Garth Nix

Prequel to the Internationally Bestselling Old Kingdom Fantasy Series

Clariel

Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid to the sinister Guildmaster Kilip. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating.

Charlotte Dann

Video review/discussion http://youtu.be/KipVcbWzKMM
Talking about magical ethics, cartography and the beautiful lack of romance.

The long-awaited fourth book in the New York Times bestselling Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix Award-winning author Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom with a thrilling prequel complete with dark magic, royalty, dangerous action, a strong heroine, and flawless world-building. This epic fantasy adventure is destined to be a classic, and is perfect for fans of Game of Thrones. Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen and, most important, to the King. She dreams of living a simple life but discovers this is hard to achieve when a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city, her parents want to marry her off to a killer, and there is a plot brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan. When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers. Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage, and save the King?

The Lost Abhorsen (Old Kingdom Trilogy 5, Abhorsen Trilogy 5)

Tylar M

Knowing what this character becomes later on makes her motivations and actions in this book so much sadder, but it was missing something that the earlier books had. Clariel had no personality and all she talked about was the Great Forest over and over again. Also nothing really happened except in the middle and towards the end. Nix's next book in the series seems like it will be 10x more interesting.

The highly anticipated prequel to Garth Nix's astonishingly successful OLD KINGDOM series - now available in paperback!Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. It seems, too, that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating. With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source - and at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her - and it is herself she must question most of all.

Becky

I was always destined to enjoy Clariel, because the Abhorsen series is one of my favourite fantasy series ever! It was one of the first fantasy series I properly read when I was younger and I adored it.

Clariel is a fantastic prequel novel that is fantastic as it gives you an idea of what the Old Kingdom was like before the royal family disappeared and necromancers and free magic entities once more began roaming more freely. I loved that because I was always fascinated about what the world was like reading those books. I know you get hints, but you just don't give enough. I also loved about all the foreshadowing which occurs for the other books, although I did miss a lot of it because it's been a little while since I last reread the series. I kept trying to think back and recll and I thought I knew things but doubted myself.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the Abhorsen series and to anyone who is contemplating reading Nix's fantasy series, it is a definite favourite of mine.

Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen, and to the King. When her family moves to the city of Belisaere, Clariel finds herself at the centre of sorcery and intrigue: a plot is brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan; her parents want to marry her off to a killer; and a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city. When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers. Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage and save the King? Set approximately six hundred years before the birth of Sabriel, 'Clariel' will delight Old Kingdom fans as well as new readers hungry for epic fantasy adventure. 'Beautifully written, magnificently imagined, and wholly original, 'Clariel' is Garth Nix's finest work yet.' - Holly Black, 'New York Times' bestselling author of 'The Coldest Girl in Coldtown' 'In this long-awaited prequel, Garth Nix shows us why his Old Kingdom books have influenced a generation of fantasy writers.' - Cassandra Clare, 'New York Times' bestselling author of the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series

Kaitee Tredway

I love the world of the Old Kingdom and Clariel does not disappoint. Anyone who is a fan of the Abhorsen trilogy will appreciate this prequel.

Ben Nathan

Really Good. Not on par with the awesomeness of the original trilogy. That said, it was fun and the characters were great. I now wait for the next with unabashed love.

Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen, and to the King. When her family moves to the city of Belisaere, Clariel finds herself at the centre of sorcery and intrigue: a plot is brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan; her parents want to marry her off to a killer; and a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city. When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers. Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage and save the King? Set approximately six hundred years before the birth of Sabriel, Clariel will delight Old Kingdom fans as well as new readers hungry for epic fantasy adventure. 'Beautifully written, magnificently imagined, and wholly original, Clariel is Garth Nix's finest work yet.' - Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown 'In this long-awaited prequel, Garth Nix shows us why his Old Kingdom books have influenced a generation of fantasy writers.' - Cassandra Clare, New York Times bestselling author of the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series

Clariel Prequel to the Internationally Bestselling Old Kingdom Fantasy Series

Reviews