Can't Wait for A Court of Frost and Starlight

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released as well. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Find out more here.

A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 3.1)

By: Sarah J Maas

Expected Publication: May 1st 2018 by Bloomsbury YA

224 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Faerie, Fae

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Narrated by Feyre and Rhysand, this story bridges the events in A Court of Wings and Ruin and the upcoming spinoff novels.

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated—scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

What are you guys waiting on this week? Let me know!

A Court of Wings and Ruin - Review

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 3)

By: Sarah J Maas

Published: May 2nd 2017 by Bloomsbury Childrens Books

699 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fae, Faeries

Source: Borrowed from Holly

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

The ending of A Court of Mist and Fury didn't exactly have me rushing out to pick up A Court of Wings and Ruin immediately. Of course, I wanted to read it and knew that I would, but the precarious situation of the characters that I care so much about made me feel the need for a break. So I read a contemporary and a non-fiction book between these two. Not a spoiler if you've read A Court of Mist and Fury, but we pick up the story with Feyre back in the Spring Court as a spy for Rhys. Tamlin and everyone else thinks that the King of Hybern broke the mating bond between Feyre and Rhys, but what he broke was actually just the bargain they created Under the Mountain in A Court of Thorns and Roses. Feyre pretty much loathes Tamlin at this point because not only did he ignore her wishes of leaving her and Rhys in peace, but he also sold his soul and his court basically to Hybern to get her back. And in the process, her sisters were captured and turned into Fae against their will.

As I said, I wasn't happy with where the characters begin this story. Not only is Feyre back in Tamlin's court but Azriel and Cassian were both injured and we have little knowledge of how they're healing. This time with Feyre playing spy against Tamlin wasn't the most enjoyable for me, but thankfully it didn't drag on too long. Maybe 20% if I remember correctly.

As always, Sarah J Maas has so many pieces of her puzzle to weave together that it's hard to imagine her keeping it all straight. Yet, I've learned that each piece has a purpose and therefore some things that possibly should have been twists and turns were a bit more predictable for me than I'd like. Holly and Lacy both said they were surprised at some of these pieces so it's good to know that not everyone will feel the same way that I did. Holly and Lacy both told me they prefer not to try to guess how things are going to turn out, but my brain can't help but analyze all of the pieces of this puzzle along with my knowledge of all prior books that I've read to see which pieces will play out in certain ways. I don't always mean to predict the events of the book (right or wrong). I just can't help it. And surprisingly for me compared to how frequently Sarah J Maas surprised me with her Throne of Glass series, I actually found myself guessing correctly* more times than not. I truly hope this doesn't come off as arrogant as I've sometimes felt other reviewers to be when mentioning pieces of books that they've figured out. I personally enjoy a mix of being able to predict twists while also remaining surprised at some of the turns as well. Because, as I said, I've seen Sarah J Maas do just that, I found myself a little disappointed with not being as surprised with this series ender.

Speaking of series ender...this is one of those times when the true ending seems unclear. Sarah J Maas states in her FAQ on her website that A Court of Thorns and Roses is intended to be a trilogy, but that she has more books planned for this world. This indicates a spin-off series, but I'm curious to see what the spin-off will be named as Goodreads currently has ACoTaR showing as a 6 book series.

Regardless of my predictions, there is still much that I'm dying to know about. Things were left very open for most of our side characters that I feel a pressing urge to know more about--to see how things will play out. My biggest questions revolve around Elain and Lucien* as well as Nesta and Cassian*. I don't want to give anything away between these characters, but I will say that I was left wanting to know much more than I was given. Speaking of side characters, I was not entirely happy with the actions of Tamlin or Mor. Tamlin's behavior toward the end of A Court of Mist and Fury as well as A Court of Wings and Fury felt a good bit out of character from the man he appeared to be in A Court of Thorns and Roses. I suppose in some ways he redeemed himself, but I wasn't completely satisfied overall. Mor gives Feyre a detailed explanation of her complicated relationships with both Cassian and Azriel. But beyond her actual revelation, I was disappointed and downright angry with her treatment of the two guys, but specifically Azriel. She was beyond unfair but utterly selfish and even what I would call cruel in truth. This story didn't endear her to me. I didn't feel sorry for her or her struggles. Instead, I felt her story made her weaker than I felt she'd been throughout the prior two books. In the end, I was just really disappointed in the direction that Sarah J Maas chose to go with her.*

Favorite quotes:

-"You can't be too careful while sharing camp with enemies..."

