Ballad

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.

Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse, is attracted to James and, as they work together on a musical piece, she begins to fall in love with him.  Unfortunately, her time is limited as she is being hunted by the fey while other solitary fey near the school are being murdered.  A battle with the Queen of the Fey is inevitable.

Maggie Stiefvater’s first book in the series, Lament, focused on Dee and her growing awareness that she is a cloverhand, one who sees faeries.  Dark faerie stories are not so common and this author herself has a special talent and an obvious love for music, Irish lore and all things fey.  By making James the central character of the second book, she has greatly expanded the breadth of her storytelling.

Very highly recommended for teens and adults.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2009.