A review by readerpants
Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater
4.0
ETA July '12: Just as good -- probably even better -- upon rereading!
I'm a little embarrassed by how much I'm enjoying this. Reading it makes me feel like I'm back in high school, in all of my unbearably geeky, repartee-laced, Ren-Faire-attending... um, glory. There's an adult, readerly part of me that know this isn't a great book, but my inner adolescent is reveling in the sarcasm and earnestness and celtophilia. I think I would have adored this book when I was a teen; but since I fit a particular mold of geek that's still floating through middle and high schools today, I think it's going to make some contemporary teen readers pretty happy too.
James's voice is a real improvement over Dee's (which made up the last book), and while the text messages are irritating at least there aren't too many of them. The James/Nuala storyline is somewhat compelling, but it's really the voice and the setting that makes the book -- a music nerd boarding school in an idyllic setting with cool young teachers and an inordinate number of witty, deep, teen Celtic folk musicians struggling with love and death (intertwined, of course)? It's like Simon's Rock meets Charles de Lint. My inner 17-year-old is all hot and bothered and totally wants to go. My adult self is completely amused and feeling nostalgic for nerd camp. Both selves think it's kind of awesome.
I'm a little embarrassed by how much I'm enjoying this. Reading it makes me feel like I'm back in high school, in all of my unbearably geeky, repartee-laced, Ren-Faire-attending... um, glory. There's an adult, readerly part of me that know this isn't a great book, but my inner adolescent is reveling in the sarcasm and earnestness and celtophilia. I think I would have adored this book when I was a teen; but since I fit a particular mold of geek that's still floating through middle and high schools today, I think it's going to make some contemporary teen readers pretty happy too.
James's voice is a real improvement over Dee's (which made up the last book), and while the text messages are irritating at least there aren't too many of them. The James/Nuala storyline is somewhat compelling, but it's really the voice and the setting that makes the book -- a music nerd boarding school in an idyllic setting with cool young teachers and an inordinate number of witty, deep, teen Celtic folk musicians struggling with love and death (intertwined, of course)? It's like Simon's Rock meets Charles de Lint. My inner 17-year-old is all hot and bothered and totally wants to go. My adult self is completely amused and feeling nostalgic for nerd camp. Both selves think it's kind of awesome.