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Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie.
Stiefvater, Maggie (author).
Oct. 2009. 360p. Flux, paperback, $9.95 (9780738714844). Grades 9-12.
REVIEW.
First published October 1, 2009 (Booklist).
The stunning stand-alone sequel to Lament (2008) follows Deirdre and her best friend, James, who attend a boarding school for promising musicians. Even though no one knows more about bagpipes than James, he wants to go there to stay close to Deirdre, whom he has always loved and who sees the fey. Then James meets Nuala, who sets her sights on him. A fey who is immolated every 16 years, rising from the ashes of a Halloween bonfire devoid of memories, Nuala can suck the life out of those she endows with extraordinary musical prowess. James, no fool, refuses her offers. Meanwhile, Deirdre is keeping her distance, and solitary fey around the school are being murdered. A pulse-racing climax forces James into an impossible situation as the queen of the fey plots against the human race. Readers of Holly Black’s Tithe (2002) or Charles de Lint’s The Blue Girl (2004) will enjoy this rich foray into faerie. The book’s backdrop, so firmly rooted in Celtic myth, is scary, mysterious, magical, and horrifying.
— Diana Tixier Herald
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