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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
I really don' like James or Nuala's character. They way Nuala acts towards Dee is less than juvenile, and the way James treats Dee when she finally comes to him to make amends is deplorable. On the whole I think this is a weak series and that Steifvater has grown since writing these. The female character all seem to fall into the catty, must fight over men, or fight in general role instead of the kickass females from some of her other series. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy fairies as the fairy lore is well put together and well researched.
When I first started reading this I wasn't really that keen, as I'd fallen in love with the story of Luke and Dee and wasn't sure on this all new perspective. But, towards the end I can safely say Nuala and James definitely overcame Luke and Dee easily. It even resulted in me starting to have a dislike for the once much loved character, Dee, due to her pathetic lack of sense and bravery.
After reading Lament and before reading this, I thought, Mrs. Stiefvater, please please please make the book better or I won't be your fan anymore.
And thank you so much Mrs. Stiefvater, this book was WAY much better that it deserves a 5-star rating (: Thank you so much for making my day.
I just love love love James. He is a way better main character than Dee or Luke, and I just love seeing everything in his point of view. The romance was, as always, heartbreaking and brilliant. I love the pairing so much it hurts. They make me smile. The plot, overall, is not amazing, but the characters (not just James and Nuala, but also other characters too!) were all amazing, except Dee whom I really hate.
I guess the author should have written more on Dee's point of view, maybe that way I wouldn't hate her so much and we would know more about what's going on. At the end of the book I just couldn't understand why James would actually befriend her. I felt like she was such a minor character I really didn't care about her.
The ending was superb. I love this ending even more than Forever's ending, because the ending makes me sigh and smile and think about it for hours.
And of course, the idea of a human dating a faerie, no matter how human she is, was kinda weird. But with Mrs. Stiefvater, anything works out. And so I thank Mrs. Stiefvater for this wonderful book.
I'm still smiling at the moment, just thinking of James and Nuala. <3
And thank you so much Mrs. Stiefvater, this book was WAY much better that it deserves a 5-star rating (: Thank you so much for making my day.
I just love love love James. He is a way better main character than Dee or Luke, and I just love seeing everything in his point of view. The romance was, as always, heartbreaking and brilliant. I love the pairing so much it hurts. They make me smile. The plot, overall, is not amazing, but the characters (not just James and Nuala, but also other characters too!) were all amazing, except Dee whom I really hate.
I guess the author should have written more on Dee's point of view, maybe that way I wouldn't hate her so much and we would know more about what's going on. At the end of the book I just couldn't understand why James would actually befriend her. I felt like she was such a minor character I really didn't care about her.
The ending was superb. I love this ending even more than Forever's ending, because the ending makes me sigh and smile and think about it for hours.
And of course, the idea of a human dating a faerie, no matter how human she is, was kinda weird. But with Mrs. Stiefvater, anything works out. And so I thank Mrs. Stiefvater for this wonderful book.
I'm still smiling at the moment, just thinking of James and Nuala. <3
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.
Ballad is not the usual type of a sequel. Though connected to Lament and Dee’s story, it does not continue it in a straightforward manner, but rather focuses on Dee’s friend James and his story, which is a refreshing approach.
In Ballad, Stiefvater continues to rely upon the faerie mythology, which is pretty new and intriguing to me. The student life and dealing with supernatural occurrences are well balanced and the book is beautifully written. James’s and Nuala’s relationship is more down-to-earth than Dee’s and Luke’s in Lament – it is a beauty-in-sadness kind of story. I was a little surprised by the ending which seems, though I like it, somewhat artificial.
Still, I enjoyed Ballad very much and I am looking forward to the third part of the trilogy, as I expect there is still something left to be revealed about James and Nuala, and also Sullivan. In addition, I hope the last book in the series tells a few more things about Dee and brings her storyline to some sort of a conclusion.
RECOMMENDATION: Any YA reader would enjoy this story of love and magic. Its beautiful language makes the book an easy and fast read.
In Ballad, Stiefvater continues to rely upon the faerie mythology, which is pretty new and intriguing to me. The student life and dealing with supernatural occurrences are well balanced and the book is beautifully written. James’s and Nuala’s relationship is more down-to-earth than Dee’s and Luke’s in Lament – it is a beauty-in-sadness kind of story. I was a little surprised by the ending which seems, though I like it, somewhat artificial.
Still, I enjoyed Ballad very much and I am looking forward to the third part of the trilogy, as I expect there is still something left to be revealed about James and Nuala, and also Sullivan. In addition, I hope the last book in the series tells a few more things about Dee and brings her storyline to some sort of a conclusion.
