Maggie Stiefvater
Flux/Llewellyn
e would not be better off dead,” I snapped. My fingers were beginning to tremble; the subconscious effort of keeping the faerie ring closed to the hounds was draining me too fast. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep them out.
Thomas’ face was sympathetic. “I’m sorry, child, but she will never let you exist while she does. You challenge her very existence, and you have a leg up with your humanity as well. One of you has to die to end this.”
I stared at him, taking it in, hugging my shivering arms around me with the effort of keeping the ring secure. It sounded so cheesy: one of you has to die. This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.
A debut novel from author, artist, and musician Maggie Stiefvater, Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception explores the darker side of fairy and fairy tales. Filled with references to Celtic fairy lore and lyrical prose, the story is peppered with all manner of good things: love, music, mystery, betrayal, to name just a few.
From the inside cover:
Sixteen-year old Deirdre Monaghan is a prodigiously gifted musician. She’s about to find out she’s a cloverhand—one who can see faeries.
Unexpectedly, Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin—and his interest in her might be something darker than summer romance. A sinister faerie named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. The both carry the same assignment from the Faerie Queen, one that forces Dee right into the midst of Faerie. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend.
Deirdre had been wishing her summer weren’t so dull, but taking on a centuries-old Faerie Queen isn’t exactly what she had in mind.
Stunningly illustrated by the acclaimed fairy artist Julia Jeffrey, Lament is broken into six books, each beginning with a telling quote from a traditional ballad. From Book Three:
I sat within a valley green
Sat there with my true love
And my fond heart strove to choose between
The old love and the new love…
While soft the wind blew down the glade
And shook the golden barley.
—“The Wind That Shakes the Barley”
Together, the art and traditionals give the book a decidedly haunting feel, something echoed in the Lament-inspired soundtrack Stiefvater came to write (and which will be available on the Fees blog on Tuesday, September 30th).
But Lament’s true strength lies in Stiefvater’s characterisations. Deirdre has a wonderfully authentic teen voice, Luke (the gallowglass) is tortured but not whiny, and James (the best friend would-be boyfriend) is wise-cracking and kind-hearted without being puppyish. Even Stiefvater’s supporting cast, a collection of fairies, family, and surprising new friends, are well-rounded. Moreover, she deftly side-steps the first-time author trap of painting the story black and white, with “villains” who are anything but flat, dry, and uninteresting.
If I had to pick one thing about Lament that didn’t sit right (and I do, since that’s the nature of the reviewing game), it would be the ending. While satisfying (insofar as part one of three endings ever are for impatient readers like me), Book Six feels rushed, as if carried along by Deirdre’s adrenaline and desperation alone. For what I can see as only symbolic reasons, the ending loops back to the beginning, with the denouement happening at Deirdre’s school.
So, is Lament a good read? Let me put it this way: homicidal fairies, love triangle, gorgeous artwork, and a breathtaking soundtrack (check out the Fees blog for downloads). And besides—
——— Don’t you know
what happens
to
cloverhands
who
cannot
control
the
fey?
Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception
Read the prologue and first chapter now!
Courtesy of Maggie Stiefvater and Flux/Llewellyn, the Les Bonnes Fees Blog will be featuring the prologue and first chapter of Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception this Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, we’ll also be blogging about Stiefvater’s Lament-inspired soundtrack, and posting three mp3s for download.