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zoe_e_w's review against another edition
4.0
You may remember from my review of Lament that I'd talked to the author on Twitter, and I'd had to ask which book came first in the series, and she's said that the second book was better. I said that it would remain to be seen if that was the case until I'd read Ballad, and now I have. So, was it better? Um, no. I mean, from an objective point of view, the writing is improved, yes. But ultimately I liked the first book more for a couple of reasons, and I'll get to them in a bit.
I read this book in one night, so obviously I liked the story. I mostly liked James Morgan and his story of getting over his unrequited loved for his best friend Deirdre Monaghan. I liked his budding romance with a fae muse who chooses the name Nuala (not her true name), and I like the back story that makes Nuala an outsider to her own people. I liked the fae being a wicked and fickle race with their evil plans, and I liked seeing the return of Deirdre's aunt Delia, the villain I love to hate.
But, there were two major issues I had with the story, and the biggest is that James is a world-class, grade A dumb ass. Seriously, there's a point in the story where he overhears the bad guy's whole evil plan, and there's absolutely no chance he could have misunderstood the stakes involved or who their key target was, and he...decides to work on his play. I kind of lost it and had to go on a Twitter rant because of how stupid he is not to piece together the clues and want to do something about it. It can't be blamed on him being self-centered, even though he is. No, he's just a total moron who lets the plot unfold because he's not all that concerned about a plot to kill everyone at his school.
And the other problem is a YA trope that always rubs me the wrong way, and that is, nobody talks to anybody else. About anything. I suppose I could understand why Deirdre doesn't talk to James, because after James almost died in the first book, she wants to protect him from the fae. And I can understand Nuala forgetting a few important details because almost dying distracted her from the big picture. But James doesn't talk to Deirdre, or to the teachers and school staff who clearly know something about the fae, or to Nuala. He just doesn't talk about anything important. Maybe it's part of his character to always be cracking jokes, but he certainly didn't come across as being this dense in the first book, and he's the first to confess to Deirdre about having psychic powers in Lament. Here, the stakes are so much higher, and after going through a monumental life changing event, I really expected him to grow up. Instead, he turns into a stupid little kid, and the whole plot unfolds because he never says anything until it's too late.
The final 25% of the book is easy to predict because it mirrors the events in the first story. So it isn't hard to tell that James will be forced to make the exact same choice that Deirdre did in the first book, and it's not hard to predict where the final confrontation will take place because it again mirrors the finale of the first book. And I think that annoyed me because James has seen all this before, and he's been told twice what the bad guy's plot is, and he's still too stupid to do anything about it until the final chapters. And even then, its not his choices that save the day. It's other people who save his dumb ass from certain doom.
So, with these complaints, it might be surprising that I'm giving Ballad 4 stars. But my score isn't so much about James and his flaws as all the other elements in the story being so interesting. And James does have his moments, like when he agrees to get his roommate Paul drunk, and then gives him non-alcoholic beer and lets Paul get crazy on a placebo effect. He has his moments when he tries to make Nuala's dreams about being a director come true. And the ending here is more upbeat than the first book, granting James a happier story than Deirdre had. It's still no happily ever after, just more positive, and I liked that.
But like I said, I don't think Ballad was the better book. I enjoyed Lament much more, and I think Deirdre flies mental circles around James. I didn't dislike the story, and I could still heartily recommend it to fans of dark faerie tales. The ending implies that there's at least one more book in the Gathering of Faeries series coming, and yeah, I'll be looking forward to it regardless of whether the story is told from James' or Deirdre's point of view.
But there's a point very late in the story before James finally talks to the right people (far too late to stop the plot) that the school president says, "Look. You're not an idiot," and my immediate reaction was, "Oh yes he most certainly fucking is."
And I might not have as much of a problem with this if James had been presented from the start as a moron. But instead, he came across as a smart guy in the first book, and this second book constantly tells me he's a gifted guy. But what his actions show me is a dumb ass who's almost too stupid to live.
Even so, yes, I'm giving Ballad 4 stars, and I look forward to the next book in this series, and to more books from Maggie Stiefvater in her other series. I really like her dialogue and her take on different mythologies. I just don't always understand or agree with the directions she takes with her characters. But hey, they're her stories, and she's free to write them however she likes.
