Ballad by: Maggie Stiefvater

Publication Date: October 2009

Overview:
FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING NOVEL SHIVER

"Ballad is giddy, intoxicating, and threatening all at once. It is a sheer edge-read: you feel like you stand on a cliff through every scene, only barely clinging to the world, not knowing who is coming up behind you!" —Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author of the Protector of the Small Quartet

"With its razor wit, compelling characters, and deliriously beautiful prose, Ballad will make you laugh and gasp out loud even as it breaks your heart." —R.J. Anderson, author of Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter

"Maggie Stiefvater excels at writing wonderfully complex characters who face wickedly impossible obstacles. Ballad had me hooked until the pulse-pounding end. Readers who loved Lament will devour Ballad and plead for more!" —Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Remember us, so sing the dead, lest we remember you

James Morgan has an almost unearthly gift for music. And it has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. James has plenty of reasons to fear the faeries, but as he and Nuala collaborate on an achingly beautiful musical composition, James finds his feelings towards Nuala deepening. But the rest of the fairies are not as harmless.

My thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book. It was the second in the series. And most importantly it was from James' point of view. To get a guys feeling on this is hard to do and the author did so...brilliantly. James' feeling about things are no different then what most girls would feel when they are in love only with less tears and drama...or almost less drama.
I really don't want James to be with Nuala. I feel like she is a ruddy cow only out to destroy what was already there and what was really important. I love Dee and like she and James are destined to be together. They need to give everything time and chances to work thing out for itself. It was sad that they had to lose a great teacher, but like all things, some come to and end faster....

My Rating: 5 Stars