A review by johnnareadsallthebooks
Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen by Garth Nix

4.0

I found the main character fascinating. She's not very likeable, but then she's never had the chance to be liked either. Her parents ignore her, she's cut off from the rest of her family and has no appropriate companions. When she arrives in Belisaere, it quickly becomes apparent everyone wants something from her, causing her to withdraw even further. She's probably asexual, and being forced into marriage with a cruel person with no regard for life. Even the good people want something from her, forcing her into a mission she wasn't prepared for, before they understood who she was. The closest she has to a friend is Belatiel, who still has ... Romantic desires she does not reciprocate. It's not really a surprise she recoils from it all the way she does, and gives way to rage and a need for revenge. Everyone in her life is either using her, or ignores her for their own interests. This was a bad situation from the start, and I think by the time the others understood who she was it was too late, the damage bad already been done.