Reviews
Wow. This is now one of my favorite series and my favorite books.
intense, i couldnt put it down. nix does such a fantastic job at putting you in this completely different world. the character development for this one was absolutely top notch.
Abhorsen is the answer to my review of Lirael where I craved the plot resolution. Unfortunately, it had been such a long time between books that I found myself trying to remember what exactly happened in Lirael. Alas, I didn't have the third book at the time that I read the second. As to my thoughts, I don't know how much detail I can go into without giving away the ending. This was very definitively an ending to the trilogy, though there are more books to read in the series. The course of the book was very consistent in its aim, trying to save the world from a terrible being of terrible power. I was very grateful for Mogget's presence, which I had missed in Lirael. His sarcastic obedience always amused me, and I look forward to reading future books in the series to see where exactly he goes at the conclusion of this book. Indeed, each of the characters seems to have a very specific path set before them. I look particularly forward to seeing how the title of Abhorsen is handled between Sabriel and Lirael.
This series is so great! This one was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but I still loved it a lot!
This was such an epic finale to such a great and entertaining series! This book was jam-packed with great action, amazing and suspenseful writing, plot twists and a grand finale! I don't know what else to say except for that this book literally made me hold my breath during more than one passage! I couldn't put it down and finished it within two days! After a rather lukewarm second book I just couldn't believe that I would love Abhorsen so much but I did and it's marvellous! Just writing this review makes me want to re-read the whole series! I think one of the main reasons why I'm so blown away is because I didn't expect this series to be that good but dang, it was. It was an absolute blast and great fun. It's not the most cleverly constructed series or a series with a very high literary appeal but it filled my heart with joy and love.
A fitting conclusion to the Old Kingdom trilogy, Abhorsen has an epic battle, journeys into death and the past, a binding and a sacrifice finishing free adventure started in Sabriel and built in Lirael. The style is still confusing and mystifying in that frustratingly vague ‘rules of magic’ way but enough details are revealed to keep the narrative tantalising and engaging. Anyone wanting more of Lirael, Sam and Nicholas can find it in another sequel, Goldenhand.
The conclusion to the Abhorsen trilogy doesn't really seem like the end of the series, but rather a percursor to another set of books based on the Old Kingdom.
** spoiler alert ** 4.25/5⭐️ Wow, now I am Sad tm I liked the open ending because now I can headcanon that Nick and Sameth are boyfriends and Ellimere is a big lesbian Lirael is clearly asexual, so I don’t even need to headcanon
I give it 2 stars because the author killed my favorite character :’(
WHY: Following the Arthur Penhaligon days of the week series, Sabriel was an amazing death-magic book I read when I was younger, and featured some intriguing WW1-era worldbuilding, with the fantastical Old Kingdom separated from the very English Ancelstierre. Lirael did not feel like a direct sequel, with the bulk of its plot (through a new protagonist) leading to a cliff-hanger for a "big bad". Well, here I am years later finally completing the trilogy. STORY: It took a few wiki visits to refresh myself on the characters and story, but this really did feel like a second part of Lirael, although this time the titular Abhorsen-in-waiting and newly revealed Wallmaker Sameth are together for the majority of the plot, alongside magical companions the Disreputable Dog and Mogget. There are some great interactions here, and I enjoyed watching their journey to the fallen Nicholas Sayre and the Red Lake. The villains, and countless dead, were genuinely scary at times especially when framed against the Ancelsterrian army. Sabriel and Touchstone are referenced throughout after the rather shocking opening. What was most interesting to me was the walk through the 9 gates of Death, and the great and uniqye magic system between necromancy, Free Magic and Charter Magic. When it all came together in the conclusion, I did feel like there was a strong story that tied the trilogy together through the several bloodlines working together, but it did not impact me that greatly. WRITING: Nix varies the perspectives and does a great job at providing each character with a different voice, despite them all having strong convictions to do good. The world isn't described in rich detail, but there is enough to picture the characters and especially the magic. WHO: Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this now nearly as much as I would have when I was an adolescent, and I still feel Sabriel is the best of the trilogy in terms of presenting the unique magic system, having a tight story and providing great themes to YA readers (honestly, Lirael was good at this as well). Whilst a necessary conclusion for the trilogy, I won't be reading the sequels in this series - but recommend at least the first book to all younger Fantasy readers, especially women for its great characterisation.
