reviews
Dec 12, 2010
oliviasbooks
rated it: 
4,5 stars!! I am quite overwelmed by how much I liked Ballad, since after reading Lament I expected a sequel that would also barely make it into the "It-was-enjoyable-but-didn't-touch-me" category. In most cases sequels even take a slight - or not so slight - drop for me. Surprisingly Ballad turned out to be what I wished Lament had been: A beautiful but eerie story in which humans meet dangerous, but alluring and likable faeries. Both worlds are shaken up. Both main characters change
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8 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Mar 12, 2010
Krystle
rated it: 
Ballad is the sequel to Lament, which I reviewed earlier. It’s got a bit of everything; romance, devious faeries, magic, and teen drama.
Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is much the same as in the previous book; pretty descriptions and a definite knowledge of mythology. There were a whole lot of new characters too and I just did not connect to any of them. Nuala while intriguing on her own with a spitfire personality, inner turmoil, and her own conflict with the fey, just did not grab me. More...
Maggie Stiefvater’s writing is much the same as in the previous book; pretty descriptions and a definite knowledge of mythology. There were a whole lot of new characters too and I just did not connect to any of them. Nuala while intriguing on her own with a spitfire personality, inner turmoil, and her own conflict with the fey, just did not grab me. More...
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(11 people liked it)
Oct 08, 2009
Heather
rated it:
Maggie Stiefvater ranks as one of my best newly discovered authors of 2009 (right up there with Patrick Ness). And it's saying something, for me, that I read two books about faeries -- never my favorite topic, especially after my Melissa Marr experience gone bad -- just to read more of her stuff, even though Lament, and Ballad are not, in some ways, as tightly written as Shiver, my hands-down favorite of hers.
But Ballad still contains her lyric prose, and better yet, a truly unique n More...
But Ballad still contains her lyric prose, and better yet, a truly unique n More...
3 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Sep 01, 2011
Lisa
rated it: 
Originally posted at Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me
Ballad exceeded my expectations and managed to surprise me at every turn. No longer are we focused on Dee, but on her best friend James. When he begins attending Thornking-Ash, a school for the gifted and talented, he finds himself mystified by a faerie named Nuala who just can't seem to leave him alone, and not for evil reasons either. Soon, James finds himself torn between right and wrong, friendship and love, and life and death.
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Ballad exceeded my expectations and managed to surprise me at every turn. No longer are we focused on Dee, but on her best friend James. When he begins attending Thornking-Ash, a school for the gifted and talented, he finds himself mystified by a faerie named Nuala who just can't seem to leave him alone, and not for evil reasons either. Soon, James finds himself torn between right and wrong, friendship and love, and life and death.
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5 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 17, 2010
Tracy74
rated it:
Wow, I really liked this book. I wasn't sure what to expect at first. I was really hoping it was going to truly continue from where Lament left off and finished the story or at least answer some of my questions..... It did continue, but from James point of view. I really like James in Lament and loved him in Ballad. I got sucked into this story really wanting to find out what happens.
At this point I feel like I'm holding my breath with the anticipation of hearing if there will be more book More...
At this point I feel like I'm holding my breath with the anticipation of hearing if there will be more book More...
3 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Jan 06, 2012
Lynn
rated it:
I think that the more I read by Maggie Stiefvater the more I love her books. I have found so much to appreciate about her writing. This book does not disappoint.
Be forewarned that if you read this book right after Lament you might have unfulfilled expectations. There is very little Dee and what you get of her is a very different side than in the first book. More about that in a sec. Also there is no Luke. This book if from James' perspective and takes off on a different but r More...
Be forewarned that if you read this book right after Lament you might have unfulfilled expectations. There is very little Dee and what you get of her is a very different side than in the first book. More about that in a sec. Also there is no Luke. This book if from James' perspective and takes off on a different but r More...
4 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 24, 2010
Sherrie
rated it:
Nobody writes longing like Maggie Stiefvater. It clings to every page, wraps itself around your heart. Trust me. When you're done reading one of her books, you are ready to make the person laying next to you happy. Very happy.
