Last word first: AWESOME! (5/5)This review contains spoilers for those who have not read LAMENT.
Description: After nearly being killed by the faerie court in the course of a political coup, James is ready to head off to boarding school and leave it all behind. Maybe he'll even manage to reconnect with his former best friend, Dee, now that Luke is out of the picture. But as James gets settled in at school, he starts to realize that the faeries may have followed him, and life is not going to get any easier. When he meets the mysterious creature Nuala (say it Noola), he strikes an uneasy truce that might grow into something more. That is, unless the capricious faerie queen decides to drive them apart.
My thoughts: Wow. I loved this book.
While I enjoyed Lament, I have to say that Ballad is better! The slight choppiness in the writing that bothered me with Lament is gone, replaced with beautifully flowing prose that suits the story incredibly well.
The narration in Ballad alternates the perspectives of James and Nuala. I adore James as a protagonist. His witty narration is fun and easy to read, keeping a certain lightness in the story even when events take a dark turn. And his interaction with Nuala is fantastic. Nuala is a great character to spend time with as well. Her dark and mysterious history has created a personality that's edgy and not particularly good-natured, but she's vulnerable enough to make her likable.
Fans of Dee will be sad to know that she takes a minor role in this story, sticking mainly to the background. Readers keep up with her through her unsent text messages to James, inserted randomly between chapters to advance the storyline. I also loved Sullivan, and I'll be interested to know what happens to him in the future if Stiefvater decides to continue with this world.
On the negative side... I can't really think of anything that I didn't like. This is a great book! Read it!
Second opinions:
Fantastic Book Review gave it 5 of 5 stars. Also check out the guest post with Maggie Stiefvater, on the topic of why dating faeries is a bad idea.
Liviana @ In Bed With Books warns that you might find it addictive.
7 comments:
I'm glad you enjoyed the book! Maggie is fantastic! Thanks for linking to me.
Wow. You just confirmed my hunch. I'm going to love this book. Great review (as usual).
Drat! I had to skip to the comments section as I have not read LAMENT as of yet. Thanks for the "spoiler" warning! From the comments on here though, sounds like you liked the book and recommend it highly...works for me! =0)
I really want to read this! It looks really good. :)
Could you believe the awesomeness that was James in this book?! So much love for that poor boy.
I kind of missed Dee, but her text messages hit the exact emotional note they needed to.
I just finished reading Lament last night and after reading your review, I can't wait to read Ballad as well. Actually, I'm reading Shiver now. I think I'm becoming a fan. :p
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