Review: Lirael

Lirael by Garth Nix
Abhorsen #2
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: April 5th 2004
Date Read: 5/4/2014 to 5/8/2014
527 Pages
Rating: ✰✰✰✰  

When the future is hidden, who holds the key to destiny?

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. She doesn't even have the Sight - the ability to See into the present and possible futures - that is the very birthright of the Clayr. Nonetheless it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies, while Abhorsen Sabriel is engaged in conflict elsewhere.

As an ancient evil casts its shadow - one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clayr, and threatens to break the very boundary between the Life and Death - Lirael undertakes a desperate mission.

With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael sets out upon a perilous journey and comes face to face with her own fate...

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Ok, so I was looking through Amazon, and I saw that Garth Nix is coming up with a new book in this series, called Clariel! I'm not sure why all the characters, Sabriel, Lirael, and now Clariel have pretty much the same ending, BUT WHATEVER. Guess who will be pre-ordering that in October? Me!

But yes, I have finally finished Lirael, which I immensely enjoyed. I did not have any specific expectations going into the sequel, except that I thought the time gap would be smaller. Also, the cover to Lirael looks amazing! I'm a little upset I have it on the kindle rather than in paperback.

So you know how I said I loved Sabriel? Well I love Lirael even more! (You can see my review for the first book here) She does remind me of Sabriel a little, except more shy, reclusive, and just more smart. However, in the beginning of the book she does suffer depression, because she still hadn't received the Sight. The Sight is basically being able to see into the possible future, and being a Daughter of the Clayr at 14 years old without the Sight, Lirael feels like she doesn't belong. 

On the other hand, there's the Disreputable Dog. I have no idea how she got that name, but everytime I think of her I think of a mix between Dug from the movie Up! and the mother wolf from Princess Mononoke

I kid you not. The Disreputable Dog loves Lirael, and is really her only family. She loves being scratched under the ears, and loves to eat food even when she doesn't have to. One minute, she'll act super chirpy and cute, and then the other, she's an all-knowing being and doesn't hesitate to go in for the kill.  

And then there's Prince Sameth, the son of the Abhorsen Sabriel and Touchstone (the two main characters from the first book). He's the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, and doesn't want to be. Basically, what the Abhorsen does, it send the dead (think zombies) back to the dead using her bells and necromancer skills. So basically an Abhorsen is a legit necromancer. Usually being a necromancer is looked down upon, but since she's official, it's OKAY. It's kind of like the Avatar! But not really!

Well, ok besides the point. I absolutely loved the plot! The truth is that the climax doesn't exactly happen in this book, but in the next one in the series. I feel so bad for the readers waiting for another book to come out two years for it to come out. There were mini climaxes here and there, and decent amount of action, so it wasn't boring! 

Also, I'm really glad that Dog became part of Lirael's library adventures. Because honestly, the dialogue added so much more to the story! There's a point when only reading narrative gets boring, and Garth Nix picked the perfect time to introduce a fuzzy new character. The same thing happened with Sameth when Mogget the cat (I'm so glad he has a reappearance in this book) appeared. I've read a bunch of books that are just narrative or thoughts of the MC, and it just didn't appeal to me. 

Also, you don't have to read Sabriel to enjoy Lirael! It explains everything just as clearly, like the Charter magic and the Clayr and also Death. At least I think so. It might be preferable to read Sabriel first though so that you can fully enjoy Mogget's presence. He's a sarcastic fluffball.

Also, don't let the prologue confuse you! 

All I can say now, is that I am so lucky to have the next book, Abhorsen, ready. This series has gotten better and better, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next. If you loved the Alanna series, anything by Tamora Pierce, or fantasy in general, you will love this series! I guarantee it!

Review: Sabriel

Sabriel by Garth Nix
Abhorsen #1
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: September 30th, 1996

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals its malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young Charter Mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death—and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own destiny.

With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether

Taken from Goodreads

Start: 1/24/2014  |  End: 1/30/2014  |  Pages: 491  |  Rating: 5 Stars 

My Thoughts:

I am so glad that someone recommended this book to me, because it was a fantastic read. I am a HUGE sucker for the fantasy and adventure genre, as long as it's not downright confusing. I admit that during the prologue, I had a hard time following what was happening, but other than that, I knew what was going on.

The story starts off, after the prologue, with Sabriel at her boarding school in Ancelstierre. After finding out that her father, the famous necromance Abhorsen, is stuck in death, she goes out to rescue him. Along the way, she discovers the secrets of the Old Kingdom, a deathly yet trustworthy (?) companion cat named Mogget, and also a Charter Mage imprisoned by magic, which Sabriel frees him of. Together, the three of them travel across the land in order to search for her father, and of course in the end going against what "killed" him in the first place. No story is ever so simple.

The characters was what really made this journey. If Garth Nix hadn't developed such wonderful characters, especially Sabriel, then this story would have just been another one of those books with a start and an end. Sabriel is a character with equally as many flaws as strengths, in other words, she's not an all powerful know-it-all. Her father has kept her away from the Old Kingdom, but still taught her the ways of a necromancer. Although she's not as good as her father, she at least tries her best and isn't reckless about it. She makes her own decisions about who to save, and who to leave behind. 

On the other hand, Mogget the cat has an alter ego, when without his collar. When I mean alter ego, I mean a completely different personality and form, with the power to kill. I wish I could've known more about the origins of Mogget, and how he came to be captured, but I will assume that it will be in the next book. 

Then there's Touchstone, the young Charter mage who manages to be amnesic only at the times Sabriel needs information. Being the only male in the group, I knew there would be some romance between him and Sabriel, but Nix did such a good job with NOT over doing it, so good that I actually wanted something to happen! This is because right now, there are more important events for Sabriel and Touchstone to worry about besides a relationship. Although I am looking forward to how it will play out in the next book in the series.

Basically, the plot itself is amazing, the characters have superb character development, the world itself is very unique, and also, the romance was not overbearing.

This is what I like to see in a fantasy, young adult novel!