Lament: the Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Before Maggie Stiefvater wrote the Shiver series, she wrote Lament: the Faerie Queen's Deception. And that was the problem. Lament isn't as popular, nor is it as highly rated on Goodreads. So I was kind of reluctant to read it. But don't be! It's amazing! 4 out of 5 stars.

Lament: the Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater
4 out fo 5 stars
Published 10.01.08
Summary from Goodreads: 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 . . .

I'm going to start off by saying this summary doesn't exactly give you the right perception of the book. I entered this book thinking there was going to be a love square- but no, I was wrong. I guess you could say there's a love triangle, but I thought there was only one true love interest.

His name is Luke, and he is the awesomest assassin yet! I love him. He has a past you can't guess- not until Maggie reveals it. His intentions are kind of unclear, he's not exactly the boy your mother would approve of, and he's unbelievably good-looking. In other words, my type of guy. Not to mention that he has no soul. You kind of have to meet him to understand why he is so crush-worthy.

Then there was this plot. I loved the idea of Celtic faerie lore, not just regular fairies (yes, with an i). Maggie Stiefvater brought in a ton of that and wove it into a story with tons of twists and turns. Let's just say you can't expect anything that happens to happen. And even when it does, you kind of just stare at the page gawking. And yes, that's exactly what happened to me.

I happen to have a huge admiration for Deirdre. She reminds me of all the characters who don't know their inner strength they possess. Just like how they seem weak, she seems shy. Just like how they don't know their strength, she doesn't either. Until she realizes that she has to because it's the only way she can survive. Yup, she inspired me enough to rant about her that long. But most of all, she's not boring! She wasn't a spineless dishrag, as Julie Kagawa would say.

Then there was this ending. It was bittersweet, real and not a perfect fairy tale ending, even though there were faeries. Did Maggie Stiefvater suddenly blank out and force out a sappy, fake happy ending? No! She followed her heart (maybe...) and wrote the most heartbreakingly beautiful ending. I admire her for that.

Just like all stories have an ending, this review must end too. So read this book and swoon because Luke's an awesome assassin!