Review: Angel Mage - Garth Nix

More than a century has passed since Liliath crept into the empty sarcophagus of Saint Marguerite, fleeing the Fall of Ystara. But she emerges from her magical sleep still beautiful, looking no more than nineteen, and once again renews her single-minded quest to be united with her lover, Palleniel, the archangel of Ystara.

A seemingly impossible quest, but Liliath is one of the greatest practitioners of angelic magic to have ever lived, summoning angels and forcing them to do her bidding.

Liliath knew that most of the inhabitants of Ystara died from the Ash Blood plague or were transformed into beastlings, and she herself led the survivors who fled into neighboring Sarance. Now she learns that angels shun the Ystaran’s descendants. If they are touched by angelic magic, their blood will turn to ash. They are known as Refusers, and can only live the most lowly lives.

But Liliath cares nothing for the descendants of her people, save how they can serve her. It is four young Sarancians who hold her interest: Simeon, a studious doctor-in-training; Henri, a dedicated fortune hunter; Agnez, an adventurous musketeer cadet; and Dorotea, an icon-maker and scholar of angelic magic. They are the key to her quest.

The four feel a strange kinship from the moment they meet, but do not know why, or suspect their importance. All become pawns in Liliath’s grand scheme to fulfill her destiny and be united with the love of her life. No matter the cost to everyone else. . .

Visit Garth Nix's website for more information

Review:
I've been a fan of Garth Nix since I first read Sabriel more years ago than I care to remember so of course I was ridiculously excited to read his new stand alone fantasy novel, Angel Mage. This story was inspired by his love of The Three Musketeers but with added magic. He has created a world where certain people are able to interact with angels with the help of icons and can summon them to do their bidding. Each angel has its own icon design and a different ability but the more powerful the angel the more it takes out of the summoner each time they call on them. Some of the angels can be used for things like healing while others can provide light or offer all kinds of other forms of help. While summoners are rare and have varying levels of ability the icon creators are rarer still, it's a specialist art form to imbue the icons with the power to summon an angel and it's a much sought after skill.

This story is told from five different points of view which can sometimes make a story a little hard to follow but I found each of these characters distinct enough that I didn't have an issue. You have four friends: Agnez, a confidant young woman who is focused on her goal of becoming a Musketeer so she can help protect the queen like her mother did; Simeon, a trainee physician who is incredibly skilled with his hands; Dorotea, who is a talented but slightly ditzy icon maker with abilities that she's spent years trying to hide; and Henri, a boy who has spent years dreaming of becoming wealthy who just wants to prove himself to his family. Then you have Liliath, someone who is obviously hiding a lot of secrets and who definitely has a plan but who is only thinking of herself and her own goals and doesn't seem to care what it costs the people around her.

Angel Mage is one of those books that sucks you in and even though its a large book with over 500 pages I ended up flying through it because I desperately wanted to know what would happen next. I really loved Dorotea, Agnez, Simeon and Henri, they all have very different personalities but they worked well together as a team and drew on each other's strengths to do what needed to be done. Liliath was a harder character to like because she was so ruthless but I found her chapters so interesting because you never knew quite what she'd do next. What I loved most about the world was the way men and women were completely equal with lots of women in high ranking jobs and no signs of misogyny, there was also no sign of racism in spite of the fact that we had characters of all different colours and it was treated as completely normal for people to have same sex relationships.

The story works perfectly as a stand alone but I really do hope that Garth Nix decides to revisit this world in the future, there seems to be so much more to explore in the world and I'd be really interested in both spending more time with these characters but also in seeing the fallout of events in the final few chapters.

Source: Received from Gollancz in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Abhorsen - Garth Nix

When the ninth gate calls, who can resist its summons?

An old evil has arisen - freed from its subterranean prison and seeking to escape the binding silver hemispheres which prevent it from finally unleashing its terrible powers.

Lirael, newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting, knows that the fate of the world is in her hands. With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her, and the uncertain help of her companions — Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget — Lirael sets out on her perilous mission.

Then answer must be found somewhere in Life or Death - but can a former Second Assistant Librarian possibly discover the means to defeat the Destroyer . . . before it is too late?

The Old Kingdom Series:
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
Across the Wall (Novella)
Clariel

Visit Garth Nix's website for more information

Review:
This series just gets better with every reread, I've actually lost count of how many times I've read these books over the years but the Old Kingdom trilogy will always have a special place in my heart and I'm excited that Garth Nix has decided to revisit the world again with Clariel. Before I start the new book I wanted to reread the original books again though and Abhorsen was just as fantastic as I remembered it being. It picks up the story almost immediately after the ending of the last book so Lirael and Sam are fighting against the clock to stop the necromancer Hedge from releasing an ancient and terrible power into the world. The fate of the entire kingdom is in their hands and with Sabriel and Touchstone across the wall in Ancelstierre Lirael and Sam only have the Disreputable Dog and Mogget to help them.