RECOMMENDATION: Any YA reader would enjoy this story of love and magic. Its beautiful language makes the book an easy and fast read.
I love James. In fact, I capital "L" Love him. He's funny and snarky and smart and oh-so-flawed. He's also hopelessly stuck in the friend-zone, and the story he tells from way over there is both hilarious and tragic. That's right. This book is all about James. Even the parts of the story that are told from other points of view are all about James. It's great. He deserves it.
Ballad contains some serious faerie shizz. There's a wack-job wielding an iron crowbar, mysterious singing accompanied by a guy with horns growing out of his head (possibly king of something ;) ), teachers who wear iron jewelry, and the return of Eleanor, Lament's faerie queen, but what this book is really about is how James finally figures out that girls like him. At the opening of this book, his heart is continuing to break over Dee. Still, he finally allows himself to revel in the attention of another woman (and though it gets steamy in a few places, it's totally an intellectual romance). He also finally gets to have some guy friends, even if his closest buds consist of Paul, his oboe playing roommate, and Sullivan, his English teacher/dorm parent. Even at Thornking Ash and without Dee (who contributes with text messages never sent between chapters), James figures out how to be happy.
And this is a Stiefvater book. This woman knows how to put words on a page. Her characters are all fully-fleshed people, many of whom I would die to eat Chinese take-out with on a Saturday night. They're funny and smart and a little nerdy. This would be a great book for John Green fans who want to ease into fantasy, or vice-versa.
So far, there's no word of another book in this series, but I still want to throw this out there: Stiefvater, if you're listening, the world could use more James.
Book source: Philly Free Library
Ballad contains some serious faerie shizz. There's a wack-job wielding an iron crowbar, mysterious singing accompanied by a guy with horns growing out of his head (possibly king of something ;) ), teachers who wear iron jewelry, and the return of Eleanor, Lament's faerie queen, but what this book is really about is how James finally figures out that girls like him. At the opening of this book, his heart is continuing to break over Dee. Still, he finally allows himself to revel in the attention of another woman (and though it gets steamy in a few places, it's totally an intellectual romance). He also finally gets to have some guy friends, even if his closest buds consist of Paul, his oboe playing roommate, and Sullivan, his English teacher/dorm parent. Even at Thornking Ash and without Dee (who contributes with text messages never sent between chapters), James figures out how to be happy.
And this is a Stiefvater book. This woman knows how to put words on a page. Her characters are all fully-fleshed people, many of whom I would die to eat Chinese take-out with on a Saturday night. They're funny and smart and a little nerdy. This would be a great book for John Green fans who want to ease into fantasy, or vice-versa.
So far, there's no word of another book in this series, but I still want to throw this out there: Stiefvater, if you're listening, the world could use more James.
Book source: Philly Free Library
This book wasn't as good as the first. I lost interest about two thirds of the way through. After finishing it, I realized it completely changed my view of the first book... Not in a good way.
This book was just as good as the first of the series. It picks up shortly after the first at the Thornking-Ash school. It's quite different from the first, as it is written in two 1st povs, along with (hilariously old) text messages, while keeping the writing and style and peculiar story of the first book.
Overall, this had a more violent feel to it in terms of characters and plot. There was an edge to it all that gave a good relief from Deidre's make-belief and more whimsical personality. James, her friend and protagonist, is brutally honest and has a more realistic outlook along with a funny side. Nuala is similar but with a bitter side that complements their relationship. A few characters reappear as well.
I enjoyed the story and new characters. There was a new aspect to the fae that made you delve deeper into the story. All in all, it was very enjoyable.
Overall, this had a more violent feel to it in terms of characters and plot. There was an edge to it all that gave a good relief from Deidre's make-belief and more whimsical personality. James, her friend and protagonist, is brutally honest and has a more realistic outlook along with a funny side. Nuala is similar but with a bitter side that complements their relationship. A few characters reappear as well.
I enjoyed the story and new characters. There was a new aspect to the fae that made you delve deeper into the story. All in all, it was very enjoyable.
This was the Stiefvater book I picked up first and I got twenty pages in before I realized it was the sequel to Lament, so I slogged through that one to get back to this one. I enjoy Ballad significantly more, probably because the narrator of this one, James, is an infinitely more likable character than Deirdre (i.e. Bela Swan pt.2).
Not as mesmerizing as Lament, but was still the Maggie Stiefvater that I love.