I read this book in one night, so obviously I liked the story. I mostly liked James Morgan and his story of getting over his unrequited loved for his best friend Deirdre Monaghan. I liked his budding romance with a fae muse who chooses the name Nuala (not her true name), and I like the back story that makes Nuala an outsider to her own people. I liked the fae being a wicked and fickle race with their evil plans, and I liked seeing the return of Deirdre's aunt Delia, the villain I love to hate.
But, there were two major issues I had with the story, and the biggest is that James is a world-class, grade A dumb ass. Seriously, there's a point in the story where he overhears the bad guy's whole evil plan, and there's absolutely no chance he could have misunderstood the stakes involved or who their key target was, and he...decides to work on his play. I kind of lost it and had to go on a Twitter rant because of how stupid he is not to piece together the clues and want to do something about it. It can't be blamed on him being self-centered, even though he is. No, he's just a total moron who lets the plot unfold because he's not all that concerned about a plot to kill everyone at his school.
And the other problem is a YA trope that always rubs me the wrong way, and that is, nobody talks to anybody else. About anything. I suppose I could understand why Deirdre doesn't talk to James, because after James almost died in the first book, she wants to protect him from the fae. And I can understand Nuala forgetting a few important details because almost dying distracted her from the big picture. But James doesn't talk to Deirdre, or to the teachers and school staff who clearly know something about the fae, or to Nuala. He just doesn't talk about anything important. Maybe it's part of his character to always be cracking jokes, but he certainly didn't come across as being this dense in the first book, and he's the first to confess to Deirdre about having psychic powers in Lament. Here, the stakes are so much higher, and after going through a monumental life changing event, I really expected him to grow up. Instead, he turns into a stupid little kid, and the whole plot unfolds because he never says anything until it's too late.
The final 25% of the book is easy to predict because it mirrors the events in the first story. So it isn't hard to tell that James will be forced to make the exact same choice that Deirdre did in the first book, and it's not hard to predict where the final confrontation will take place because it again mirrors the finale of the first book. And I think that annoyed me because James has seen all this before, and he's been told twice what the bad guy's plot is, and he's still too stupid to do anything about it until the final chapters. And even then, its not his choices that save the day. It's other people who save his dumb ass from certain doom.
So, with these complaints, it might be surprising that I'm giving Ballad 4 stars. But my score isn't so much about James and his flaws as all the other elements in the story being so interesting. And James does have his moments, like when he agrees to get his roommate Paul drunk, and then gives him non-alcoholic beer and lets Paul get crazy on a placebo effect. He has his moments when he tries to make Nuala's dreams about being a director come true. And the ending here is more upbeat than the first book, granting James a happier story than Deirdre had. It's still no happily ever after, just more positive, and I liked that.
But like I said, I don't think Ballad was the better book. I enjoyed Lament much more, and I think Deirdre flies mental circles around James. I didn't dislike the story, and I could still heartily recommend it to fans of dark faerie tales. The ending implies that there's at least one more book in the Gathering of Faeries series coming, and yeah, I'll be looking forward to it regardless of whether the story is told from James' or Deirdre's point of view.
But there's a point very late in the story before James finally talks to the right people (far too late to stop the plot) that the school president says, "Look. You're not an idiot," and my immediate reaction was, "Oh yes he most certainly fucking is."
And I might not have as much of a problem with this if James had been presented from the start as a moron. But instead, he came across as a smart guy in the first book, and this second book constantly tells me he's a gifted guy. But what his actions show me is a dumb ass who's almost too stupid to live.
Even so, yes, I'm giving Ballad 4 stars, and I look forward to the next book in this series, and to more books from Maggie Stiefvater in her other series. I really like her dialogue and her take on different mythologies. I just don't always understand or agree with the directions she takes with her characters. But hey, they're her stories, and she's free to write them however she likes.
xaleah's review against another edition
2.0
Basically read this because I read the first one, and again (as a lot of my ya and teen reads) I read it to see what it was like before my young daughter read it.
Had a hard time finishing it, I felt like the last half of the book I was almost willing it to end.
But as with most things, I made myself complete it.
Had a hard time finishing it, I felt like the last half of the book I was almost willing it to end.
