Comments on: Review: Lament, Maggie Stiefvater

By: Jem

Jem — Mon, 16 May 2016 00:07:00 +0000

I found a lot of people to really dislike shiver trilogy and I don’t know why. It is one of my favorites.
It is literally, LITERALLY the only book I’ve ever read more than once and ENJOYED even after a long time (compared to Twilight which after reading again a few years later, was so horrible and i don’t even know….but I hated it).
I think this is certainly a book geared toward younger people and for romantics-like myself. I read a lot of books but likely not the “classics” or whatever so I’m sure there are reasons why people think her writing may pale in comparison.

I love supernatural, romance-based novels and this is what Shiver and Lament/Ballad were all about for me. (I read shiver first and while waiting for Linger to be released, discovered Lament and absolutely loved it. I love the purple prose. I love the poetic and romantic way she writes. I love the emotions and imaginations I get from reading her writing. With that being said I think in both series there could have been a little more development.

As for the Scorpio Trials….I didn’t love it. Good overall, but forgettable. It was very, very, very slow paced and I found that this book actually had TOO much description and too much…of things that didn’t really matter to me. There was a much greater emphasis on the characters independently which was great but if she was going to write about the two characters in such a way….she should have involved them with each other more and developed their relationship further…Also because I’m a love junkie I was very disappointed as there was barely any of it. The story took too long to unfold and the climax of the story was at the very end-it was pretty good, but way too short. Especially after reading 9/10 of the book to get to it. Also….the aftermath/afterstory after the races….lacking and abrupt.

I’m looking into the Raven Boys and I’ve heard good things so perhaps I’ll like it (and it seems more romance-tied) but I’m worried as I don’t enjoy reading in third person nor do I enjoy an overwhelming amount of characters (which is why Linger and Forever sort of fell out for me…it just did NOT live up to Shiver, which i often read as “a standalone”).

Final Verdict….with this series being very similar in style with Shiver? I loved it. Scorpio Races? I wish I could return it.

By: Chi

Chi — Fri, 18 Apr 2014 00:38:03 +0000

Here’s an alternative prologue to the book. It gives more insight into Luke’s view on Dee ( http://maggiestiefvater.com/wp-content/uploads/Lament-Prologue.pdf ). I suppose it does back up your thought that it’s just because of Dee’s way with the harp, BUT *cue the saleswoman* there’s more! I hope that in the third book we get more insight into Luke’s mind.

By: Bookgazing

Bookgazing — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 23:46:38 +0000

Concur – SR and DT are soooooooo good. I read Shiver and do think you can see her changing as a writer (maybe working out how to write what she wants to write while still being commercial) as you move through her work (or maybe I’m just way too affected by the lovely piece she put up about SR and writing the book she always wanted to write), but have avoided these books because they just don’t seem like anything I would enjoy.

By: Sarah Says Read

Sarah Says Read — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 23:51:34 +0000

I read Shiver and it wasn’t really my jam… and this doesn’t really sound much better? Love triangles, insta love, some supernatural quest or battle… blah blah blah.

By: Jen McDowell Mullen

Jen McDowell Mullen — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 19:10:39 +0000

My first experience with Stiefvater was The Raven Boys; loved it. While waiting for Dream Thieves, I read Shiver. It was…O.K. Then, The Scorpio Races, which I liked.
Finally, I read Dream Thieves when NetGalley released it.

My preferences: 1) The Raven Boys, 2) The Scorpio Races, 3) Dream Thieves, 4) Shiver. I didn’t like Shiver enough to read the next in the series, though. Unless, of course, NetGalley offered another free ebook.

I didn’t choose to read Lament because it was about fairies. I have usually been disappointed in the fairy realms in YA novels.

By: Athira

Athira — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 17:42:38 +0000

Yep. Doesn’t look like it’s for me. I can see things I’m going to have issues with. Which is a bummer because I would love to read YA books anyday, if only they could be made more adult-sensible. But then that would be adult books, right?

By: Amy @ My Friend Amy

Amy @ My Friend Amy — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 08:58:15 +0000

lol I have owned these books forever and have yet to read them despite the fact that whenever I do read one of her books I really like it? I don’t mind instalove tbh if the author makes me feel it.

By: Ana @ things mean a lot

Ana @ things mean a lot — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 08:49:34 +0000

I’ve not read her earlier books, but I’ve heard from several fans that that’s indeed the case. The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves are lovely, lovely books, and everybody swears by The Scorpio Races.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 23:34:44 +0000

I did not like Lament; much the same reaction as you. But! Ballad is lovely, and it’s all about James, which is maybe why I think Ballad is lovely.

By: stitchesandmarginalia

stitchesandmarginalia — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 18:39:45 +0000

Only one I’ve read is Raven Boys, which I mostly liked. There are a few spots where it looked like it might be taking a tedious (to me) romance/angst direction but it always kept moving on to other things.

I am not so much sick of love triangles as BAD love triangles. It seems like so often they are added in for no real reason.