Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr (Abhorsen Series #2)
4.7
334
5
1
Paperback(Revised)
USD
9.89
$9.89
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062315564 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 06/03/2014 |
| Series: | Abhorsen Series , #2 |
| Edition description: | Revised |
| Pages: | 512 |
| Sales rank: | 70,940 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.40(d) |
| Lexile: | 950L (what's this?) |
| Age Range: | 12 - 17 Years |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr (Abhorsen Trilogy Series #2)
4.7 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
335 reviews.
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Please excuse me while I gush about one of my favorite books ever.
SO GOOD.
The world you get in Sabriel is amazing and beautiful and dark and you get EVEN MORE of it in Lirael. Not to mention a protagonist who you might be able to identify with a lot more, if you’re anything like me. I actually love Sabriel, but in a way that absolutely pales in comparison to how much I love Lirael, as soon as I read this book. I didn’t know what I was missing, and then there it was, and it was so satisfying.
Lirael’s journey starts out with less physical journey-ing in the beginning. Sabriel kind of sets off right away in her book, but Lirael doesn’t do that. For good reason. We get to spend some time really getting to know her fears, her motivations, her history, all the feels before we get plunged into more by-the-map journeying.
Mogget is still my favorite, but I know about half the population would like the predominant secondary character in this book more than Mogget. Dog is just—a whole different level. Fans of Ponch from the Young Wizards series will absolutely love her. I absolutely love her, though I still love Mogget just a tiny bit more throughout the books.
I think my favorite thing about Lirael, as a character, is that she’s so awkward. She’s realistic, she’s unsure of herself, but brave when she really needs to be. That rings true, for me. So much of this book hit home with me, right in the gut. There’s so much beauty and darkness warring in this world, and within the characters. Life can be sucky and awful sometimes but everyone is still fighting in the name of Life, metaphorically and literally.
There’s one particular scene where Lirael sort of finds out who she is, and it’s juxtaposed with another character, Sameth, finding out who he’s not, and it’s just beautiful. Perfectly timed, and perfectly at odds, and since you care about the characters you can feel both feelings.
You can probably tell that I enjoy re-reading these books every few years. It’s been awesome to re-read them with actual new content to look forward to, in the form of Goldenhand. New and old fans can be glad that Nix decided to continue this really fabulous series. Keep reading, because you’ll want to get to Goldenhand—spoiler: it’s really good.
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Ok - annoying that the first book (Sabriel) is a standalone novel, but this book isn't, and is continued in Abhorsen. I'm not sucked into the story, so it might be a while before I start Abhorsen.
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This book was so good, I had difficulties putting it down. While I really liked Sabriel, I didn't fully appreciate the world-building until I started Lirael and walked through it again. The world in this series is really excellently done and the characters are interesting as well. The real beauty of Lirael is the library though. I can hope Nix revisits it in the next book.
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Book two of the trilogy was a very good and quick read. The world is still rich and interesting, but I found the two main characters a tad annoying (whining, complaining, unsure of themselves) - granted this was probably by design, but the two-by-four belaboring this point used was not necessary. That said, this is just a nitpick. Still quite enjoyable and looking forward to the final book of the series.
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The second installment of Garth Nix' Abhorsen trilogy surprised me. In book one we watch Sabriel grow up into a top-notch Abhorsen who kicks undead butt. I was really ready to watch her give them hell in book two, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead I only glimpsed Sabriel from afar as seen through the eyes of her nearly grown son, Sameth. Sam is supposed to be the next Abhorsen but he has a nearly phobic aversion to the responsibility. He is such a pitiable figure that it's uncomfortable to be in his skin for any length of time. Luckily, most of the story is told from the point of view of Lirael, a daughter of the Clayr. The Clayr are a community who live in the northernmost reaches of the Old Kingdom and whose responsibility it is to use their Sight to aid the Abhorsen. Lirael is well past the age when she should have received her Sight and finds herself more and more isolated from her sister Clayr. But rather than presenting a pitiful figure, Lirael is a survivor. She finds solace in the library and with her only real friend, the Disreputable Dog.The Clayr have a vision that forces Lirael out of her comfort zone and out of the only home she's ever known. Will she find her true calling? What will it be? Although not what I expected, another fun read from Mr. Nix. I'm quite excited for book three.
