ballad

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception
$9.95
Deirdre (Dee) Monaghan is a sixteen year old who is a talented harpist. She's unhappy about being dragged about by her mother to play at various events and has stage-fright so badly that she is sick before every performance. She also has only one friend, James, an odd-ball, smart-talking guy who likes to write on his arms and is also a talented musician who plays the bagpipes. At a music competition at her high school, Dee meets a stranger, Luke, a boy who convinces her to play a duet with him on the flute. Things start to look interesting for Dee, but unfortunately, not in an entirely good way. She's discovering she has strange talents, she can see fairies (and not the sweet and friendly kind) and can move objects with her mind, and although she's falling in love with Luke, she senses he's not all he seems and has a very dark past.

There is lot of suspense as dark fairy forces threaten Dee and her family and friends--and even Luke, who seems thoroughly mixed up with them. Dee need to figure out what's going on before she she can even try to figure out how to deal with the situation. Weaving in the music that is part of her life with the plot makes things interesting and worrying. She plays and sings Irish ballads, and everyone knows that they often end in tragedy.

Dee is a normal enough girl, feeling like a bit of an outcast, at least she has a very good friend in James and doesn't have people bullying her or making her life overly dramatic--other than her present problems with the fairies, anyway. The other characters are great, too, James and Luke; so much so that I wish I could have seen more of them (apparently the next book, BALLAD, is about James, so that's good). The plot was exciting, with increasing danger and threats, keeping one reading until the very end. I thought it was a very good story, very moving, and interesting enough that it left me wanting to read more about these characters and the dangerous fairies who threaten them.

Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie
$9.95
I loved this one. I thought I was going to be disappointed when I heard it was centering on James instead of Dee. But, I absolutely couldn't put it down! I can't wait to find out what's going to happen in the 3rd one...Now, there's a love triangle going on...will she bring Luke back? Can't wait!

Fire (Graceling)
$17.99
Fire was an incredible disappointment after Graceling, a favorite of mine. Graceling had exciting action throughout with fascinating characters, but Fire mostly takes place in the main character's head with all the internal conflicts she suffers. The characters in Fire weren't nearly as dynamic as those in Graceling, therefore, it took me forever to slog through it. I zipped through Graceling and was so sad when it ended but Fire was a chore. Before I was done, my husband (who also read both books) asked me what part I was up to. I told him that I was up to the battle portion, and he basically said, "Oh, well, you're nearly finished." I looked at what was left and thought, "Ugh. I have about 60 pages to go! How much longer will I have to suffer?"

No, I didn't like this book and feel badly that I recommended it to some of my students before reading it myself. Several students, who finished before I did, said the same thing. They were bored with the book except for the areas that had Leck. Now, when I see one of my students reading Graceling, I make sure to tell them that Fire isn't at all on the same level. They'd go right out and buy what I suggest, but I don't think they should waste their money. If they want to read it, they may borrow my copy.

Shiver
$17.99
this book is so beautif. it was very moving and it made me laugh and cry. I love this story and wish that Maggie would write a sequel.