But as with most things, I made myself complete it.
racheln23's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh. 2.5 stars is more like it. I like James and I like Noala and I even like Sullivan and Paul, but there’s just so much pointlessness and Unfulfillment that it leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. And Dee? What a dumb and useless character she became! Noala says it best: “I got tired of watching her boohoo-ness really fast.” YES. Author, why did you let Dee in to this book. She plays no role except being annoying. She kills someone? We have zero information about what goes on with her. She’s seeing Luke but it isn’t Luke? Again, we get NO backstory at all in the book and it is just annoying noise. And don’t go whining about #spoilers, because -NEWSFLASH- those aren’t spoilers. Because they literally have nothing to do with the novel and Dee is a purposeless character in this book.
Continuing on... all the fairy backstory that we do get is pretty lame as well. There’s some sort of intrigue and dramatic events but they just don’t serve much purpose except for the bleak hope of adding some excitement in to the book.
And the fact that there was another showdown on a stage just grated on my nerves. Like, ok, things in the book already aren’t great, but can we get a little variety?
And seriously - Dee’s aunt? She has less purpose in this book than in the last book. What. The. Heck. Why is she here? She was not even invited to this party.
2 stars because I read it through but it was painful. Two stars because the author actually made this second book. But I absolutely do not want to read a third in this series. It’s sad, really, since I absolutely loved book 1.
Continuing on... all the fairy backstory that we do get is pretty lame as well. There’s some sort of intrigue and dramatic events but they just don’t serve much purpose except for the bleak hope of adding some excitement in to the book.
And the fact that there was another showdown on a stage just grated on my nerves. Like, ok, things in the book already aren’t great, but can we get a little variety?
And seriously - Dee’s aunt? She has less purpose in this book than in the last book. What. The. Heck. Why is she here? She was not even invited to this party.
2 stars because I read it through but it was painful. Two stars because the author actually made this second book. But I absolutely do not want to read a third in this series. It’s sad, really, since I absolutely loved book 1.
kristid's review against another edition
5.0
Three words; addictive, magical, & wicked.
I've been eagerly awaiting this novel since the last pages of Lament. Eagerly awaiting to fulfill my craving of James, I mean! Ballad, although could be considered a sequel to Lament, is more of a companion novel. Let me just say that Ballad finally (finally!) satisfies that insatiable hunger for James, after that enticing, all to short, glimpse during Lament. And can I say, that I only love him more. His witty retorts, his one line smart ass comments, his idiotic t-shirts.... they only add to his charm.
Ballad is a completely different story than it's predecessor. And I don't mean that in a negative way, but it's apparent from page one, that James' story is deep. He is so much more than his humorous exterior, it's heartbreaking. The beautiful complexity of his character is unbelievable. I was in awe of that alone.
However, I cannot fail to mention the extremely talented Maggie Steifvater. I can't explain her writing. It's addictive, it almost has it's own melody, the chorus from a song that gets stuck in your head. It is absolutely beautiful, which is a completely simplistic depiction, yet there is no other word for it. It. Is. Beautiful! And the thing is, the writing for this series feels totally different than it does for Shiver. (Another one of Maggie's novels) And Shiver is beautifully written as well, but it's a different kind of beauty, am I the only one that feels this way? Maybe I'm crazy.
The story was fantastic. It alternates between James and Nuala. There are a few texts from Dee thrown in there (which I thought were crucial to the plot), but really she's sort of background music in this novel. It was fast paced, but never felt rushed. Twists and turns that I never saw coming. Entertaining as well as enjoyable.
And I'm just going to stop right there, because I could keep going, but I'm not one for a long review, and this is like the longest in my history. Needless to say, I love this series. And I loved Ballad even more. I knew there would be great things to come when I read Lament. I'm so very glad to see it a reality.
I've been eagerly awaiting this novel since the last pages of Lament. Eagerly awaiting to fulfill my craving of James, I mean! Ballad, although could be considered a sequel to Lament, is more of a companion novel. Let me just say that Ballad finally (finally!) satisfies that insatiable hunger for James, after that enticing, all to short, glimpse during Lament. And can I say, that I only love him more. His witty retorts, his one line smart ass comments, his idiotic t-shirts.... they only add to his charm.
