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leguinstan's review against another edition
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 enoughhow 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!
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
I tend to struggle with YA fantasy so I'm pleasantly surprised I liked this one as much as I did!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Death
Moderate: Child death, Violence, and Animal death
Animal death ofcrum_93's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
samanthalh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death and Gore
Minor: Child death and Injury/Injury detail
mswarning's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.5
Lirael and Abhorsen should be sold together in one volume!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
Death of an animal was very hard to listen to.naomi_k's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gore
Minor: Kidnapping, Slavery, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Trafficking
limiwh's review against another edition
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Gore
Moderate: Animal death and Violence
laylagrace's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Death
scarlette's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, and Death
icarly's review against another edition
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
4.75
I am in love with this book and this series. This is the fastest that I’ve read a physical book in a while and I’m just so engulfed in the story!
I usually save my opinions on characters until the end, but oh my god I loved Lirael so much. Sometimes, I felt like I was just reading more to get to another part that focused on Lirael. And this isn’t to say that I disliked Sam! He was a great character too but — LIRAEL <3
I’m not sure if her being Sabriel’s half-sister was supposed to be as obvious as it was (before she looked in the Dark Mirror, of course), but I had guessed it from the very beginning when she was suicidal.
Of course, that also had to do with her appearance and the fact that I was under the impression that this book was another story with Sabriel — seriously, the resemblance of the covers is uncanny! I HOPE he didn’t want it to be a big reveal because that would be rough.
At times, Nix’s writing can be a bit confusing, but that I think comes with all fantasy. One has to just allow themselves to be immersed into the world and not ask too many questions. Eventually, even if it takes a while, the world will begin to make sense. This was something I had to remind myself while reading this book because I had felt the same way while reading Sabriel.
I was a bit disappointed to find out that there wasn’t really an ending to the story in this novel. Yes, it was confirmed that Lirael is Sabriel’s half-sister, but I was upset that some of the only action scenes came in the last section of the book (and the last chapters of that section!).
Regardless, this book was really excellent and I’m so excited to read the rest of the series!
Oh - and I love Lirael a lot, but the Disreputable Dog also has a place in my heart.
I usually save my opinions on characters until the end, but oh my god I loved Lirael so much. Sometimes, I felt like I was just reading more to get to another part that focused on Lirael. And this isn’t to say that I disliked Sam! He was a great character too but — LIRAEL <3
I’m not sure if her being Sabriel’s half-sister was supposed to be as obvious as it was (before she looked in the Dark Mirror, of course), but I had guessed it from the very beginning when she was suicidal.
Of course, that also had to do with her appearance and the fact that I was under the impression that this book was another story with Sabriel — seriously, the resemblance of the covers is uncanny! I HOPE he didn’t want it to be a big reveal because that would be rough.
At times, Nix’s writing can be a bit confusing, but that I think comes with all fantasy. One has to just allow themselves to be immersed into the world and not ask too many questions. Eventually, even if it takes a while, the world will begin to make sense. This was something I had to remind myself while reading this book because I had felt the same way while reading Sabriel.
I was a bit disappointed to find out that there wasn’t really an ending to the story in this novel. Yes, it was confirmed that Lirael is Sabriel’s half-sister, but I was upset that some of the only action scenes came in the last section of the book (and the last chapters of that section!).
Regardless, this book was really excellent and I’m so excited to read the rest of the series!
Oh - and I love Lirael a lot, but the Disreputable Dog also has a place in my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death and Genocide
Minor: War
totallyshelfaware's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death