Review: Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Lament
Series: Books of Faerie
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Flux (Scholastic UK)
Publication Date: 3 Jan 2011

Source: Loaned from the gorgeous Lyndsey at Heaven, Hell and Purgatory Book Reviews



Synopsis: From Amazon
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.

Review:
OK I am totally going to gush so don't say I didn't warn you. I am a huge, huge, huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater's. So be prepared.

My first gush is about Maggie's writing style - it is so descriptive that the mental picture I had of the ice-cream sundae literally made my mouth water. The emotion was woven into the narrative like a rich tapestry transferring me into the book easily. Full immersion achieved. Music plays a big part in Maggie's stories it felt as if it was flowing from the pages.

Written in first person narrative from Dierdre's (Dee) perspective; musically gifted yet a social outcast. She isn't unhappy about this status although she is aware of it. Beautiful but totally oblivious to this fact. From the beginning we have the impression that there is a family secret waiting to be uncovered. A dysfunctional family unit but with undercurrents of the secrets ready to be unearthed, leaving us wondering the reason behind the discord and its effect on their interactions.

The two male protagonist compare and contrast wonderfully together. James the best friend, in love with Dee, solid, reliable and dependable. Luke. the mystery man, dangerous, good looking with a tortured soul - is it any wonder I was drawn to Luke instantly. The use of the dove to portray the tortured soul was genius.

The intertwining of myth/legend and folklore added depth to the storyline plus a sense of realism to the narrative. I adored how all the different types of faeries were portrayed. The music and dancing fuelled the fire in my imagination; totally tactile and three dimensional; absorbing all the senses.

The plot unravels piece by piece like building blocks each chapter building on the last and laying the foundation for the next. As the story unfolds Dee realises she is far stronger than she thought she was and appreciates the bonds of friendship that she has. A journey of self discovery that is not always an easy path to take.

The surprising plot twist left me speechless. The ending was bitter sweet, I felt like it was tugging my heart strings in the same way as Dee tugged the strings on her harp. Yes, I did cry.

A truly touching read.