Lament

by Maggie Stiefvater

I've been wanting to read this book for a while. It's one of the regulars on my "Powell's List". Last time I was there I found a used copy - which is my permission to buy it!

Lament is the story of a girl who finds herself caught up in the world of faeries. These faeries are nothing like Tinker Bell though. They are based on old Celtic legends, and are dark, sneaky, crafty creatures. Faeries love to play games, deceive humans, and find ways to spirit them away. Deirdre's first encounter with the faerie world comes when a mysterious stranger comes to her aide at a music competition. Luke is beautiful, charming, a gifted musician, but also hiding something. Deirdre is cautious at first, but then her curiosity gets the better of her.. She finds herself trusting Luke - and it's not long before she learns whether that was a wise decision or not.

Some things I loved about this book:

Luke. Even though you're not sure if Luke should be trusted, he is an interesting character. He's very confident - on the border of cocky, and his exchanges with Deirdre are often amusing.

The faerie lore. I love the sinister undertone whenever the faeries are involved. The characters and the readers have to learn to never trust anything the faeries say, because while it may be true, there is likely some ulterior motive involved.

One slight reservation:

The ended is a little bit ambiguous! I wish the author would just give us a little more explanation and not make the reader assume!