The world building in this series is phenomenal, I love the river of death with the various gates and the way that necromancers are able to use the seven different bells to control spirits and move make them move through the gates. The bells are just as dangerous to the person ringing them though and wielding their power tends to corrupt the necromancers who use them. The Abhorsens aren't like most necromancers because they use the bells in a different way but they are in just as much danger when they step into the river. I love how Garth Nix describes the river, the gates and the creatures that roam there, he's great at writing creepy scenes and makes it incredibly easy to picture what is happening.

The previous book had a lot of set up but here we get to see exactly what is going on with Nick and how he was tricked into helping Hedge. The free magic is having a huge impact on Nick and even though he suspects something is wrong he can't quite seem to focus long enough to figure out what is happening to him. This story starts with a bang and the tension continues to build until the explosive climax when our heroes are in for the fight of their lives. I don't really want to say too much about the plot so I'm going to focus more on the characters here. Lirael has really come into her own since she learnt about her true heritage, she is doing a lot of learning on the fly but she is determined to do whatever it takes to stop Hedge from achieving his goals. Sam has also done a lot of growing up and now he isn't under pressure as the Abhorsen in waiting he is able to get past his fears and find his own way to help Lirael. the Disreputable Dog and Mogget remain two of my favourite characters, they're just so much fun and I always enjoy the banter between them, they're also both incredibly powerful in their own right and here they have to decide how they're going to use that power.

Abhorsen was a brilliant conclusion to the original trilogy but I'm excited to revisit this world and meet a whole new set of characters in Clariel. This is one of my favourite YA fantasy series and that hasn't changed since it was first published over 10 years ago!

Source: Purchased

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Review: Lirael - Garth Nix

When the future is hidden, who holds the key to destiny?

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. 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, while Abhorsen Sabriel is engaged in conflict elsewhere.

As an ancient evil casts its shadow - one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clayr, and threatens to break the very boundary between the Life and Death - Lirael undertakes a desperate mission.

With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael sets out upon a perilous journey and comes face to face with her own fate . . .

The Old Kingdom Series:
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
Across the Wall (Novella)
Clariel

Visit Garth Nix's website for more information

Review:
I have loved Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series for years now, it's one I've read numerous times over the years and I only love it more with every reread. I remember being slightly disappointed when I first found out that Sabriel wasn't the main character again in Lirael but that feeling didn't last long and I quickly grew to love Lirael just as much as her predecessor. Changing points of view was a great way for us to learn more about the mysterious Clayr, the seers who use their abilities to protect the Old Kingdom from threats and I really enjoyed that change of pace.

Lirael is set around 20 years after the ending of the first book, Sabriel and Touchstone are now married and they are the current king and queen of the Old Kingdom. Both of them are working hard to undo the damage caused by the necromancer that they fought in the previous book but there are new enemies on the horizon making things complicated. This story is told from two different points of view, first you have Lirael, a young girl who was born to the Clayr but is yet to come into her Sight, and second is Sabriel and Touchstone's youngest son Sameth.

Lirael has never really felt at home amongst the Clayr, she is very different from them in both looks and temperament and the she is embarrassed by the fact that she has never come into her Sight. She spends a lot of her time alone and isolated just dreaming of becoming a "proper" Clayr. When she is offered a job at the Clayr library she finally finds a place where she feels at home, she loves learning and is fascinated with learning about Charter Magic, something she seems to be quite skilled at. When she manages to bring the Disreputable Dog to life she finally has a friend, someone to talk to and share adventures with. Lirael may be unhappy not to have been given the Sight but she eventually discovers that she has an even rarer ability, one that could help her save the Kingdom.

Sameth is supposed to be the Abhorsen in waiting but after an incident where he was badly injured by a necromancer he is absolutely terrified of entering death. Until recently he has been studying at a boarding school on the other side of the wall so he has had no need to use his magic but now he has returned to the Old Kingdom he is expected to begin his training and he doesn't know how to tell his parents that he is too frightened to accept his role. Sam is depressed and miserable but worried about disappointing his parents and he doesn't know what to do with himself. The only thing keeping him going is an upcoming visit from his best friend so when Nicholas goes missing Sam sets out to try and find him and it is on that journey that his paths cross with Lirael's.