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Lirael is one of the few Clayr not to have received her sight before her 14th birthday. She's never fit in with the rest of the Clayr. She's in despair until she's able to get a job as a (Third Assistant) Librarian in the Great Library. Here Lirael can feed her thirst for knowledge and adventure while avoiding most human contact, until her adventures in the library lead her far from the only home she's ever known. At the same time, Prince Sameth is in line to become the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, b...more Lirael is one of the few Clayr not to have received her sight before her 14th birthday. She's never fit in with the rest of the Clayr. She's in despair until she's able to get a job as a (Third Assistant) Librarian in the Great Library. Here Lirael can feed her thirst for knowledge and adventure while avoiding most human contact, until her adventures in the library lead her far from the only home she's ever known. At the same time, Prince Sameth is in line to become the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, but he's terrified of Death and all Abhorsen business since encountering a necromancer in death during an attack. He's got to find a way to save his kidnapped best friend without having to enter death once again.I have to love awesome librarian characters. I miss Sabriel from the last book, but Lirael has her own strengths, and the Disreputable Dog is wonderful. I can't wait to find out what happens next.
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I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book, but I did like it. The setup into the next book is a little far fetched, but works. The characters are well fleshed out.
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I kept seeing the 'Group Read' thread for this one, and... though I started months after everyone else... I finally succumbed to temptation and picked it up. Of course, now I'm a little miffed because my planned reads pile is enormous enough already without adding [Abhorsen] to it right now, but how can I not read the next book with an ending like that?However, I was rather surprised at how long it took for things to get going in this book. I don't recall the plot being delayed for quite so long in [Sabriel], but at least everything else that happened in [Lirael] was interesting enough to keep me reading regardless of the missing plot. When things did pick up, I saw how the earlier events tied into what was happening, but still... an impatient person might put the book down before then. Mind you, if you're invested in the characters (very easy to do), you'll keep reading & find yourself entertained by it.I also preferred the worldbuilding in [Lirael] to what we had in [Sabriel]. At times in the first book, it felt like explanations were missing, like Nix threw us into a world without direction -- but in here, we get a deeper explanation of the Charter, how Charter stones and symbols work, and (I thought, anyway) a clearer picture of what it means to go into Death.I won't say much else other than this: Don't read it without the third book sitting by your side. When everything comes together, it really comes together, and you'll be itching to start book three as soon as this one ends.
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About half-way through, I thought, "This is the best zombie book ever!" It's supremely creepy,when you really think about what's going on. But it's not about the monsters, and Lirael is a very engaging character. Butt-kicking librarians, what's not to like? When I started it, I was a little annoyed to have lost Sabriel as a main character, as I'd really come to like her, but Lirael replaces her quite nicely.
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My favourite of the series I think.
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Perhaps a little overlong, with a drawn-out pair of parallel quest stories, and not enough Sabriel cameos, but a decent follow-up to Garth Nix's counter-fantasy fantasy. As the future Abhorsen incumbent, Lirael of the Clayr is at her most appealing in the first half of the story, when, cursed without the Clayr's gift of precognition, first spirals into suicidal depression, then gets a job as a librarian, a turnaround of events that serves to endear her to the reader through both her semi-pathetic self-loathing and grim spirit.If you read it, prepare to be mad at the end, which all but stops like a train against a wall of cinder block emblazoned with the words, "TO BE CONTINUED." That's right, Nix wrote a 400 page story and couldn't even finish it on time.
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This is one of my favourite books ever, with one of my favourite heroines. It's odd, because Lirael is full of self pity, but I like how active she is about things. Her journey is wonderful. The Disreputable Dog is a fabulously original character and her mystery interests me every time I read about her. I like the deepening of the world we discovered in Sabriel and the ongoing adventures. I like the way Sameth is self-doubting and cowardly but it is then revealed that he's just been caught up in expectations that don't fit with who he is. Both characters hold a beautiful message for young adults in their discovery of who they are versus who they expected or wanted to be.It is really obvious that Lirael and Abhorsen were written together and quite a while after Sabriel.
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Another hit by Garth Nix as he brings in a lot of new characters to love and a lot more adventure to keep you on the edge of your seat. A very different story from Sabriel, Lirael is just as captivating but retains a self figure that makes it much different from the previous or next book but just as good.
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Lirael is a Daughter of the Clayr and yet, at 14, she still had not had the Sight. This depresses her most as she feels like she does not belong, an outsider within the family. She avoids speaking to other Clayrs as she can but certain twists of events sent her out of the Glacier into the wide world. The Old Kingdom needs her but what is she supposed to do?Prince Sameth is the son of Touchstone (now King) & Sabriel (now Abhorsen & Queen). He is looked upon as the Abhorsen in waiting but yet he is afraid of Death. He breaks out in cold sweat just thinking of The Book of the Dead - unable to open it, much less study it. The Kingdom faces many threats from different directions, how is Sam supposed to help his mother, the Abhorsen, with these threats when he just cannot make himself walk in Death?
