Book Review: Lament

The Faerie Queen's Deception...

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.

Maggie Stiefvater's debut, Lament, introduces us to Deirdre Monaghan, an amazingly gifted musician. Her instrument of choice, the harp. The biggest problem Deirdre is facing is her shyness which affects her ability to play in front of others.

Except... well... she only thinks that's her biggest problem. She's a cloverhand. This means that she's gifted with the sight. She can see faeries. Still... that's not her biggest problem. The problem would be the two faery assassins out to get her: Luke, a soulless faery, and the dark faery, Aodhan. Both are ordered to find and kill her. Why? Deirdre's music is starting to attract the attention of the faeries.

I love books about faeries, but I've become quite picky about them. I prefer that they stay true to old faery lore. And this one does, specifically Celtic lore. Maggie's writing is absolutely beautiful. The way she pieces the sentences together is almost lyrical.

Deirdre finds herself drawn to Luke, while her best friend, James, has fallen for Deirdre. Soon she finds herself stuck between both guys. I'm generally not a fan of love triangles. And I've always been able to find a clear frontrunner. But not here. I enjoyed both Luke and James, and I was unsure of who to root for. They were both great.

Her Wolves of Mercy Falls books are very popular. And I've read all three. It's my opinion that the faery books are even more incredible than wolfy ones. So I can only say read them and see for yourselves. Also, if you ever get a chance to meet Maggie at a signing, go!



I met Maggie shortly after Lament's release. This is when it was only available with the grey cover and no one had even heard of Shiver. The signing was in Baltimore, and I was the only one there. A few people stopped by to check out the book, but I was the only one hanging around the table. We talked, she played her harp, and I felt like a creeper. Haha! But she assured me my "stalking" was okay. I've gone to a few signings since, and she is hilarious!

Don't forget to check out her website and her blog. There is some amazing music written and performed by Maggie. And seriously check out her book trailers. She is very multi-talented.