Angieville

I think it's time for a giveaway, don't you? Thanks to the generous people at Flux , I have one copy of Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater to give away to one lucky commenter! I'm very excited about this giveaway because I thought it was such a great read and an excellent companion novel to Lament . You can find my review of both books here and here , as well as an interview I did with Maggie last month. I've posted Maggie's awesome book trailer here before, but here it is again because it's totally worth a second viewing. Maggie has since put together a playlist for Ballad , which you can also check out here . The rules for the contest are simple. To enter please leave a comment telling me your favorite ballad or love song. One extra entry if you become a follower, two for current followers. Make sure to leave me a way to contact you. The giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada residents only and closes on October 1st-- Ballad ' s official release date!

So it turns out I unwittingly chose the perfect book to follow  Heir to Sevenwaters .  I needed something sweet and scary, with a little humor and some faeries.  I didn't really know much about  Lament ,  so it was kind of surprising how much I was looking forward to it. But I was just getting this vibe. Like good things would be inside. And these good things seemed to carry with them a hint of  Melissa Marr  goodness mixed with some  Holly Black  awesome. I got what I was looking for and more. Deirdre plays the harp. Her best friend James is a piper. And hilarious with it. The two of them together are exceptionally cool  John Green -esque geeks. Besides James, Deirdre's got an overbearing mother, an aunt from hell, and a very weak stomach. The story opens at one of her competitions. She is lurking about the girl's bathroom about to lose her lunch, as she always does before a performance, when the mysterious Luke Dillon (who Deirdre's never met before but seems to know ...