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I liked this installment in the series as a way to explore more parts of Old Kingdom lore without the need for their to be long and irrelevant asides in the other books in the collection. And while I didn't like Clariel as a person, her personality and the changes she was trying to grapple with - internal and external - weren't boring or uninteresting. The biggest flaw for me was the pacing of the plot. Some things that should have been explored in more detail were left aside, and a lot of the political machinations in which Clariel finds herself caught up seemed flimsy. Overall, there wasn't enough build-up before the action started moving in earnest, which left me as the reader feeling a little bewildered. Adding more time between Clariel's arrival in the city and her first encounter with the Free Magic being would have fixed a lot of the issues for me, but I still enjoyed the book.
An excellent addition to the series. The book supplies a back story for a character that we've seen in previous books. I was a bit disappointed though when I realized they weren't going to develop the love story any further, and the main character is so single-minded in her focus that it was tiring after a while. Overall, though, well done! Definitely worth a read if you're a fan of the Old Kingdom series (which I have been since I was in middle school).
My favorite of the Abhorsen books, because truly convincing villain origins stories aren’t done well very often.
The Old Kingdom just as I remembered it, lol. Can't wait for the next one. At least hopefully I won't be waiting as long as everyone else, since this came out two years ago.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't enjoy most of this as much as I have the others just because the characters were SO annoying. That being said the ending makes the WHOLE thing totally worthwhile!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Confinement
I feel that there should be a Clariel meme somewhere, poor girl just wanted to live in the Forest, goddammit!
Seriously though, I like that Clariel is so imperfect. Sabriel and Lirael both fell so easily into their destined roles, but Clariel was just one mishap over the other, yet I find her endearing still (and I mean this in a very loose sense because let's face it: she's not really a very likable character).
P.S. There is, yet again, a forced love story and I find myself, yet again, hating it.
Seriously though, I like that Clariel is so imperfect. Sabriel and Lirael both fell so easily into their destined roles, but Clariel was just one mishap over the other, yet I find her endearing still (and I mean this in a very loose sense because let's face it: she's not really a very likable character).
P.S. There is, yet again, a forced love story and I find myself, yet again, hating it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-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
3.5 stars. This is probably my least favorite of the Old Kingdom books. I like the set up for other books and seeing what things were like before the time of Kerrigor, however, the characters here just aren’t as compelling as in the other books. While I like the idea that Clariel might be neurodivergent and maybe even asexual, her relatability and likability fall short. There also seems to be too much build up in the beginning without too much action, and then after the coup, too much happens too quickly without enough development. Nevertheless, I like the familiar setting and I like Belatiel as a character. On this re-read I even liked Clariel more than the first go, perhaps because I could better understand how she could develop the way she did. And, of course, it’s fun to see Mogget being his most Mogget-y in this book.
This is by far the best book I've read in 2014. I read the Old Kingdom trilogy growing up, adored it then but I was hesitant to pick this up without dipping back into the Kingdom again first. I am glad I didn't wait! Who knows how long I would have waited to reread before I got to this! Thank goodness I jumped right back in with Clariel. This was fresh but familiar, like running into an old friend after you'd lost touch for some years, not too nostalgic but so right. An Old Kingdom trilogy reread is differently much higher on my list of read soons. SO GREAT!
The same year I read Harry Potter for the first time, I was also introduced to the Old Kingdom, Charter Magic, and Abhorsens. Sabriel was a strong, intelligent, resourceful character whom I immediately admired. The world written by Nix was rich, colorful, and completely believable. When Lirael came along a few years later, I found I loved her story even more than Sabriel's. I've read all three books in the Abhorsen trilogy many times in the last decade, and I've grown even fonder of the artful magical realism created as well as the consistently strong female voices that helped shape me as a young woman.
That's why Clariel was a frustrating character for me. After writing such strong women, it's perplexing to see Nix write a whining, self-centered brat. She was so single-minded through the entire book that I just wanted to slap her. For the first hundred pages I thought 'she's 17, who can blame her?' but as the behavior continued even as sage advice came from incredibly interesting supporting characters, I found her to be lacking in any maturity.
But even as the titular character, she didn't ruin the book. Is there a chapter where she says 'I just want to go back to the forest!' no less than 5 times. Yeah, there is. But there are also interesting plot lines, insights into Free Magic that had not been introduced in other books, trips to amazing locations in the Old Kingdom, and Mogget. I stayed up all night finishing the book, and I don't regret the read at all. Savvy readers will realize who Clariel is fairly early on (I didn't. It took me more than half the book), but it's still completely worth the read.
That's why Clariel was a frustrating character for me. After writing such strong women, it's perplexing to see Nix write a whining, self-centered brat. She was so single-minded through the entire book that I just wanted to slap her. For the first hundred pages I thought 'she's 17, who can blame her?' but as the behavior continued even as sage advice came from incredibly interesting supporting characters, I found her to be lacking in any maturity.
But even as the titular character, she didn't ruin the book. Is there a chapter where she says 'I just want to go back to the forest!' no less than 5 times. Yeah, there is. But there are also interesting plot lines, insights into Free Magic that had not been introduced in other books, trips to amazing locations in the Old Kingdom, and Mogget. I stayed up all night finishing the book, and I don't regret the read at all. Savvy readers will realize who Clariel is fairly early on (I didn't. It took me more than half the book), but it's still completely worth the read.