-"You come between a male and his mate, Nate Archeron, and you're going to learn the consequences the hard way."

-I realized that the color of death, of sorrow, was white. The lack of color. Of vibrancy.

-I see you ... And it does not frighten me.

-"Remember that you are a wolf. And you cannot be caged."

I'm sure I'm not saying much of what should be said about A Court of Wings and Ruin. I am including a rather lengthy spoiler section at the end of this review so check that out if you're interested...or avoid it if you don't want anything spoiled. I found A Court of Wings and Ruin a little more predictable than I wanted it to be. But I was still completely sucked into the story. I was connected to the characters so much, and I wanted to see how everything was going to play out. In the end Sarah J Maas left me wanting more and I can't wait to see which pieces get tied up even more in her spin-off series to come. A Court of Wings and Ruin gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read A Court of Wings and Ruin? What did you think? Let me know!

Highlight for spoilers: Feyre's mission to retrieve the mirror for the Bone Carver: It was obvious to me that she would indeed look into the mirror and come away just fine. Otherwise mentioning the mission and visiting the Bone Carver at all would have been pointless and a waste of words and pages for nothing.

I also never bought Rhys's death. Once a character dies and comes back to life no matter the method (actually being resurrected, a faked death, or however), I find all other deaths in the series to be lacking in impact because the potential is for them to "come back" also. And because Feyre survived her broken neck by the High Lords bringing her back to life, I didn't emotionally connect to Rhys dying or Feyre's panic and heartbreak through these scenes. Not to mention, Sarah J Maas's constant planting of how "Rhys would sacrifice all so that the others don't have to" (I'm paraphrasing here) felt like overkill. She essentially prepared me for his death by constantly offering it up as an option throughout the book.

In the same way, Amren's betrayal didn't affect me at all because given her relationship with Varian in addition to her speech about how transforming into her original form would mean that she lost who she had now become. It was obvious that in doing so Amren would consider this a loss too great to risk. She didn't intend to do it because she didn't want to lose the family she'd come to love. So I didn't buy her betrayal.

Also predictable was the girls' father returning with his past actions not being as they all assumed. This is another thing I've come to learn. Any time a character assumes without foolproof knowledge leaves their assumption open for being flat-out wrong. And in this case, it was.

I need to know if there's hope for Elain and Lucien or if their story would end up being one where the mating bond "chose incorrectly."

Similarly, much was said that could indicate that Nesta and Cassian are actually bonded as well. Yet, I couldn't be 100% sure that this was the case. Either way, I'm dying to know.

I feel like I said all I needed to say about Mor. Despite her turning out gay, I was so disappointed that she's been using Azriel as a cover essentially for 500 years. !!!500 years!!! She led him on. She let him continue to love her. Even if she didn't encourage him necessarily, she could have (SHOULD HAVE) been up front with him about her feelings. She didn't even have to explain that she was gay. But she owed it to him at some point during the last 500 years to DISCOURAGE him in a more clear manner than periodically sleeping with someone and rubbing it in his face.

All Things Halloween Review - A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 2)

By: Sarah J Maas

Published: May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

626 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Fae, Faeries

Source: Borrowed from Holly

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

So first things first...what a rollercoaster! At the end of A Court of Thorns and Roses Feyre kills two innocent faeries in order to save Tamlin's life. But it goes beyond saving his life. The death of these two fae allowed Feyre to break the curse that Amarantha put on all of Prythian. However, Feyre's really in a dark place because she murdered these two faeries. She's depressed, doesn't feel worthy of having survived or the gift of new, immortal life that she's been given. And I expected from the end of that book that Tamlin might not be the person to help her overcome this place of darkness. So I expected it, but Lacy and Holly also warned me that the first 30ish% of A Court of Mist and Fury would be a struggle to read just as Feyre's struggling to live it. And it was. Or at least the first 25% was for me.