I read Shiver last fall after Myra McEntire raved about it repeatedly. I was not disappointed. I liked it so much I bought more copies and gave them away for Christmas gifts. I told everyone I knew to read the book. Then hubby brought me Lament as a souvenir from More...
I read Shiver last fall after Myra McEntire raved about it repeatedly. I was not disappointed. I liked it so much I bought more copies and gave them away for Christmas gifts. I told everyone I knew to read the book. Then hubby brought me Lament as a souvenir from More...
Sep 24, 2011
~Tina~
rated it: 
See, I have this strange thing about me. When I read a book I put myself entirely into it. So when I read the Wicked Lovely books I was fully warped into Keenan/Seth and Ash lives. When I read Ink Exchange however, I felt lost cause it wasn't there story.
When I read Lament, again, I connected with the characters Luke and Dee.
So now comes BALLAD and again, I felt the lost of the characters that I wanted to read about.
This is only because with the Wicked Lovely books and now Lame More...
When I read Lament, again, I connected with the characters Luke and Dee.
So now comes BALLAD and again, I felt the lost of the characters that I wanted to read about.
This is only because with the Wicked Lovely books and now Lame More...
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(3 people liked it)
Sep 02, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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18 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jun 02, 2010
kari
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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5 comments
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(10 people liked it)
May 16, 2010
BOOK BUTTERFLY
rated it:
Maggie' Stiefvater’s writing really is so addictive. It hooks you right from the start and seems to flow with a lyric all of its own. When I first read Lament, I was left wanting to learn more about one character in particular- James. There were quick little glimpses into his character, but not enough to satisfy my curiosity about him. I hoped that in the sequel we'd get to learn more about him. Let me just say, if you felt the same way- then Ballad will not disappoint you. Right from page one I
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0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 29, 2009
Katieb (MundieMoms)
rated it:
Ballad starts with James and Dee at the private school for musicians. Jame's talent attracts Nuala, who just happens to be a soul snatcher (who's also a faerie muse) who finds and feeds off of those with exceptional gifts. Everyone she's been attracted to dies after she feeds on them. What neither of them excepts is to develop a relationship. I have to say that they both dish up a healthy dose of snarkiness and I love it.
James still has feelings for Dee, who's still grieving over Lu More...
James still has feelings for Dee, who's still grieving over Lu More...
Feb 27, 2011
Three words; addictive, magical, & wicked.
I've been eagerly awaiting this novel since the last pages of Lament. Eagerly awaiting to fulfill my craving of James, I mean! Ballad, although could be considered a sequel to Lament, is more of a companion novel. Let me just say that Ballad finally (finally!) satisfies that insatiable hunger for James, after that enticing, all to short, glimpse during Lament. And can I say, that I only love him more. His witty retorts, his one line smart ass More...
I've been eagerly awaiting this novel since the last pages of Lament. Eagerly awaiting to fulfill my craving of James, I mean! Ballad, although could be considered a sequel to Lament, is more of a companion novel. Let me just say that Ballad finally (finally!) satisfies that insatiable hunger for James, after that enticing, all to short, glimpse during Lament. And can I say, that I only love him more. His witty retorts, his one line smart ass More...
5 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Feb 01, 2012
BookChic
rated it:
I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. As mentioned in my Lament review, I loved James' character and was excited to see a book written from his point of view. I still enjoyed reading from James' perspective and we got a much deeper characterization of him than what we saw from Dierdre's viewpoint, which was just a carefree, funny guy. In this book, he is still funny, but there's a lot more going on inside his head than we ever thought. I really enjoyed seeing that shift between t
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Dec 08, 2011
Sonia
rated it: 
La Stiefvater mi aveva trascinata senza troppi ma e troppi se con Shiver, mi aveva incuriosita con Whisper - anche se la mia curiosità ne era uscita un po' delusa perché non avevo ritrovato lo stesso potere di Shiver - e ora con Destiny, seguito di Whisper, speravo di trovare o ritrovare un po' del fascino della scrittrice.
Tentativo fallito su ogni fronte.
Mi trascino questa lettura da giorni, senza aver il coraggio di abbandonare precipitosamente il libro, ma senza avere la voglia e More...
