The Faerie Queen's Deception: Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Deirdre is a student Harpist, but she doesn't like performing. She gets so scared at the thought of being humiliated in front of a crowd that she always has to throw up before she performs. But this time, she meets a boy named Luke Dillon, and he persuades her to withdraw as a solo performer and instead play a duet with him that she just made up before they performed.

Together, though, they play so beautifully, her on the Harp and him on the Flute, that they end up winning the competition. But the competition seems to draw all sorts of weird people out of the woodwork. All of whom want something from her. Including Luke. But Deirdre is warned off from Luke by none other than her Granna. And her mother doesn't like him, either.

But despite everyone warning her away from him, Deirdre finds herself drawn to him, even as he is drawn to her. Luke has told her that she is the kind of person who can do anything, and she finds that he was truer than he knows. She finds herself able to move objects around, make the wind blow, and even see fairies. But does she want to see them?

The only ones who stand with her are her friend, James, and her granna, who says that Faeries used to trouble the women of the family. However, iron will prevent them from hurting her, and Granna promises Deirdre a paste that can also keep them away.

But as the Solstice draws closer, the Fairies grow stronger, and Deirdre, in trouble for both her powers and her name, that she shares with the Queen of the Fairies. The Faerie Queen wants her dead, and the only way to win is for one of them to die. But does Deirdre have the strength to do what must be done? Or will she surrender and die, consigning Luke to a loveless eternity of being the Queen's assassin?

I loved this book, which veered constantly between the beautiful prose used to describe the fairies, and the music and poetry made by both Luke and Deirdre on their instruments and voices, that quite transported me away, and the more workaday world that Deirdre lives in for most of the day.

And yet, I have a feeling that this book is only the first book in a series, whether a trilogy or longer. And given the sheer beauty we get glimpses of in the Faerie world, I'd definitely be interested in seeing more from this author. I had a hard time tearing myself away from the book. Luckily, I read very quickly, otherwise I'd be hard pressed to get out of my room.

If you haven't read this book yet, now's the time to start. It's wonderful and lyrical while invoking a world filled with both beauty and ugliness at the same time. The Faery folk are by turns scary and scarily beautiful. Capable of both helping, and hurting, Deirdre has to decide who to trust to triumph, More, please.