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ireadthebooks 's review for:
Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie
by Maggie Stiefvater
STOP! Before you read this review, I have to tell you that it’s a sequel. A really, really good sequel.
Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception is the book that came before, and it was reasonably good. It featured the classic “girl with nice guy best friend meets magical hot guy and finds her helpless-in-a-supposed-to-be-endearing-way self in the middle of a” love triangle. (Disclaimer: I nearly always go for the best friend instead of the magical hottie. I hold a grudge against literary heroines who totally ditch their best friends like that.) Dierdre is the heroine of that novel, accompanied by her best friend James and said magical hottie, Luke.
After the events of the first book, which I will not disclose, James and Dee enroll in a music academy (they’re both extremely musical and talented, which is the framework around which both books are built). Unlike Lament, which is told from Dee’s perspective, Ballad is told from James’ perspective. He’s snarky, sarcastic and incredibly intelligent, which makes for an interesting read. Dee, meanwhile, is not having an easy time at the music academy. Without spoiling the plot of the first book, I’ll just say that Luke is not a presence in the second, and Dee is not handling it well.
When James and Dee get to the academy, James hears strange music at night. The next day, he meets a girl, Nuala, who ends up being a half-faerie. She’s a muse, a faerie who steals away years of a human’s life in exchange for feeding them supernaturally inspired music, poetry, painting, etc. For James, Nuala tempts him with music so achingly beautiful and weighty that it hurts. Conflict in Faerie, leftover from the first book, becomes downright dangerous in the second … and this time, it is James who must decide between his best friend and a magical hottie.
The thing I best enjoyed about Ballad is what I best enjoyed about Eyes Like Stars: the author wasn’t afraid of using complex language. YA is not meant to be dumbed-down; despite my opinion at work sometimes (like today when a kid asked me if he could introduce himself to his new boss via text message *facepalm*), teenagers are NOT stupid. They’re studying for the SATs. They know what vociferous means. I love it when YA authors use challenging language, because it means that those readers are going to mature into using it as their primary mode of communication. If you read smart, you’ll be smart, kids.
I really enjoyed this book. I got it from the library yesterday afternoon and blew through it in a matter of hours. I stayed up past my bedtime and I do not regret it. I am putting this on my Amazon list, and I am pleased to tell you that it’s in paperback. Also, her website is just beautiful, check this out. http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/index.php.
Now, go read. Really.
http://starlightbookreviews.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/review-ballad-by-maggie-stiefvater/
Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception is the book that came before, and it was reasonably good. It featured the classic “girl with nice guy best friend meets magical hot guy and finds her helpless-in-a-supposed-to-be-endearing-way self in the middle of a” love triangle. (Disclaimer: I nearly always go for the best friend instead of the magical hottie. I hold a grudge against literary heroines who totally ditch their best friends like that.) Dierdre is the heroine of that novel, accompanied by her best friend James and said magical hottie, Luke.
After the events of the first book, which I will not disclose, James and Dee enroll in a music academy (they’re both extremely musical and talented, which is the framework around which both books are built). Unlike Lament, which is told from Dee’s perspective, Ballad is told from James’ perspective. He’s snarky, sarcastic and incredibly intelligent, which makes for an interesting read. Dee, meanwhile, is not having an easy time at the music academy. Without spoiling the plot of the first book, I’ll just say that Luke is not a presence in the second, and Dee is not handling it well.
When James and Dee get to the academy, James hears strange music at night. The next day, he meets a girl, Nuala, who ends up being a half-faerie. She’s a muse, a faerie who steals away years of a human’s life in exchange for feeding them supernaturally inspired music, poetry, painting, etc. For James, Nuala tempts him with music so achingly beautiful and weighty that it hurts. Conflict in Faerie, leftover from the first book, becomes downright dangerous in the second … and this time, it is James who must decide between his best friend and a magical hottie.
The thing I best enjoyed about Ballad is what I best enjoyed about Eyes Like Stars: the author wasn’t afraid of using complex language. YA is not meant to be dumbed-down; despite my opinion at work sometimes (like today when a kid asked me if he could introduce himself to his new boss via text message *facepalm*), teenagers are NOT stupid. They’re studying for the SATs. They know what vociferous means. I love it when YA authors use challenging language, because it means that those readers are going to mature into using it as their primary mode of communication. If you read smart, you’ll be smart, kids.
I really enjoyed this book. I got it from the library yesterday afternoon and blew through it in a matter of hours. I stayed up past my bedtime and I do not regret it. I am putting this on my Amazon list, and I am pleased to tell you that it’s in paperback. Also, her website is just beautiful, check this out. http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/index.php.
Now, go read. Really.
http://starlightbookreviews.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/review-ballad-by-maggie-stiefvater/