Jenna Likes to Read

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Posted on 17 September 2009

Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She’s about to find out she’s also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. When a mysterious boy enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of nowhere, Deirdre finds herself infatuated. Trouble is, the enigmatic and conflicted Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin – and Deirdre is meant to be his next mark. Deirdre has to decide if Luke’s feelings towards her are real, or only a way to lure her deeper into the world of Faerie.

Luke isn’t her only problem. A sinister faerie named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Long-time enemies with a common goal, Luke and Aodhan carry the same assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen’s sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is her best friend James whose devotion has been teetering precariously on the line between friendship and love for months – a feeling that Dee doesn’t quite reciprocate. It’s Luke she can’t stop thinking about: Luke, who was supposed to kill her immediately but hasn’t. Luke, who cannot refuse the Queen’s orders without paying an unimaginable price. Deirdre ultimately must confront the Faerie Queen before she loses everyone she loves.

I wasn’t really sure what to think of this book going in.  I can’t really think of many books about faeries I’ve really liked.  However, I am now a huge fan of homocidal faeries.  I really liked this book!  I loved Deirdre.  She was a fantastic heroine.  I liked that she wasn’t the most popular girl, but she was okay with that.  She’s smart, talented, and best of all, she didn’t expect to be rescued.  She found her own way out of the trouble she found herself in multiple times.  Luke was a conundrum.  Is he good or is he bad?  For much of the book, I wasn’t convinced one way or the other.  I liked that, and I liked discovering his story throughout the book.

The book was beautifully written and fascinating.  I read a lot of the book while eating lunch this week and when I went back to work, I couldn’t get the story out of my head.  There were also several laugh out loud moments.  Some of them were completely unexpected, but it kept me on my toes.  I loved how important the music was to this book.  It was described so well that I could hear it as I read.

I am very excited to read Ballad when it comes out and find out what happens.  I liked James and want to hear his story!