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A review by ashleymk44
Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater
3.0
This was entertaining, and kept me reading, but I didn't like it as much as [b:Lament|3112850|Lament The Faerie Queen's Deception|Maggie Stiefvater|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41R67UplhtL._SL75_.jpg|3144132], while I didn't enjoy Lament as much as I did [b:Shiver|6068551|Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1)|Maggie Stiefvater|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1257962751s/6068551.jpg|6244926] (definitely my favorite of Stiefvater's works). After reading so much about Dee and Luke, I was disappointed to find that we really don't get much about them, except through Dee's unsent text messages to James. I know this is supposed to be his story, and more of a companion novel than a sequel, but I found myself wondering about them quite a bit. Also, although I really liked Dee in Lament, I found myself disliking her a bit here - from James' point of view she seems incredibly selfish.
For whatever reason, I wasn’t a huge fan of reading from James’ POV – I’m not really sure why, since I love him as a character. I have a tendency toward the bad boy rather than nice guy characters, but Luke (although I did like him) just seems so superficial in comparison to the depth and character that James has. Nuala’s POV was always entertaining, especially as I watched her go from thinking about James as a victim to thinking about him as someone she cares about.
It also seemed like all of the action and all of the big reveals were clumped together at the end - there were some great scenes, but they might have been a little more effective if they were spread out. I do love the world she's created, as well as her characters - Mr. Sullivan in particular. I'll be interested to see where James and Dee's relationship goes from here - it seems to be left a bit open for another book featuring them (perhaps the events of Ballad from Dee's point of view?), and if there is another, I can't wait to read it. As it stands, Dee's entanglement with Faerie as the cloverhand doesn't seem like it will be over anytime soon.
Overall, an enjoyable read. Great ending, too. If you like Steifvater’s style, you won’t be disappointed with this one. It just seems to be missing that something that made Shiver so great.
For whatever reason, I wasn’t a huge fan of reading from James’ POV – I’m not really sure why, since I love him as a character. I have a tendency toward the bad boy rather than nice guy characters, but Luke (although I did like him) just seems so superficial in comparison to the depth and character that James has. Nuala’s POV was always entertaining, especially as I watched her go from thinking about James as a victim to thinking about him as someone she cares about.
It also seemed like all of the action and all of the big reveals were clumped together at the end - there were some great scenes, but they might have been a little more effective if they were spread out. I do love the world she's created, as well as her characters - Mr. Sullivan in particular. I'll be interested to see where James and Dee's relationship goes from here - it seems to be left a bit open for another book featuring them (perhaps the events of Ballad from Dee's point of view?), and if there is another, I can't wait to read it. As it stands, Dee's entanglement with Faerie as the cloverhand doesn't seem like it will be over anytime soon.
Overall, an enjoyable read. Great ending, too. If you like Steifvater’s style, you won’t be disappointed with this one. It just seems to be missing that something that made Shiver so great.