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I've just read a few other members' reviews & have noticed a certain amount of complaining (whining, even - ironically) about the emotional challenges and struggles with sense of self that Lirael & Sam go through in this book (& its sequel). I love the fact that Lirael & Sam experience real emotions; it makes them believable and interesting. Many, many people today in Australia & elsewhere suffer from depression, and by creating a lovable, ultimately victorious fantasy hero character who goes on that kind of emotional journey, Nix has taken a risk and done something truly unique. I'm sorry to see that some readers see this as a drawback to the book, as that would suggest that these readers wouldn't be able to deal with emotions like sadness or grief in a friend or even in themselves. And not being able to honestly face one's own difficult emotions (which are inevitable in life, unfortunately) tends to lead to much more serious psychological problems.
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Really good series. The first volume is the best though.
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I found Lirael whiny, especially compared to Sabriel, and I was irritated when she chose to keep secrets. But post-series reflection makes me more irritated with the Clayr than with Lirael.
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It was a pretty good book, overall.
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This is, without a doubt, my favorite book in the Abhorsen series. It may have something to do with being a librarian, but I think it has much more to do with Lirael and her insecurities, strengths, and maybe even her dog. I mean, the Disreputable Dog may be the best talking dog EVER. The only time I found myself slowing down with this book is during Sam's parts. I wish I liked Sam more, but he tends to irk me with his whining and avoiding of problems. I'm not sure why I'm cool with Lirael's depression and not Sam's, but there you go. The only thing that makes this book better is listening to Tim Curry read it. This is a great mix of fantasy, a little horror, magic, and some issues that every teen (and older) deals with.
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Another excellent book by Garth Nix, writer of the Abhorsen Trilogy. Similar in storyline to Sabriel, this story is about a new character Lirael, who does not realize she has many unusual and potential talents waiting for her. The book plays up her unqiueness, while introducing the reader to her amazing skills and unknown legacy. A definate read for the fan of the Abhorsen Trilogy.
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(Second in a trilogy - spoiler warning for Sabriel)Fourteen some-odd years after Touchstone and Sabriel defeat Kerrigor, all is still not well in the Old Kingdom. Lirael, a daughter of the Clayr, chafes that she cannot See into the future like all her relatives; Prince Sameth, going to school in Ancelstierre, has such a terrible encounter in Death that he fears going back, though he is the Abhorsen-in-waiting.The third-person narrative moves back and forth between Lirael and Sam's points of view, giving readers a more complete but not whole picture of events going on. An unnamed enemy seems to be doing something that is still breaking Charter stones and blocking the Clayr's sight. Neither Lirael nor Sameth are particularly happy with their lot, since they don't seem to fit in with other people's expectations. This was a little annoying at times, but completely understandable (especially as they're teenagers...). In truth, however, they both have important roles to play. Mogget returns, and another talking animal/magical being is introduced - the Disreputable Dog, a character which made me laugh many times by its very doglike behavior.
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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.
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Utterly love this entire series. The story of Lirael and her quest completely absorb you and swallow you whole. Wonderful read.
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Even though this is a sequel to Sabriel (along with the finale Abhorsen) it was perfectly understandable and entertaining on its own. The careful development of the character, the thorough descriptions of the setting, and the magical elements of the story will attract readers who like their fantasy well-thought-out rather than frivolous and comical. We meet Lirael when she is just turning fourteen and despondent because she has not yet ¿received the sight¿ ¿ the visionary abilities of the Clayr, the women who live a sequestered life in their glacier. Because of this she leads a very solitary existence among the many -- that is, until on one of her many secret ¿explorings¿ she manages to bring the Disreputable Dog to life from an ancient stone statue as she is bravely fighting off a terrible ancient creature found in the depths of the glacier. As the years pass we begin to realize, even if she doesn¿t herself, that Lirael is a very talented young lady, even without the sight, so it¿s no surprise when she is called upon one day to sail off to rescue a young man the Clayr have seen in one of their visions. We have met this man in the parallel story that begins about a quarter of the way through the book. Nick is the best friend of Prince Sameth, the Abhorsen-in-waiting (the next necromancer after his mother Sabriel). It seems that Nick is being used for nefarious purposes by the evil necromancer Hedge, and Sam and Lirael must come to Nick¿s rescue, the outcome of which we will discover in the last book, Abhorsen. The considered pacing of the story is lightened by the dry comments of the Disreputable Dog and Moggit, the sleepy talking cat who seems to accompany Sameth everywhere.
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Second book in the Abhorsen trilogy. Lirael doesn't understand why she does not have the Sight as all other Daughters of the Clayr do. She is past the age when it shows up for everyone else, and her impatience is expressed in defiance of rules. Sameth is the son of Sabriel and Touchstone from Book 1, and although he is supposed to be the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, he doesn't want to be. He runs away in search of his friend, meets up with Lirael, and they learn some interesting things about each other, as they adventure into the next book of the series!
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