Once again Garth Nix has delivered a quality story in a world that feels real and well developed and with characters that make believable mistakes. I love the Old Kingdom world and its magic. It's delightful to go back in time to learn a bit of this country's history. Nice to see some familiar characters and places, too.

This doesn't quite hit four stars because there was a bit in the middle where I just didn't like Clariel at all. She seemed selfish and spoiled. I get that she prefers to be alone, and that the city is not her idea of home. But given a bit more time, we see that she is not wholly selfish and while some of her decisions are misguided, her heart is in the right place (and it's not her fault that people use her as pawns and no one tells her what's going on). It was interesting to see an Old Kingdom with so much Abhorsen lineage.

Looking forward to reading the new one as soon as I get my hands on it. :)