I said "rollercoaster," right? Here's how things went. I was rolling my eyes in the beginning. Drudging through bit by bit. Falling asleep from pregnancy exhaustion and a lack of interest in Feyre's struggles. Then Rhysand calls in his bargain with Feyre and pulls her to the Night Court for a week and I started to feel hope that he might be exactly what Feyre needs to snap out of her darkness. Tamlin does something stupid, and I was back to rolling my eyes. Feyre makes some choices that slow begin to pull her out of her depression and darkness and the seed of hope began again. Of course this part was something that I'd predicted to Holly and Lacy, but I won't state here to prevent spoilers. I was almost scared to hope for what I predicted though so I lived on in a state of anxiousness in this area until about 65-70%. In the meantime, Feyre and gang began to formulate a plan against the bigger bad (bigger than Amarantha),Getting to the 70-80% mark I was feeling all the feels of romance and love and swooning. But of course, we still have 20-30% left so we can't get too comfortable. Bad things must happen and anxiousness sets in again. Sure enough we find ourselves in quite an unfortunate situation where I was a little frustrated and miffed that the characters didn't see this coming. Then outrage over the stupidity of a once beloved character who will have a hard time redeeming themselves if that's even possible. And then furiousness that the book was approaching such a rapid close with the possibility of such a negative cliffhanger approaching. Or not necessarily cliffhanger, but just really negative circumstances for our characters. And then Sarah J Maas swoops in and gives me a bit of relief even if I'm not completely happy with where the book comes to a close. ROLLER. COASTER.

Now I realize that all of that was extremely vague and probably didn't quite help you out if you were having a hard time deciding if you want to read this book/series or not. Well let me just tell...YOU DO! You definitely do want to read this book and this series. Sarah J Maas put a whole new level to every piece of the puzzle being linked and having a double meaning. I mean with my experience through her Throne of Glass series, I knew that she was capable of this, but her storytelling abilities in A Court of Mist and Fury went beyond, beyond, beyond anything I imagined.

As always, the secondary characters are rich and complex and colorful. I look forward so much to the added layers of story that each character (and perhaps a few new couples) might add to the next book/spin off.

I was snapping pictures galore (since I was reading this one on Holly's kindle) of sections that I thought were foreshadowing (one passage I didn't even realize was foreshadowing, but turned out to be major), witty one-liners, heated passages, words that made me swoon. Here are some of my favorite, non-spoiler quotes:

-"There have to be at least a dozen other hunters more experienced and skilled--" "Maybe there are. But you're the only one I trust."

-"You can be a pawn, be someone's reward, and spend the rest of your immortal life bowing and scraping and pretending you're less than him, than..., than any of us. If you want to pick that road, then fine. A shame, but it's your choices."

-"...I'll always make time for you."

-"I love my people and my family. Do not think I wouldn't become a monster to keep them protected."

-"So I followed the bond home."

-"Because you were breaking. And I couldn't find another way to save you."

-"To the stars who listen--and the dreams that are answered."

Oh I had many more quotes but they revealed just a bit too much.

I should have mentioned this in my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses but I do find myself annoyed with the names of people and places that I'm utterly unsure how to pronounce. I like unique, but give me some heads up on how to pronounce them so I'm not either mispronouncing them the entire time, skipping them entirely, or having to stop each time I come to the words to sound them out. The first book did have a pronunciation list at the END of the kindle edition that I read. This would have been better up front. But this book didn't have one at all as far as I recall and there were a few new names/places that could have used some explanation.

Language and sexually descriptive scenes place this series beyond young adult.

Sarah J Maas is a master craftsman when it comes to storytelling. I'll be checking out her future books for sure, and I can't wait to see how this series wraps up. I know there is likely frustration, swoon-worthy moments, and many twists to come. I debated giving A Court of Mist and Fury 4.5 Stars because of the slow beginning, but realized that such a beginning was utterly necessary to the overall story and to the transformation of Feyre's character that A Court of Mist and Fury can only deserve 5 Stars. Have you read A Court of Mist and Fury? What did you think? Let me know!

And because I can't resist discussing this, highlight for spoilers: Sarah J Maas is one of the few authors who has successfully had me jumping ship (relationships that is)...MORE THAN ONCE. After her mastery in this area in the Throne of Glass series, I was prepared for it in this one and actually specifically predicted this very thing to Lacy and Holly. However, to see it play out was masterfully done. And the moment where Rhys reveals all to Feyre from the beginning...before they even met up until that very moment...it was perfection. The slow process of Feyre's personal changes mixed with the inch by inch of Rhys revealing himself to her in just the right amounts and pieces leading to an epically deep bond and love between the two of them. THESE ARE THE LOVE STORIES THAT I LOVE TO READ ABOUT! Obviously there's physical attraction and flirting between the two from the very beginning, but the substance and foundation of their relationship goes so far beyond the physical. And the physical is magnified between them because of their deep emotional and soulful connection.