Tentativo fallito su ogni fronte.
Mi trascino questa lettura da giorni, senza aver il coraggio di abbandonare precipitosamente il libro, ma senza avere la voglia e More...
Nov 10, 2011
Kate Strawberry
rated it:
I was very sad when I finished this story. Not that I didn't love it - because I did - but Ballad was the last remaining Maggie Stiefvater novel that I hadn't read, which means no more until next year probably.
I don't think I need to tell you again how much I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing. It is absolutely magical and beautiful and lyrical and whatever other wonderful adjectives you can think of to describe wordsmiths. It gives me that warm, fuzzy good book feeling and at the same t More...
I don't think I need to tell you again how much I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing. It is absolutely magical and beautiful and lyrical and whatever other wonderful adjectives you can think of to describe wordsmiths. It gives me that warm, fuzzy good book feeling and at the same t More...
Oct 11, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
BALLAD is the companion novel to Maggie Stiefvater's novel Lament. Except where Lament mostly followed mostly Dee's story, Ballad follows James. Both James and Dee have just started at their new music school. Although their relationship has become strained so we rarely see Dee in this novel. James' gift for music has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. The story switches between both James and Nua
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Aug 21, 2011
Lelia
rated it:
Ballad
Maggie Stiefvater
Flux, 2009
ISBN 0738714844
Trade Paperback
James, a teen with a remarkable gift for music, is surrounded by other students with artistic talents at Thornking-Ash School of Music, a boarding school in the mountains of Virginia. His long-time best friend, Dee, is also a student there but they are estranged, torn apart by earlier events involving the faerie world and a text message James sent to Dee that changed everything between them.
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Maggie Stiefvater
Flux, 2009
ISBN 0738714844
Trade Paperback
James, a teen with a remarkable gift for music, is surrounded by other students with artistic talents at Thornking-Ash School of Music, a boarding school in the mountains of Virginia. His long-time best friend, Dee, is also a student there but they are estranged, torn apart by earlier events involving the faerie world and a text message James sent to Dee that changed everything between them.
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Aug 16, 2011
Yuko86
rated it:
Destiny costituisce il secondo e ultimo volume della saga Books of faerie di Maggie Stiefvater, serie di esordio della scrittrice che si è poi conquistata la fama con la trilogia The Wolves of Mercy Falls (Shiver, Deeper, Forever).
La storia riprende più o meno da dove l’avevamo lasciata solo che il pov slitta, passando da Dee a James: è proprio questo cambiamento, secondo me, a far decollare il romanzo molto di più del volume precedente, Whisper.
James è intelligente, iro More...
La storia riprende più o meno da dove l’avevamo lasciata solo che il pov slitta, passando da Dee a James: è proprio questo cambiamento, secondo me, a far decollare il romanzo molto di più del volume precedente, Whisper.
James è intelligente, iro More...
Jun 26, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I read Ballad without reading the first book in the series, and I must say....I LOVE JAMES! I mean, he's witty, artistic, sarcastic, and honorable. I'm not swoony over him, but I just like him so much. I'd have wanted him as my best guy friend in high school, and I'm super glad that he has Nuala when Dee is so selfish and stand offish for the whole book. I really disliked her intensely (she pulls some pretty selfish and immature crap) until the end when James (and thus the reader) realize that s
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May 24, 2011
Tom
rated it:
The highest compliment that I can pay this book is that Maggie Stiefvater does what I didn't think was possible: write a book with clear shades of Charles deLint while still making it her own. There is a celtic music backdrop, and a faerie world just beyond the borders of our seen world, and a number of people with the gift of seeing or hearing the calls of the unseen faeries. But, throughout BALLAD I felt Stiefvater was, at most, only sharing many of the same props while making them entirely h
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Mar 02, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
After I read this I found I no longer liked Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception as much. James and Nuala are both stronger characters and more alive than Deidre was. And James and Nuala together came across as more realistic.
James was snarky and glib and totally unrepentant, and I loved it. He was a much stronger character as shown by the fact he lost Deidre and he didn't fall apart, he was sad and missed his best friend but he moved on. He was hilarious and a great friend to Peter More...