Ballad is a completely different story than it's predecessor. And I don't mean that in a negative way, but it's apparent from page one, that James' story is deep. He is so much more than his humorous exterior, it's heartbreaking. The beautiful complexity of his character is unbelievable. I was in awe of that alone.
However, I cannot fail to mention the extremely talented Maggie Steifvater. I can't explain her writing. It's addictive, it almost has it's own melody, the chorus from a song that gets stuck in your head. It is absolutely beautiful, which is a completely simplistic depiction, yet there is no other word for it. It. Is. Beautiful! And the thing is, the writing for this series feels totally different than it does for Shiver. (Another one of Maggie's novels) And Shiver is beautifully written as well, but it's a different kind of beauty, am I the only one that feels this way? Maybe I'm crazy.
The story was fantastic. It alternates between James and Nuala. There are a few texts from Dee thrown in there (which I thought were crucial to the plot), but really she's sort of background music in this novel. It was fast paced, but never felt rushed. Twists and turns that I never saw coming. Entertaining as well as enjoyable.
And I'm just going to stop right there, because I could keep going, but I'm not one for a long review, and this is like the longest in my history. Needless to say, I love this series. And I loved Ballad even more. I knew there would be great things to come when I read Lament. I'm so very glad to see it a reality.
nssutton's review against another edition
3.0
Of course, packing light for the honeymoon, book wise, was a secret plan to allow myself carte blanch to purchase ebooks. I'd had to return this title prior to the honeymoon, in a big, sad stack of unread library books, and was eager to get back into Deidre and James' story.
Read entirely in airports and on planes, which I am sure led to the awful case of motion sickness I had at the end of the flight. Totally worth it, even if I preferred Lament.
Read entirely in airports and on planes, which I am sure led to the awful case of motion sickness I had at the end of the flight. Totally worth it, even if I preferred Lament.
eliseofsoleanna's review against another edition
3.0
Settling on a 3 again because that ending was REALLY good and had me floored.
I know there's a lot of people who swear by these two books but they're just okay. Once again, I thought a lot of the beginning and middle of the book dragged significantly, and Maggie's method of keeping the wool over our eyes in a lot of places hindered the story more than it helped (why did I have to read all of Dee's stupid unsent text messages). Though I will admit, I am now slightly more on Team James than I was when I read Lament (let's not forget how I was actively rooting for Dee to let him die in the ending and then Maggie made me do the same thing here but reversed which is actually pretty cool). However, I cannot and will not get behind his pretentious asshole-ness. I will happily choose Soft James any day of the week.
Dee is...so stupid. So stupid. Genuinely hated her and kinda wished she just disappeared off the face of the earth. If we ever get book three (I doubt we will, I think Maggie's moved on at this point from Requiem but who knows maybe she'll surprise us), it's gonna take a miracle worker to make me like her again.
The enemies-to-friends-to-lovers slowburn romance between Nuala and James is peak. The sexual tension was drawn out just long enough to make me want to keep reading and I think both Nuala and James had significant growth over the course of the story. I liked Nuala as the story went on, and I'm glad that we finally got a happy ending in one of these books after the bittersweet ending in Lament.
Shout out to Cernunnos. He wins the Best Dad of the Year award for all time.
I know there's a lot of people who swear by these two books but they're just okay. Once again, I thought a lot of the beginning and middle of the book dragged significantly, and Maggie's method of keeping the wool over our eyes in a lot of places hindered the story more than it helped (why did I have to read all of Dee's stupid unsent text messages). Though I will admit, I am now slightly more on Team James than I was when I read Lament (let's not forget how I was actively rooting for Dee to let him die in the ending and then Maggie made me do the same thing here but reversed which is actually pretty cool). However, I cannot and will not get behind his pretentious asshole-ness. I will happily choose Soft James any day of the week.
Dee is...so stupid. So stupid. Genuinely hated her and kinda wished she just disappeared off the face of the earth. If we ever get book three (I doubt we will, I think Maggie's moved on at this point from Requiem but who knows maybe she'll surprise us), it's gonna take a miracle worker to make me like her again.
The enemies-to-friends-to-lovers slowburn romance between Nuala and James is peak. The sexual tension was drawn out just long enough to make me want to keep reading and I think both Nuala and James had significant growth over the course of the story. I liked Nuala as the story went on, and I'm glad that we finally got a happy ending in one of these books after the bittersweet ending in Lament.