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, # 1)

By: Sarah J Maas

Published: May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

421 pages

Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fae, Faeries

Source: Borrowed from Holly

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

After loving the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas, I knew I'd want to check out this series as well. My friend Lacy read all three books really quickly, and with each passing book she kept telling me and Holly how good it was and that we needed to pick it up immediately. I had a few review books that I had to read first, but Holly and I both ended up reading A Court of Thorns and Roses at the same time. Overall, I'd say that my experience was similar to Throne of Glass in that I enjoyed the book, but I can't say that I loved it. However, I see potential for the plot and story to grow over the series. And if Sarah J Maas does this series with the same quality as she has Throne of Glass then the best is definitely yet to come.

Lacy warned me that the beginning of A Court of Thorns and Roses was slow for her and it wasn't until the later half of the book that she felt things begin to pick up. Knowing that, I was prepared for the pacing. Yet I didn't feel like things were too slow. Maybe the first 30% dragged a little, but after that I was hooked and didn't struggle with the speed of events. I did, however, struggle a little with Sarah J Maas's over-description at times. This was particularly so in the last 20% of the book when stakes were high. I wanted her to cut out telling me what things looked like and just get to the action already.

Even though both series are about faeries, I really felt like A Court of Thorns and Roses is more true to the faerie folklore that I'm familiar with (not that I have extensive knowledge)--not being able to tell a lie, tricksters who use specific wording to their advantage, dancing and drinking and spiked food and drink, etc.

Feyre (pronounced Fay-ruh) lives with her father and two sisters. Her mother charged Feyre on her deathbed to take care of her family and keep them together. And everything Feyre's done since has been to honor that vow. The biggest thing is that she's learned to hunt to provide food. But there are dangers in the woods--wolves, High Fae, and worse. Feyre kills a wolf not knowing whether he is a normal wolf or whether he might be a faerie in wolves' clothing. And it turns out that he was more than a normal wolf and the price for killing him is that she's taken captive to live out the rest of her life with Tamlin--the High Lord of the Spring Court.

Feyre endures a slow transition from being angry at her new life to feeling more at home in Prythian than she did with her family. She slowly learns to trust that Tamlin has her safety as a top priority, and things begin to build from there. I really, really, really cannot express the love that I have for slow building romances. And Tamlin and Feyre have a truly slow building relationship that is built on substance above the physical. Relationships of substance are also my favorite.

Yet one of my pet peeves is when everyone else knows the critical information but won't share it with her the main character. This was explained in a way that I couldn't hold it against them, but going through it without knowing the reason isn't always fun.

I can't say that I was entirely surprised with the twists or major plot points. And I do have some predictions for the future of the series that may or may not be right. Lacy and Holly know one of those predictions so we'll see if I'm reading too much into things or if they play out. Yet Sarah J Maas has blown me away with twists that I wasn't expecting in Throne of Glass so I have faith that she can do the same here as well.

I feel like I have much more to say about A Court of Thorn and Roses, but I think I've probably said enough. I loved the slow building relationship between Tamlin and Feyre. And the secondary characters, though I haven't discussed them at all here, were complex and layered. I'm looking forward to more to come with the series. (Although where the book ends, Feyre isn't in the best mental space, and I can't say that I'm looking forward to trudging through what she must go through in the next book even though it will be necessary.) A Court of Thorns and Roses gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read A Court of Thorns and Roses? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Lord of Shadows

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices, # 2)

By: Cassandra Clare

Expected Publication: May 23rd 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

704 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Nephilim, Angels, Shadowhunters, Faeries

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows, the sequel to the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Lady Midnight.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

I don't usually feature a book 2 in a series before finishing book 1, but I am reading Lady Midnight right now, and I don't forsee any reason that I wouldn't finish it. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

All Things Halloween DNF Review - The Iron Queen

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, # 3)

By: Julie Kagawa

Published: January 25th 2011 by Harlequin Teen

384 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fairies, Magic, Urban Fantasy

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The New York Times Bestseller

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

I guess Julie Kagawa and I just aren’t meant to mesh. And this is a shame because I really love the covers and idea behind her newest series Talon. I’ve read 4 previous books by her and while there wasn’t much wrong with them, I just didn’t find myself hooked into them either. I read The Iron King and The Iron Daughter. I was interested in and enjoyed The Iron King, but The Iron Daughter felt like it would take FOREVER for me to get through. At the end of The Iron Daughter I really felt apathetic toward the series. I mean it wasn’t awful, but I just found myself in a place where I didn’t really care much about the characters or what happens one way or the other. At this point, I’m halfway through the series and I own the final two books. I feel a deep desire to at least try to complete the series. Yet The Iron Queen wasn’t calling to me at all. My friend Paula finished the series and said that she felt like The Iron Queen was the best of the series. So I figured I just needed to press on.

