I loved this book! The world of Faerie has never seemed so real, so near, as it does in Dee's life. It seems to me, as I stand at my back door and look out into the moon-soaked night, that there must be faeries out there watching me. In the next breath, I know that, if they are anything like Steifvater's faeries, this should frighten me, and it doesn't. :)
Dee is torn between her love of Luke, the gallowglass, and James, the piper. Her firm belief that she is simply ordinary resonated strongly with me. I love and envy that she can tell herself that she is strong and make it so. For that matter, she can tell herself that she is fast, or that everything will be ok, or that the hounds of the Hunter will not catch her, and it will be so because she has said it. What a power. Also, she plays the harp. One day, so will I.
The character of Luke was entirely familiar to me. There are many things about him that remind me of someone dear to me. It is unusual to say the least to open a book and find within its pages a friend. In particular, Luke's tragedy, and his conviction that he is something to be feared, make him familiar and beautiful. It is wonderful that he is determined to be exactly what he is meant to be, rather than bowing to the will of the Queen. I want to revisit some of my old Arthurian favorites to look for the gallowglass, the Faery Queen's assassin. I want to know more of him, as he is apparently an Irish archetype I have not picked up on.
I thoroughly enjoyed how the characters, Dee, James, even Sara, simply accepted the world of Faerie and its strange and magnificent creatures. Sara had no reason to believe, even after she witnessed Freckle Freak's antics. James had only his love for Dee to sustain him, but he believed and trusted not only Dee but his own budding powers. Quite wonderful.
I can't wait to start Ballad. But hopefully I can sleep now.
