Reviews with content warning for Violence - Lirael

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Lirael by Garth Nix

21 reviews

pragmatic_chaos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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imsoverycool's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I really liked it, but

THERE WAS A CLIFFHANGER!!!

(And I haven't got the third book)

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cait's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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aliteraryescape's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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chris_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I was pretty disappointed to realize this book does not continue following Sabriel, but is about the generation after hers. I thought the plot was good, but I just didn't find the new characters particularly compelling. The pace was also much slower than the first book. I will still read the next one to find out what happens, but my eagerness has plummeted significantly.

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bearystarry's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lirael still feels relatable even though I'm not 16 anymore. This is a lot darker than I remembered, and I did dnf this last year? Maybe the year before... but I'm glad I pushed through this time.

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lyriumbones's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Writing: 4.5⭐️/5

The writing in this book is clear and decisive, carefully crafting a comprehensible display of the world. I love how Lirael is described, how her emotions are conveyed, and how real and personal every part of this story feels. I will say that the sudden switch to Sameth’s POV felt a bit jarring, and took me more than a few pages to fall into pace with.

Characters: 5⭐️/5

Oh, boy, do I love Lirael. I love how her emotional swings and angst feel both real and fully formed. I also enjoy how much attention is given to her backstory and characterization. I also love how interesting and developed the other characters in the story are, from Sameth and Ellesmere, to poor Nick and heinous Hedge.

Plot: 4.5⭐️/5

The complexity of this plot – and how it bleeds over into the next book of the series – is incredibly well-done. While little points here and there definitely get in the way of me fully enjoying it, the overarching plot is interesting.

World 5⭐️/5

Okay, okay. I’m very much in love with the world of the Old Kingdom, and I think I will likely always be. I love the details of the world, I love how the Abhorsens are described and fight off the dead, and I love how both of these translate into plots and characters that are great to read.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of high-fantasy worlds
Readers looking for a semi-young adult read that is deep and interesting
Those who have read and liked Sabriel

Content Warnings?

Animal death, animal cruelty, murder, death, death of parent, death of child, violence, body horror, gore, gaslighting, gun violence, injury, injury detail

Post-Reading Rating: 5⭐️/5

I do truly love this world, and Lirael is such a stunning character.

Final Rating: 4.75⭐️/5

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leguinstan's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed this waaaaaaaay more than Sabriel!! It manages to improve upon the weaker aspects of the first book without sacrificing any of its positive qualities.

I love that Lirael still had the moody atmosphere and palpable sense of menace that was present in the first book. And in addition to this, I really appreciate the way that Garth Nix fleshed out the setting. The lore behind the creation of Charter Magic, the introduction of more Free Magic entities, and the depiction of life within Clayr's Glacier were fascinating additions to the world-building in the series. The early sections of the book when Lirael works in the Clayr's Library really stand out to me in particular! The explanation of librarian protocols and safety measures are well-thought-out and makes the library feel like a believable setting. And yet Nix still chooses to maintain some sense of mystery to the setting which evokes a sense of wonder and curiosity about the magical inner workings of the library. This is going to sound weird, but I love it because it makes magic feel... well... magical!

While I think that the titular protagonist of Sabriel was lacking in character depth, I am happy to say that Lirael and Sameth are a lot more complex and dynamic! They both develop in interesting ways and end up subverting some of the epic fantasy expectations that are ingrained in me. I also like Nix's approach to romance in this book, which is my absolute least favorite aspect of Sabriel. The romance in that book was so sooooooo boring, I really can't emphasize enough

how relieved I felt when the ending shot all possibility of romance between Sabriel and Sameth to smithereens

!!

I tend to struggle with YA fantasy so I'm pleasantly surprised I liked this one as much as I did!

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crum_93's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved learning more about the Clayr though they weren’t as exciting as I anticipated. I feel so sad I disliked this book about half of the time. It was 100% a connector story in this series and was really difficult (not in an enjoyable/fulfilling way) in many places. As a Xennial, I also just can’t wrap my brain around how Garth Nix would do this to Spout/us with our collective Artax trauma.

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