Lament Review

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie #1)

By Maggie Stiefvater

Published October 8th, 2008 by Flux

325 pages

3.5 to 4 stars - Interesting story!

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. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly 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 James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

Review:

Lament was definitely an interesting read and was not like anything I've read before. Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words and is able to bring you into the story and make you feel like you are actually there. But while the idea of Lament was interesting and capitvating, I feel like more could have been added to the story. 

The characters were great and I feel like what we learn of them is a great start but I also wish we could have learned more about them. They weren't as full as I would have liked them to be, especially Deirdre, Luke, and James. They were all interesting characters but I would have like to learn a little more about them and seen more of the relationships between them. But aside from that, I was immediately drawn to the characters, especially Luke. Luke was a different type of character but he was charming and, in a way, otherworldly. Deirdre learned quite a few things throughout the book and was able to grow, which I enjoyed. The antagonists on the other hand could have been fuller. I don't think we were able to learn too much about them.

Overall, Lament was a captivating book and I did enjoy reading it. I was pulled into the story and thought that it was definitely an interesting concept. The folklore and the faeries all made for a great story even though there were some things I didn't like about the book. For the first book in a series, I think it was a great start but I hope to see a sequel or another book that gives more detail about the characters' lives. Because, while the ending was good, it was kind of abrupt. Anyways, I think Lament it worth a try and a fantastic read even with it's flaws. If you've read any of Stiefvater's other books, then you'll enjoy this one as well. And if you like faeries and Celtic lore, you'll also find this book to be a treat. Check it out!

Vanessa