Reviews

Clariel, by Garth Nix

annasuet's review against another edition

4.0

A welcome addition to the Abhorsen series. The blend of new characters and old is refreshing and the story itself is a nice read.

megalyn7's review against another edition

4.0

So I gave this story four stars, but really it was more 3.5. I liked that the heroine wasn't a traditional heroine. The story didn't turn out how one would hope, but it made it more realistic in that things don't always work out, and you don't always like the main character or a story.
Clariel was difficult to like. She was pretty self-centered, but most teenaged girls are. I could see where the story was going in the last few chapters, and it was more sad than anything at what she was to become...
People hating on this story is understandable, but I appreciate that Nix can write a book in which things aren't all pleasant and end well.

steph01924's review against another edition

2.0

I really wanted to love this book since I <3 the rest of this series, but it took too long for the action to get started.

Read about the issues I had with Clariel on Forever Young Adult.

catmeetsgirl's review against another edition

3.0

Garth Nix and the Old Kingdom Series has been one of my absolute favorites since I was 15. While I enjoyed this book, it didn't have the same magic for me as the previous titles. I sympathized with Clariel but found it difficult to connect with her as a character. It's still absolutely worth reading but it just made me want more of Sabriel/Lirael.

innie11's review against another edition

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

missyansell's review against another edition

4.0

This book is about Clariel, She who is destined to become Chlorr of the Mask. Clariel comes to the capital city with her parents. Her mother is a very talented goldsmith and comes to the city to join the goldsmith guild. Clariel resents her parents for taking her away from Estwael and her beloved forest. She wants nothing to do with the city and wants to return to the forest as soon as possible. Her parents think her dreams are stupid and want her to do whatever she wants. Trying to get money in order to get out of the city, Clariel joins up with some guards a powerful charter mage and a close relative to the Abhorsen, Belatiel. Clariel and Belatiel are used to lure a free magic creature in order for the others to capture it. Things go awry, and Clariel has to save Belatiel by fighting the free magic creature herself.
Now I didn't like this book as much as the trilogy. It was cool to see Clariel before she becomes Chlorr. I didn't really like Clariel all that much. I felt that she was very selfish and only cared about herself and what she wants. Everything she does is to get back to the forest. I understand that not every character can be selfless, especially with Clariel and who she is going to become. I still greatly enjoyed reading Nix's book. I look forward to reading the rest of the series! Highly recommend this series.

sarahbdemicheli's review against another edition

2.0

FINALLY! Guys, I finished this book. Garth Nix, I love you so much, but this was such a slog. If I had to read about Clariel and her love of the forest one more time, I may have screamed in frustration. Oh, wait. I did scream.

It finally picked up towards the end, but really only thanks to Mogget. I will always love that "cat."

scholarhect's review against another edition

4.0

I did really enjoy this journey into the Old Kingdom. Clariel is an incredibly frustrating character, who I wanted to love the way I loved Sabriel and Lirael, but instead ended up wishing I could slap her upside the head a bit. However, the world building is lovely (so nice to have extensive descriptions of the Abhorsen’s house and Belisaere, to finally cement them in my mind!) and you can never go wrong with some sass from Mogget. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series - and trying to stave off the compulsion to go back and re-read (again…) my now battered copies of the first trilogy.

seitenreise's review against another edition

5.0

Well, Garth Nix convinced me again!

Es gibt manche Parts, die ich mir gern ausführlicher gewünscht hätte, der erste Hälfte des Buches war viel Aufbau für die Geschichte, da hätte ich mir mehr für den Rest gewünscht. Aber ich bin begeistert über die Entwicklungen und habe früh geahnt, was es mit Clariel auf sich hat. Ich hoffe, es wird irgendwann ein Buch über die Jahre dazwischen geben!

kellyann_'s review against another edition

4.0

While I did not love the character Clariel as much as I loved Sabriel and Lirael, this book was still so so great! This world that Garth Nix has created has proven to be one of the very best, and I'm so glad he's continuing on with the series! This book was a little slow in the beginning, with a lot of plot development only to unfold itself in the last 3rd of the book, which is completely fine with me. I even prefer it. The only thing that makes this a 4 star book instead of a 5 star book was that Clariel was completely unrelatable! Her whole attitude of literally not caring about anyone was a little off-putting at times,

Spoiler

she barely even mourned the deaths of her parents! Also, we were never entirely clued in on the fact if Jaciel was alive or not towards the end. Who Clariel ends up being though, was phenomenal, and I loved how Nix brought the plots of the first trilogy and this book together into one seamless world!