Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception »

Maggie Stiefvater's life decisions have revolved around her inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical writer (all of which she's tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists and artists (she's made her living as one or the other since she was twenty-two). Maggie now lives a surprisingly eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia, with her charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, and neurotic dog.

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 . . .

Lament is a dark faerie fantasy that features authentic Celtic faerie lore, plus cover art and interior illustrations by acclaimed faerie artist Julia Jeffrey.

Publishers Weekly

YA readers searching for faerie stories will be happy to find this debut novel, an accomplished take on well-loved themes. Despite her immense talent, teenage musician Deirdre fights nausea-inducing anxiety every time she plays her harp in public. Enter handsome, romantic Luke at just the right moment: a stranger, he calms her before a major competition, performs a duet with her and together they win the grand prize. Deirdre can't help falling in love-only, why do four-leaf clovers keep appearing, and why does Luke keep throwing them away? And why does Deirdre's grandmother instantly express an aversion to Luke? Along with some familiar elements-ruthless faerie royalty, unsuspecting mortals targeted for their as yet unknown gifts, treacherous bargains-Stiefvater brings to her story several layers of romance, a knowledge of Irish music and a talent for plot twists. She is also unafraid of taking plot developments to their logical outcomes, even when they mar the characters' happiness. Vibrant and potent, her writing will hook genre fans. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)

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