Shout out to Cernunnos. He wins the Best Dad of the Year award for all time.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
5.0
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't read Lament, this review may contain spoilers.
When I first started Ballad, I admit to being a bit skeptical. I really loved Lament and I wasn't sure that this one could be anywhere near as good as the first. And in the beginning, I didn't think it was. Then, of course, I really got into the story and it just took off. It got way better after that.
Where Lament was the story of Dee and Luke, Ballad is the story of James and Nuala. It was really more of a companion novel to Lament than it was a sequel. It's not necessary that you read Lament before you read this one to know what is going on but it really did help. I think that if you didn't read Lament you would question a couple things but you would be okay. =]
James was a really great character. He was egotistical, cocky, a bit crazy, and all together totally lovable. He was so cute, I just fell for him. He was just as cute in Lament but you didn't really get to know him much in Lament whereas this whole book was about him. Well, I guess it's about Nuala too. At first, I didn't like Nuala. She seemed really cruel and kind of heartless but she began to grow on me and she really was the perfect match for James.
The one thing that I really hated about this book was Dee. In Lament, she was a strong heroine who could fend for herself. In Ballad, she seemed to have gone off the deep end after losing Luke. I didn't like what she turned into but as the book went on I realized that it all had to do with the storyline. Which, by the way, was even more pulse-pounding than Lament. I never knew what was going to happen next and the ending was a total shocker!
Overall, Ballad blew me away just as much as Lament. So far I haven't read a single book by Maggie Stiefvater that I haven't completely enjoyed and I hope that continues with her future works. Well, actually with this track record, I highly doubt she could disappoint me. Also, I am hoping that there might be a third book after Ballad. This one introduced some characters that I would love to know more about and I felt that the ending could be added to. It didn't feel closed to me. Hopefully, it didn't feel closed to Maggie and she will want to continue with the series. I think that if you read this one, you will know exactly what I mean. So go read it! I really want to know if you guys agree with me. =]
When I first started Ballad, I admit to being a bit skeptical. I really loved Lament and I wasn't sure that this one could be anywhere near as good as the first. And in the beginning, I didn't think it was. Then, of course, I really got into the story and it just took off. It got way better after that.
Where Lament was the story of Dee and Luke, Ballad is the story of James and Nuala. It was really more of a companion novel to Lament than it was a sequel. It's not necessary that you read Lament before you read this one to know what is going on but it really did help. I think that if you didn't read Lament you would question a couple things but you would be okay. =]
James was a really great character. He was egotistical, cocky, a bit crazy, and all together totally lovable. He was so cute, I just fell for him. He was just as cute in Lament but you didn't really get to know him much in Lament whereas this whole book was about him. Well, I guess it's about Nuala too. At first, I didn't like Nuala. She seemed really cruel and kind of heartless but she began to grow on me and she really was the perfect match for James.
The one thing that I really hated about this book was Dee. In Lament, she was a strong heroine who could fend for herself. In Ballad, she seemed to have gone off the deep end after losing Luke. I didn't like what she turned into but as the book went on I realized that it all had to do with the storyline. Which, by the way, was even more pulse-pounding than Lament. I never knew what was going to happen next and the ending was a total shocker!
Overall, Ballad blew me away just as much as Lament. So far I haven't read a single book by Maggie Stiefvater that I haven't completely enjoyed and I hope that continues with her future works. Well, actually with this track record, I highly doubt she could disappoint me. Also, I am hoping that there might be a third book after Ballad. This one introduced some characters that I would love to know more about and I felt that the ending could be added to. It didn't feel closed to me. Hopefully, it didn't feel closed to Maggie and she will want to continue with the series. I think that if you read this one, you will know exactly what I mean. So go read it! I really want to know if you guys agree with me. =]
bookishgoblin's review against another edition
5.0
As all of Stiefvater's work, it is fantastic. An excellent follow up to Lament, I was so happy that it focused more on two other characters aside from Deirdre and Luke, moving them into an excellent, chilling sub-plot. I also really loved the representation of Cernunnos (a favourite Celtic god of mine) and his role in the book. If you've read Lament then Ballad will not disappoint.
allysmally's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of the most amazing books I've ever read, there was plot twist after plot twist,most defiantly one of her best books yet!