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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Holy woah was this something. This was really and truly a piece of art right here. Probably because it was the sequel, but I wasn’t wary at the beginning like I usually am, and I just fell so fast and so hard for James and Nuala, and even Paul and Sullivan, and–the weirdest part was I could not stand Dee. She made me mental in this one, and I always groaned at the mention of her. I mean, what the hell? It was so weird seeing Maggie put her in that light, but, at the same time, it really worked for what had happened to her and how her character was developing. I loved the idea of the unsent texts–the progression of those was brilliant. And just–Nuala in general. I loved her from the moment we met her onward, as well as Sullivan. AND THAT ENDING! Perfection. I can’t wait for another, ♥
Ballad was much more fast-paced and well-written than Lament. James was a well developed character, and I enjoyed being in his head for this one.
I wasn't sure I'd like James POV after the first book, but I shouldn't have worried. Maggie Stiefvater could make me love anything. I love how she makes magic feel so very real. The fae are so alien, and yet so real at the same time.
Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie is the sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception; together these books fit perfectly into the increasingly popular young adult genre but, unlike most of the other books sprouting up everywhere, these books don't contain fangs, they contain Fey. Ballad picks up a couple of months after the events of Lament, placing James, the unrequited best friend, as the main character.
The depth of research Stiefvater attained is increasingly obvious with the turn of each page. Ballad is chock full of amazing traditional Celtic faerie folklore and even a thoroughly researched Deity. "The Good Folk" have been an inspiration to thousands of writers throughout history; much of the folklore and faerie tales have remained consistent with each passing decade, and Stiefvater remains true to that tradition while adding her own flavor by revealing some folklore that is not popularly known. Her addition of Cernunnos, a traditional Celtic Deity usually depicted as representing for the dead, is what in my opinion pulled Stiefvater from researched well, to absolutely amazing. The plot was fast paced, action packed, and perfectly braided with the folklore and the characters.
The characters in this book were also, in my opinion, spot on. It has long been a belief from children's fables that faeries are a benevolent race of magical beings, but in this book, they are depicted as they originally were written, as a warning against the evils of magic. James is a typical teenage guy, with the addition of a genius musical talent and a smattering of psychic ability. Nuala is a not so typical faerie who trades musical inspiration in exchange for years of one's life. James's ability to recognize the faerie is the only thing that saved his life and brought these two characters together. The relationship that forms between Nuala is completely honest from the beginning and so different from the love that Dee and Luke shares in Lament. It was amazing that James could fall in love with Nuala even after everything that happens to him Lament; his ability to forgive and adapt is hopefully what will save the friendship that was destroyed by Dee being a selfish idiot.
At some points throughout the book Stiefvater could have let the reader into some of the secrets she was harboring earlier, it got a bit confusing in some areas due to what the reader is unaware of. Things of course become clearer at the end but, for a little while in the middle, the reader spends time trying to figure out the reasons for some of the inserted passages when there really is no need. It is suspect that they were written in an effort to foreshadow but as a young adult reader, it may have been too much. Overall this book was enjoyable, not as imaginatively pleasing as Lament but definitely not bad at all.
The depth of research Stiefvater attained is increasingly obvious with the turn of each page. Ballad is chock full of amazing traditional Celtic faerie folklore and even a thoroughly researched Deity. "The Good Folk" have been an inspiration to thousands of writers throughout history; much of the folklore and faerie tales have remained consistent with each passing decade, and Stiefvater remains true to that tradition while adding her own flavor by revealing some folklore that is not popularly known. Her addition of Cernunnos, a traditional Celtic Deity usually depicted as representing for the dead, is what in my opinion pulled Stiefvater from researched well, to absolutely amazing. The plot was fast paced, action packed, and perfectly braided with the folklore and the characters.
The characters in this book were also, in my opinion, spot on. It has long been a belief from children's fables that faeries are a benevolent race of magical beings, but in this book, they are depicted as they originally were written, as a warning against the evils of magic. James is a typical teenage guy, with the addition of a genius musical talent and a smattering of psychic ability. Nuala is a not so typical faerie who trades musical inspiration in exchange for years of one's life. James's ability to recognize the faerie is the only thing that saved his life and brought these two characters together. The relationship that forms between Nuala is completely honest from the beginning and so different from the love that Dee and Luke shares in Lament. It was amazing that James could fall in love with Nuala even after everything that happens to him Lament; his ability to forgive and adapt is hopefully what will save the friendship that was destroyed by Dee being a selfish idiot.
At some points throughout the book Stiefvater could have let the reader into some of the secrets she was harboring earlier, it got a bit confusing in some areas due to what the reader is unaware of. Things of course become clearer at the end but, for a little while in the middle, the reader spends time trying to figure out the reasons for some of the inserted passages when there really is no need. It is suspect that they were written in an effort to foreshadow but as a young adult reader, it may have been too much. Overall this book was enjoyable, not as imaginatively pleasing as Lament but definitely not bad at all.
I enjoyed the first book, but I didn’t really care to dive into any other character’s perspective. When my library loan ended I didn’t care enough to renew.