This book is a real coming of age story for both main characters, they both have different inner demons to fight and at times they are both drowning under the weight of expectations that other people have of them but along the way they really realise their own strength and start to come into their own. I have to admit that I found Sam a bit irritating at times, he comes across as younger than his age and there were times I wanted to shake some sense into him but he does make some huge changes by the end of the book and he really grew on me. Lirael was easier to like from the beginning but I am definitely invested in both of their journeys. As much as I love Lirael and Sam I think it is the Disreputable Dog and Mogget who steal the show for me, their characters are just fantastic and I'm also desperately curious about what is happening with Nicholas. It's been so long since I read this series last that I'm having trouble remembering how things play out so I'm excited to continue the series and read Abhorsen.

Source: Purchased

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Review: Sabriel - Garth Nix

Who will guard the living when the dead arise?

Sabriel is sent as a child across the Wall to the safety of a school in Ancelstierre. Away from magic; away from the Dead. After receiving a cryptic message from her father, 18-year-old Sabriel leaves her ordinary school and returns across the Wall into the Old Kingdom. Fraught with peril and deadly trickery, her journey takes her to a world filled with parasitical spirits, Mordicants, and Shadow Hands – for her father is none other than The Abhorson. His task is to lay the disturbed dead back to rest. This obliges him – and now Sabriel, who has taken on her father's title and duties – to slip over the border into the icy river of Death, sometimes battling the evil forces that lurk there, waiting for an opportunity to escape into the realm of the living. Desperate to find her father, and grimly determined to help save the Old Kingdom from destruction by the horrible forces of the evil undead, Sabriel endures almost impossible challenges whilst discovering her own supernatural abilities – and her destiny.

The Old Kingdom Series:
Sabriel
Lirael
Abhorsen
Across the Wall (Novella)
Clariel

Visit Garth Nix's website for more information

Review:
I'm showing my age a bit here but I first read Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series years ago when it was first released and it's one I've revisited multiple times over the years. It's an outstanding fantasy series, one that is truly unique and that just gets better and better with each visit. I find it incredibly easy to fall into this world and once you're there you'll never want to leave.

The main character is a young girl called Sabriel, she was born in the Old Kingdom, a land full of magic and strange creatures, but her father, the Abhorsen, sent her across the Wall to live in Ancelstierre to attend boarding school. Anclestierre is a land without magic and Abhorsen felt that Sabriel would be safer there. Sabriel may live away from her father but he visits her regularly and has taught her about charter magic and some of the ways of the necromancers. When her father goes missing Sabriel knows she is the only one who can help him so she sets out to travel into the Old Kingdom to find and rescue him. In an unfamiliar world Sabriel must use her wits to survive and she can only hope that the allies she has made are really on her side.

Garth Nix has created a rich world that he brings vividly to live with his beautiful, descriptive writing. The realm of the dead is haunting and incredibly creepy and I loved the imagery of the river and the gates that spirits pass through after death. Creatures often try to travel back up the river, through the veil and into life again but it is the Abhorsen's job to make sure they don't manage to escape. Since her father is missing that role now falls to Sabriel and she must use the Abhorsen's bells and sword to fight the spirits that try to escape.

Sabriel is a wonderful heroine, she is smart, brave and cares passionately about people. She is willing to put her own life at risk to save not just the people she cares about but also strangers and it is easy to admire her bravery. She isn't perfect and does make mistakes but that just makes her even more likeable and easy to root for. One of my favourite fictional characters ever is Mogget, the cat who has served her family for centuries. Mogget has a very sarcastic sense of humour and he often has me laughing at the things he comes out with. As irritating as Mogget can be to Sabriel most of the time he is an important ally for her but there is a darker and more terrifying side to him that Sabriel quickly discovers. The other main character is a young man called Touchstone, his background remains a mystery for quite some time but he is easy to like once you start uncovering some of his secrets. I enjoyed the hint of romance between Touchstone and Sabriel, it doesn't overtake the rest of the story but adds a nice extra dimension between them. There aren't many central characters in this book but they are all incredibly three dimensional and you'll feel like they're part of your family by the end of the story.

I don't want to say too much more about the plot but I will say that anyone who hasn't discovered this series yet is missing out. I was a little nervous when I started this reread because I have such fond memories of this series - I was really worried that it wouldn't be able to stand the test of time and that perhaps it wouldn't reach the standards of some of the more recent YA fantasy series that I've read in the last couple of years. I'm so happy that my fears were proved wrong - this book more than stands it's ground and I can say without reservation that it remains my favourite in this genre. I can't wait to carry on my series reread and to finally get hold of the new book Clairel that we have waited such a long time for!

Source: Purchased

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