I absolutely loved this book! It was better than the first in the series, which I also enjoyed. I liked voice of James more than the voice of Dee (narrator of Lament) and parts of the plot made more sense to me than the plot of Lament. Highly recommended. ( )

It was a song of the dead and for the dead; a lament played over and over again calling to the damned. While on the breeze a slow ballad played of dancing, belonging and the end of a life. This ballad was hers, but to him she gave the sounds of golden music to fill his dreams and the promise of greatness whispered in his ears. It was intoxicating the way the notes filled him yet still left him unfulfilled with a longing that tormented him.

For James music is his life, but for Nuala music is life. A leanan sidhe is a muse living on the years of those she inspires and no one has ever said no to a muse. James however is determined to have nothing to do with the leanan sidhe haunting him, despite the wanting and the anguish it is causing him. But it is not possible to accept a deal with a faerie without selling a piece of yourself.

Ballad is a tale of death shaped by moments of tenderness, enchantment and song, a sweet yet humorous poetic romance that is sentimental and at the same time perilous. This urban story of music, magic and mayhem is threaded through with the traditionalism and timelessness of faeries creating a world that is wondrous, dark and truly a delight to read. A stunning squeal to the beautiful Lament. ( )

I just didn't feel it! like, it wasn't bad, it was pretty interesting, but I didn't connect with anyone in it! sorry girl. ( )

152. [Ballad] by [[Maggie Stiefvater]]
CAT#16: Books from My Read Soon! Shelves
September RandomCAT: Equinox
James plays the bagpipes, and he's extremely good at it. So good, in fact, that the special conservatory where he attends high school doesn't have an instructor good enough to teach him. But he didn't choose the Thornking-Ash School of Music to help his playing; he's there because of a girl. Because of course he is. And the two of them are mixed up with the Them, who chase teens with exceptional musical abilities. But James becomes more involved with the Fey than even he would have guessed at this new school, and becomes torn between his oldest friend/object of his unrequited interest, and his new and also very interesting friend, who happens to be a leanan sidhe. They're all in danger when they discover that the queen of Faerie is planning something big with the horned king of the dead, and James will have to make some tough decisions before it's all over.
I enjoyed this one a good deal, and it's a great follow-up to Lament. Stiefvater has fast become one of my favorites because she has that fabulous talent of blending the supernatural into the real world so effortlessly, and her love of myth and folklore shows, and I love her for that. ( )

I was very disappointed with this "sequel". I really enjoyed its predecessor "Lament" and was hoping for a similarly enchanting continuation of the story. However, what I got were unlikable characters, a plot that seemed to take ages to develop properly and, thus, a lot of boredom. This is a real pity as I truly think that the first book was very good (even though it occasionally bordered on the cheesy boyfriend-worship that we know from the "Twilight" books ;)). I'm sorry, Maggie, but this sequel just didn't cut it for me. ( )