1.19k reviews for:

Clariel

Garth Nix

3.78 AVERAGE


This is the prequel to a series I haven't read yet. Some of it is just stunning, although there are a few gaps in the story I think I wouldn't have noticed if I'd read the rest of the series first.
Even though this book is good, there are some wasted characters and conflicts that could have been better utilized. I will read the rest of the series, though.

Would have cared for more action and more magic and more um more-ness.

But good nonetheless and makes me want to read the rest of the series again.
meringued's profile picture

meringued's review

2.0

Different to have the protagonist of this story be a known villain of a previous book, but it just wasn't interesting. It was too hard to connect to Clariel, which really made the whole thing fall apart. No offense to Garth Nix but if you can't write a proper girl monster, DON'T EVEN BOTHER. It all felt like an unnecessary addition to the Abhorsen series.
adventurous challenging dark

Avrei preferito che la storia avesse come uno dei protagonisti sabriel ma purtroppo non è stato così 
adventurous challenging dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A
adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I'm going to be torn about this one for a while. It's definitely a gripping read, but it's also hella depressing, bc it's basically about someone getting crazy played by beings more powerful than she is, to the point where she becomes a monster too. And since you know how Chlorr of the Mask ends up, you're like, oh. Bummer.
adventurous challenging dark funny slow-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

Probably the best reading experience I've had of this series yet. It's clear that Nix's prose has improved after all these years, and this book, while tragic for reasons that are likely immediately obvious to the reader, was quite satisfying. What actually happens when characters don't inform others of very important details for really no reason at all? What happens when headstrong teenagers who think they're indestructible because let's face it they're teenagers dabble in things they don't understand? What happens when adults ignore them because they think anyone under the age of 30 is young and stupid and doesn't know what they want? And importantly, what happens when people don't do what they're supposed to do? Here is the book, and I loved it for that. One thing that will disappoint fans of the original trilogy is that there is none of the portentous gravitas, epic scope, and mystical atmosphere of the earlier works, likely the most memorable part of the series.

I hadn't read the original trilogy in a long time when I started this book. Perhaps because of that it took me a while to really engage with the story. Once I did though I ended up enjoying it very much.