Garth Nix

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr's birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission against the growing shadow of an ancient evil. In this sequel to Sabriel, winner of the Aurealis Award for Excellence in Australian Science Fiction, New York Times bestselling author Garth Nix weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger.

Lirael

With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil. In this sequel to "Sabriel," Nix weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger.

Daughter of the Clayr

Lirael (Old Kingdom Trilogy 2 Abhorsen Trilogy 2)

Taylor

if you call lirael a mary-sue i will end you

completely unrelated i am a dog-loving librarian

Kirsten Simkiss

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I did Sabriel. However, there were still things I think could have been handled better or just weren't to my tastes. I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars.

Lirael was magnificent in it's character building, although somewhat lacking in a sense of resolution. This whole book spends it's 705 pages (in my copy at least) building up to a massive fight to come. Just not in this book. It takes a long time for the plot to really come together, but the individual stories up to that point are just as fascinating. In fact, Lirael's story was my favorite part of the story. I thought her life in the library beside the glacier was absolutely fascinating, especially the crazy library she worked in. I could listen to stories about the Clayr library for an eternity because I'm pretty sure that's how long it would take to fully explore it from how it was described. Unfortunately, I thought the plot was a little slow after Sam and Lirael finally team up. Not dramatically to the point that it really irritated me, but enough that it was noticeable.

I really enjoyed Lirael as a character, actually. I found her to be very relatable and I enjoyed her sense of curiosity. Don't we all want to fit in in our societies, all of us with our own longing to do so. While it may be easy for an outside perspective to see just how gifted Lirael is as a charter mage, all she wants is to have the sight like everyone else of her race. It's a very real thing to want to fit in, to feel like a social outsider because of one little thing. It made her very easy to sympathize with and very human. I found it much harder to relate to Sameth, on the other hand. It wasn't that I didn't like him so much as I didn't like his fairly static story line for a good portion of the book. Once he got moving again, he was much more bearable, but I still didn't ever quite love him like I did Lirael. I'm hoping that he might get better in the next book, which I assume he'll be in considering how the book ended.

Also, the return of Mogget pleased me greatly since he was my favorite character from the first book. I also appreciated the Disreputable Dog, but let's face it: I'm a cat person. I definitely want more information on the Disreputable Dog's origins because clearly there's more to her than just Lirael's skill with charter magic.

I look forward to reading the next book. I would recommend this series, but you should read Sabriel first.

Laura Kehoe

** spoiler alert **
           I love this so much! Why has it taken me so long to read this series?! 
Full review coming soon!

Katharina Hoffmann

I started reading this book as soon as I had finished Sabriel and I felt a bit let down when I found out that Sabriel and Touchstone didn't play a role in this book anymore (maybe a very small one) and that years had passed since the events of the previous book.

I realised that I would have to adjust to a new set of characters but I am glad that Mogget was once again part of the team.

Lirael isn't as fast-paced as Sabriel but I still enjoyed it a lot. The characters grew on me and I had the feeling that I understood more of how the Old Kingdom worked thanks to some much-needed explanations. The magic system is still as awesome as in the first book and we are introduced to a great new character and some really cool twists and turns.

I didn't like this book as much as the first one, but it was great fun to read about the two main characters' journeys and their respective character growth. The ending made me pick up book three right away.

Alexandra Mellas

Lirael, picks up fourteen years after the triumph of Sabriel, with a new danger and a new Enemy threatening the Old Kingdom. 

The story weaves in characters driven by obligation, desire and blood to the duties they feel they should hold, while destiny shows them a path better suited to them. 

Death, necromancy and free magic run rampant and the defenders of the Old Kingdom are spread far and wide, blinded and distracted from the true danger. 

A longer read than Sabriel, this is a typical second book - it sets the scene for Abhorsen when the final battle will be fought.

Nat Welch

I wanted to strangle the two main characters of this book constantly. Insufferable.

Neele Jan

Isa s

This is a wonderful piece of fantasy.

Lirael, who doesn't know her father and whose mother is dead, is a great, deep character. On first glance she seems weak, not having the sight as the defining feature of her people. However, she is very skilled in magic. Her work in the great library of the Clayr also allows her to discover new things. On her side is a magical dog, who calls itself the Disreputable Dog. I loved her in particular. She acts as Liraels advisor and friend. Eventually Lirael discovers a hidden cave and her destiny. She has to leave the Clayr and go on a mission suggested by one of their visions.

The second main character of this book is Sam, the son of Sabriel. He is destined to be the next Abhorsen, following in his mother's footsteps. The only problem with this is, that Sam is afraid of entering the world of Death. His fear also hinders him from doing his studies of the Book of the Dead properly. Still he leaves the security of the palace to find one of his friends and help him. Sam is a contrast to Lirael. On first glance he seems to be strong, being popular in his school and a prince, but he has his weaknesses as well, foremost his inability to accept his duty as the next Abhorsen.

All events are overshadowed by a new threat presented by two powerful necromancers.

While I had my problems with finding my way into the world in Sabriel, I found this much easier in Lirael, probably because I was already acquainted with it. I liked the worldbuilding, the characters and the story in itself very much. Actually, there is only one negative aspect I have to point out, that is the open ending. The story finishes at a real cliffhanger and while I already intended to read the last part in the series, I would still rather have both be one book with the story being so intertwined.

Daughter of the Clayr (Abhorsen Trilogy, Bk. 2)

Emily

Elodia

Gosse

In this riveting sequel to Sabriel, master of fantasy and globally bestselling author Garth Nix returns to the fantastic world of the Old Kingdom. Who is Lirael? And what is her destiny? Lirael has never felt like a true daughter 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. 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. Nonetheless, it is Lirael in whose hands the fate of the Old Kingdom lies. 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. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny. “What makes Lirael a delight is the magic that Nix brings to his story and to his characters.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Lirael

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