Book Review: Abhorsen by Garth Nix

The concluding chapter in the Old Kingdom Trilogy (which I still insist should be a duology) It picks up where Lirael left off. It doesn't feel like an all new story altogether, because it's not meant to be. It's meant to tie up the story and that's what it does. Nothing more. Nothing less. This book is satisfying enough, in the sense that it maintains the same things that made Lirael good, and threw in more tight situations, and higher stakes. The story itself starts with the main character trapped on an island with the enemies preparing to make their move. And it only gets more and more intense.

Abhorsen is a roller coaster ride. Where Lirael and Sabriel had time to try and bring out the world in the back of your mind, Abhorsen has you rushing along from one place to another as the characters try to save it. The characters develop a lot more here from this point onwards, partially because they have no choice, partially because of the situations they've come out from in 'Lirael' and partially because of the revelations made at the end of that book. (I'm not giving anything away). Character dynamics are better in this book, as far as I'm concerned. But as it serves only as a conclusion, there's not much else I can say about this book.

There is an underlying 'coming-of-age' and 'accepting what you are' kind of theme running overall in this one. And it wraps up with a tragedy or two, which is always good, or it would have ended up too rosy. But it is at that final tragedy that you realize how much the character Lirael has grown. And you'll appreciate this book all the more for it.

I heard that there's a sequel for this. That short, small, purple book. I'm not picking it up, if only because I feel like this was a good fullstop. Too much dragging of a good thing makes it annoying.
*cough*starwarsprequels*cough*

7 out of 10 for this book.

8.5 out of 10 for the last two books, or if Lirael and Abhorsen had just been joined into one.

For the entire trilogy (which unfortunately includes Sabriel), I'll give it a 6. So for everyone's sake, let's pretend 'Sabriel' doesn't exist.