On the day of a music competition, sixteen-year-old musical prot̩g̩ Dierdre Monaghan's life takes a strange turn. She meets a mysterious boy named Luke who shows up in unexpected places and acts in inexplicable ways. Against her better judgment, Dierdre is drawn to Luke and with him she begins seeing the world in a new way. Dierdre learns she is a cloverhand-someone who can see faeries. Unfortunately, many of the faeries and the Faerie Queen herself want Dierdre dead.
Maggie Stiefvater brings the mythical, jealous Faerie Queen into a modern world. The story combines some elements of timeless stories with a new and changing backdrop. Her characters are well-developed and intriguing. Dierdre's adventure brings Irish ballads and folklore into a modern American setting. This is an exciting story good for an older teenage crowd, especially those interested in ancient Irish magic and music.