
Isabel, however can’t help herself because she’s in love with him and she knows he loves her too. So instead of returning all that is his, she goes and lets herself be filmed. As Cole is trying to perfect the very last ballad for the album, she goes to the studio and lets the world know why he truly came back.
For her.
The epilogue is years later. Isabel is graduating. Cole has opened a recording studio, where he has recorded an album with the current band, as well as helping another band make a million dollar album. He survived the TV show and made a comeback stronger than anyone expected.
What I Liked:
Cole St. Clair; I thought he was the world’s biggest asshole. He sort of still is, but he’s an asshole I can understand. I love everything about Cole in a situation where he isn’t trying to save wolves. Cole with music and being famous, is Cole in his natural habitat. Seeing him in that world made me love him. He’s cocky, but charming, and his lines kill me. If I could quote the whole book, or at least every time Cole talks, I would. To bad that I can’t do that. Cole St. Clair is what made this book a 5/5 for me at least.
Isabel; She drove me up a wall as she always did, but at least I understood why. Isabel has never been my favorite character, but at least she was entertaining and I can understand her. This book had me irritated with her decisions so much, because ‘look at how he’s changed.” Then I remembered I was reading his thoughts, and based on just his actions, there was not much to see for change. So I understand her completely.
Grace & Sam; Do show up and Grace is better. The cure did work! I’m so excited for this.
What I Would Have Liked or Changed:
To have a soundtrack of all of Cole’s Songs. Is that possible no? That sucks.
Time Taken To Read
2hrs 15min
Rating: 5/5
Notable Quotes:
” ‘Do you say anything without thinking whether or not it sounds good?’
‘ I don’t even know why I’d bother opening my mouth otherwise.’ ” – Isabel to Cole, pg 150. If this doesn’t explain Cole’s personality, I have no clue what ever will.
Marlena Marie 
Thanks for the review.
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