Review of Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

Ballad starts with James and Dee at the private school for musicians. Jame's talent attracts Nuala, who just happens to be a soul snatcher (who's also a faerie muse) who finds and feeds off of those with exceptional gifts. Everyone she's been attracted to dies after she feeds on them. What neither of them excepts is to develop a relationship. I have to say that they both dish up a healthy dose of snarkiness and I love it.

James still has feelings for Dee, who's still grieving over Luke. We do get a few little mentions here and there of Luke. James's biggest worry is the fey are coming for Dee and for Nuala, and for two different reasons. Dee is the cloverhand whom the fey are drawn to and follow. Nuala is cursed to die every 16 yrs only to have to come back and not remember a thing about her last 16 years. She soon learns more about who she really is.

Now James must choose whom he will save as he comes face to face with the Queen of the Fey who wants Dee dead and the Horned King of the Dead as he's looking for his next predecessor.

I liked that some familiar characters were brought back and some lingering questions I had from Lament where answered in Ballad. Just wait till Dee's aunt comes back. She's evil and I knew she was up to no good. I also like the new characters that are introduced, as it seems like they'll be back for the third book. I am looking forward to reading the next story, as there's so much more to explore as Dee, James and those who survive the latest round of attacks from the fey will be dealing with. There's a lot of things that happen in Ballad and wow, I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for all of them.

I really liked that most of the book came from James's point of view and the other point of view was from Nuala. James's snarkiness and cockiness are classic (there's just something I like about snarky guys.)!! Nuala can definitely dish it right back to him. I have been so excited to read this book, but something was missing in it for me. I'm not quite sure what it is, as I totally recommend it and I can't wait for the next one!! Over all I liked it, but I wasn't in love with it like I was Lament. 3 out of 5 stars.
Please be sure to tell us what you think of Ballad here:
http://mundiemoms.freeforums.org/our-book-reviews-f75.html

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Dead is the New Black
By: Marlene Perez
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc., 2008
5 out of 5 stars

Brief Summary from Marlene Perez's website:

The first installment of this creepy, campy paperback original series introduces the psychic Giordano sisters—and their very strange hometown, Nightshade, California.
Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerlead Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha looks a little...well, dead, and all the popular kids at school are copying her style. Is looking dead just another fashion trend for pretty popular Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad....

My Thoughts:

This book is quite the little gem. I instantly was hooked by the main character, Daisy. She seems so real and down to earth. She struggles with being normal in the midst of a family with powerful psychic powers while juggling school and nursing a crush on her best guy bud, Ryan. However, Daisy soon learns that in the small town of Nightshade not everything is what it seems. There are evil deeds afoot in the town and Daisy is determined to find out exactly what is targeting her friends and other young girls in the area.

I devoured this book – it took me a little over 24 hours to read the entire thing. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to unravel the mystery and get to know Daisy better. I also enjoyed the little twists Rose and Poppy, Daisy's sisters presented throughout the novel.

Finally, I must say that Marlene Perez's writing style is some of the best I have seen lately. She has a sassy wit and lines that speak to the young adult reader. I found myself laughing out loud at times and wringing my hands with worry at other times. I love Nightshade and its inhabitants. I have already pulled the second book in the “Dead Is” series, Dead is a State of Mind”, from my bookshelf to begin tonight. The third installment, Dead is So Last Year, has already hit bookstores. According to Perez's website Dead is Just a Rumor will be released in the fall of 2010 and Dead is not an Option will be released in the spring of 2011. It looks like I may have stumbled on one of my new favorite series. We shall have to see if the second book can live up to the standards set by the first. I can't wait for more Daisy, Ryan, Rose, Poppy, and Samantha!

Ballad: An Animated Storybook

I know many of us are eagerly awaiting Ballad, the follow up to Lament. I'm almost done reading Ballad now and the book focuses a lot more on James. There's some of our favorite characters from Lament and some new ones. I won't give anything away, but the book is done in two different point of views and no the point of view is not Dee's. Maggie does a great job of picking up where she left off in Lament. We'll be posting our reviews soon on Ballad.

Awesome Beautiful Creatures Book Trailer

You can see more information about the video here:
http://www.beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/
Please be sure to check this site often, as Kami and Margaret are planning a lot of cool BC give aways.

I'm currently reading my copy of Beautiful Creatures and this video does a great job at of giving you a glimpse into the book.