It’s not bad, but it’s nowhere near the quality of the rest of the Abhorsen series, or his other series and books. I’ve read everything he’s published, and I have loved it without exception. All Clariel wants to do is live and work in her beloved Great Forest, but her career-oriented parents want her to make something of herself in society, join a Guild, and become a great name in one of the prestigious trades in the capital city of Belisaere.Īt this point I want to clarify that I adore Garth Nix in general. Most of the Abhorsen series takes place in the Old Kingdom, because Ancelstierre does not believe in magic and does not understand the threat posed by Necromancers and free magic constructs and users should they find a way to breach the Wall.Ĭlariel takes place a couple hundred years prior to Sabriel and its sequels, and tells the story of Clariel, an antisocial young woman who knows exactly who and what she wants to be, but is thwarted at every turn by society’s expectations of her. The Old Kingdom, on the other hand, is steeped in magic, myth, and medieval tech with a few exceptions. Ancelstierre is roughly analogous to turn-of-the-century England and contains no magic, except very close to the Wall. Necromancers, Charter mages, and free magic users all exist behind the Wall, a mysterious border between the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. I’ve never been particularly into zombie stories, but the world of the Abhorsen is captivating.

It’s one of my favorite series, full stop. Clariel is the newest addition to Garth Nix’s Abhorsen series, which also contains Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen, and several novellas and short stories.

Clariel by Garth Nix