Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. “What makes Lirael a delight is the magic that Nix brings to his story and to his characters.” -Publishers Weekly (starred review) With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil - one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clay and threatens to break the very boundary between Life and Death itself. Nonetheless, it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. She doesn’t even have the Sight - the ability to see into the present and possible futures - that is the very birthright of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother, ignorant of her father’s identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large extended family living in the Clayr’s Glacier. Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. The fact that each of these books so far has had a snarky magical pet is THE BEST.In this riveting sequel to Sabriel, master of fantasy and globally bestselling author Garth Nix returns to the fantastic world of the Old Kingdom. I’m not going to say too much here because I’ll have lots of thoughts on the whole trilogy when I finish Abhorsen, but I did love Lirael (despite her slight whininess in the beginning, which I can forgive her for), I was rooting for Sam the whole time, and I am completely in love with the Disreputable Dog. This book broke the mold again though, ending more like a typical book two that needs a book three to finish off the plot. Turns out we have a whole new cast of characters, with the old ones in the background of the story.

So I wasn’t sure where Lirael was going to pick up or how it was going to connect. It could easily have been a standalone novel. Sabriel itself is an unexpected first book in that there’s no cliffhanger at the end. But I am now! You can check out my review of the first book, Sabriel, here. First of all, I know it’s sort of a crime that I’ve gotten this far in life without having read Garth Nix.

Lirael by Garth Nix