I definitely preferred Ballad to Lament. Ballad answered some of the questions left by Lament, but not all of them, so I could not give it 5 stars; there are still questions I have from Lament as well as a couple, but not many, new ones.
I enjoyed the change of perspective, not just from James and Nuala, but compared to Deirdre's narrative in Lament. I found James to be a much more fun character to read from, making Ballad a much easier read for me than Lament was. I also found Deirdre to be quite annoying in this book. I do not know whether this was from not getting her first hand point of view on everything, meaning I could not fully understand her motives, or if she has simply changed since Lament. Either way, I was thankful for the fresh commentary of James and Nuala, which combined gave just enough information that you thought you were in the know, but little enough that you could never be quite sure.
This book definitely upholds the suspense well, and again, certainly a lot better than Lament. Rather than keeping me sort-of-wanting-to-know what happened, I was anxious to reach the climax of this story. When the conclusion itself did come, I felt Stiefvater could have expanded a bit more on what she wrote, but it was a good and fitting ending nonetheless. I know from reading the rest of her books that Stiefvater is not one for long, drawn-out endings.
One thing I feel I must mention is the book's extremely clever constant use of metaphor. Not literally, but the way Stiefvater makes hints at metaphors about magic and life, echoed in James' play.
Overall, this book gets a well-deserved 4 stars from me. Definitely worth a read, and made me glad I stuck with the series after my slight disappointment in Lament.
I enjoyed the change of perspective, not just from James and Nuala, but compared to Deirdre's narrative in Lament. I found James to be a much more fun character to read from, making Ballad a much easier read for me than Lament was. I also found Deirdre to be quite annoying in this book. I do not know whether this was from not getting her first hand point of view on everything, meaning I could not fully understand her motives, or if she has simply changed since Lament. Either way, I was thankful for the fresh commentary of James and Nuala, which combined gave just enough information that you thought you were in the know, but little enough that you could never be quite sure.
This book definitely upholds the suspense well, and again, certainly a lot better than Lament. Rather than keeping me sort-of-wanting-to-know what happened, I was anxious to reach the climax of this story. When the conclusion itself did come, I felt Stiefvater could have expanded a bit more on what she wrote, but it was a good and fitting ending nonetheless. I know from reading the rest of her books that Stiefvater is not one for long, drawn-out endings.
One thing I feel I must mention is the book's extremely clever constant use of metaphor. Not literally, but the way Stiefvater makes hints at metaphors about magic and life, echoed in James' play.
Overall, this book gets a well-deserved 4 stars from me. Definitely worth a read, and made me glad I stuck with the series after my slight disappointment in Lament.
I really enjoyed this book much more than the first one, Lament. Ballad had more enjoyable characters and an interesting story line.
While Lament is about Dee, Ballad is about her best friend James. James is a talented bagpipe player who is supernaturally sensitive, meaning he can see and sense some faeries. This book unlike the first one is not a stereotypical boy meets girl love story, the characters have more emotional depth and wisdom. James meets the Leanan Sidhe who calls herself Nuala and the story of their unconventional relationship is funny and relatable. While this is still a love story it is not the love at first sight (soul stealing) kind.
If you enjoyed the Wicked Lovely series or just books on Faerie this will be a good read for you.
While Lament is about Dee, Ballad is about her best friend James. James is a talented bagpipe player who is supernaturally sensitive, meaning he can see and sense some faeries. This book unlike the first one is not a stereotypical boy meets girl love story, the characters have more emotional depth and wisdom. James meets the Leanan Sidhe who calls herself Nuala and the story of their unconventional relationship is funny and relatable. While this is still a love story it is not the love at first sight (soul stealing) kind.
If you enjoyed the Wicked Lovely series or just books on Faerie this will be a good read for you.
This wasn't quite a four star... But I rounded up. The first of this series I wasn't impressed with, but this one was much closer to what I've come to expect from this author. There were enough instances of thought-provocation/quotable passages, that I couldn't just leave it at a three.
James plays the bagpipes, and he's extremely good at it. So good, in fact, that the special conservatory where he attends high school doesn't have an instructor good enough to teach him. But he didn't choose the Thornking-Ash School of Music to help his playing; he's there because of a girl. Because of course he is. And the two of them are mixed up with the Them, who chase teens with exceptional musical abilities. But James becomes more involved with the Fey than even he would have guessed at this new school, and becomes torn between his oldest friend/object of his unrequited interest, and his new and also very interesting friend, who happens to be a leanan sidhe. They're all in danger when they discover that the queen of Faerie is planning something big with the horned king of the dead, and James will have to make some tough decisions before it's all over.
I enjoyed this one a good deal, and it's a great follow-up to Lament. Stiefvater has fast become one of my favorites because she has that fabulous talent of blending the supernatural into the real world so effortlessly, and her love of myth and folklore shows, and I love her for that.
I enjoyed this one a good deal, and it's a great follow-up to Lament. Stiefvater has fast become one of my favorites because she has that fabulous talent of blending the supernatural into the real world so effortlessly, and her love of myth and folklore shows, and I love her for that.