James was snarky and glib and totally unrepentant, and I loved it. He was a much stronger character as shown by the fact he lost Deidre and he didn't fall apart, he was sad and missed his best friend but he moved on. He was hilarious and a great friend to Peter More...
Dec 22, 2010
Alissa
rated it:
Beautifully crafted magic, brimming with life and discovery. Ballad’s plot is not all too predictable, yet not all too solid. Much is left unexplained; the details I needed can only be found in Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception, which is the first book. Unfortunately for me, I’ve yet to read Lament – which most explains my utter confusion concerning Deirdre “Dee” Monaghan.
What is her deal? and Why is she so important to James? are only two of the many, many questions that fluttere More...
What is her deal? and Why is she so important to James? are only two of the many, many questions that fluttere More...
Dec 09, 2010
Terri
rated it:
STOP! Before you read this review, I have to tell you that it’s a sequel. A really, really good sequel.
Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception is the book that came before, and it was reasonably good. It featured the classic “girl with nice guy best friend meets magical hot guy and finds her helpless-in-a-supposed-to-be-endearing-way self in the middle of a” love triangle. (Disclaimer: I nearly always go for the best friend instead of the magical hottie. I hold a grudge against liter More...
Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception is the book that came before, and it was reasonably good. It featured the classic “girl with nice guy best friend meets magical hot guy and finds her helpless-in-a-supposed-to-be-endearing-way self in the middle of a” love triangle. (Disclaimer: I nearly always go for the best friend instead of the magical hottie. I hold a grudge against liter More...
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 01, 2010
Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids
rated it:
Ballad starts with James and Dee at the private school for musicians. Jame's talent attracts Nuala, who just happens to be a soul snatcher (who's also a faerie muse) who finds and feeds off of those with exceptional gifts. Everyone she's been attracted to dies after she feeds on them. What neither of them excepts is to develop a relationship. I have to say that they both dish up a healthy dose of snarkiness and I love it.
James still has feelings for Dee, who's still grieving over Luke More...
James still has feelings for Dee, who's still grieving over Luke More...
0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 03, 2010
Shannon
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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0 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 12, 2010
Music_lover3
rated it:
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. I thought this was a really good book by itself, but it was terrible as a sequel, especially as an ending to a series. I had several problems with this one. I hated the ending, but I did like James as a character (he was quirky enough to be interesting), even Nuala. I thought she was good for him. However, I still skimmed most of it, even with two funny, very likeable main characters. And I hated Dee in this book. She did a complete 180 from
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(2 people liked it)
Jul 11, 2010
Jessica
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Apr 17, 2010
Beth
rated it:
As far as books go as a stand alone this one would have been okay. It's not a page turner like Lament and it's not poetic like Shiver, but still it was a decent story.
My frustration comes in with it being marketed as a sequel to Lament, which ends sadly with James apparently being dead, Luke Dillon's soul being returned but him having to go live with a group of faeries to avoid dieing once his soul is returned. But apparently I seriously misread that last chapter because James is al More...
My frustration comes in with it being marketed as a sequel to Lament, which ends sadly with James apparently being dead, Luke Dillon's soul being returned but him having to go live with a group of faeries to avoid dieing once his soul is returned. But apparently I seriously misread that last chapter because James is al More...
5 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Apr 03, 2010
Reading
rated it:
by amy
Nuala is part muse, part psychic vampire. While the freedom to sing or write or create is denied her, her mark across history is unmistakable; a trail of brilliant poets, musicians, and artists who have died tragically young. She had no sympathy for their abbreviated life spans; every thirteen Halloweens she burns in a bonfire and rises from her ashes with no memories of what has come before other than the knowledge of how her end will come.
James is the best bagpiper in t More...
Nuala is part muse, part psychic vampire. While the freedom to sing or write or create is denied her, her mark across history is unmistakable; a trail of brilliant poets, musicians, and artists who have died tragically young. She had no sympathy for their abbreviated life spans; every thirteen Halloweens she burns in a bonfire and rises from her ashes with no memories of what has come before other than the knowledge of how her end will come.
James is the best bagpiper in t More...