I’ve found that some books that I don’t enjoy spending my limited reading time on are much more enjoyable to me in audiobook versions where I can multitask and therefore not really feel like I’m “wasting” valuable reading time because this time would be spent doing some chore or other and now I’m killing two birds with one stone. Often times, books that seem to dddddddddddddrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggg in print form really pick up pace in the audio medium. So I went in search of The Iron Queen on audiobook. Of course, the library didn’t have it, but I did find on YouTube (although I can't find it now when I'd like to link to it) a random (to me) girl reading The Iron Queen. She’s obviously not a professional and this was not a professional quality video, but it served my purposes. Unfortunately, it cuts off around the 55% mark (I believe). Since I do own the kindle version of this book, I said “well I can finish reading it from here.” But no. No I can’t. I made it an extra 9% to a whopping 64% total completed, and I had to put it down again.

Like I said, I can’t really pinpoint that there’s anything wrong with this book or the series or even Julie Kagawa’s writing except that I find myself disconnected from the characters and disconnected from the story. I find that I don’t care what happens, how things end, or that all of the characters survive or end up with their happy endings. I just…don’t…care. At all. I really did have all the intentions in the world of picking this book back up since I’ve read 64%, but after months and months of putting it off, considering picking it back up, and coming back to the conclusion that I’m perfectly okay with not knowing how things end, I decided to finally officially mark The Iron Queen as a DNF.

Have you read The Iron Queen? What did you think? Let me know!

This review is part of my All Things Halloween event--a month of paranormal, supernatural, mystery/thriller, etc reviews and books.

Ballad - Review

Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie (Books of Faerie, # 2)

By: Maggie Stiefvater

Published: October 1st 2009 by Flux

352 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Faeries

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In this mesmerizing sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, music prodigy James Morgan and his best friend, Deirdre, join a private conservatory for musicians. James' musical talent attracts Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. Composing beautiful music together unexpectedly leads to mutual admiration and love. Haunted by fiery visions of death, James realizes that Deirdre and Nuala are being hunted by the Fey and plunges into a soul-scorching battle with the Queen of the Fey to save their lives.

First book completed in 2012: Maggie Stiefvater's Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. Only 3 days into the year and I'm knocking my books out already. By the way, giving Ballad 4 Stars.

I didn't really read the summary of Ballad before I started it. I only knew that it was the sequel to Lament. That being said, I assumed Ballad would be a continuation of Dee and Luke's story. So when I quickly found out that the majority of the narration was in James' voice, I was a bit disappointed. And it actually took me a bit to get into the story because of that--that and the fact that I seem to be in a non-fiction mood right now. However, I decided quickly that I liked the idea of James having an end to his story. And hopefully a happy ending.

So while I was initially disappointed that Ballad didn't follow Dee and Luke into more detail, I was overcome with excitement about James and the possibility of him having a relationship with Nuala. Maybe I feel this way because Ballad is fresher in my mind having just finished it than Lament is, but I think I really enjoyed James' story better than Dee and Luke's.

Dee still has a major role in Ballad. I found that the essence of who James really was as a character in Ballad is so much different than the picture of him that we get in Lament. And the same is true of Dee. The Dee that we come to love in Lament is quite different and annoying through the eyes of James and Nuala in Ballad. While this type of thing annoyed me in books past--namely The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan--because the characters didn't maintain who I believed them to be from one story to the next, I think that was due to how attached I was to Gabry in The Dead-Tossed Waves and that wasn't really the case in Lament/Ballad and Dee. Don't get me wrong, I liked Dee in Lament, but I really can see the way that James sees Dee, the way that Nuala sees Dee, and what's happened to Dee that might cause some changes in her behavior from one book to the other that honestly makes sense.

Again, I probably enjoyed Ballad better than Lament. Good books. Another win for Maggie Stiefvater. 4 Stars. Check it out.

Updated: January 31, 2015