After putting down this book, the first thing I thought was: Man, that was incredible. The second thing I thought was: WHY MUST THE SEQUEL COME OUT NEXT YEAR AND NOT RIGHT NOW? And yes, I thought this in all capital letters. But Lament itself is an incredible book. The writing is excellent ( though I saw a few things I'd change and, like, two typos overall, but that's me being way too critical ). The characters are amazing - I was so used to reading about heroines who play dumb or have no idea about this-or-that going on, and I was surprised, then overjoyed, to find that Deirdre was smart and clever and offered a refreshing point of view. God, I don't even know what to point out as outstanding, because every page brought on something great. I honestly couldn't put it down - except once last night because it was midnight and I was forced to go to bed. There's romance and magic and humor and action. This is one book I highly recommend.