Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Clariel

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Clariel by Garth Nix

15 reviews

pobi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I didn't enjoy most of this as much as I have the others just because the characters were SO annoying. That being said the ending makes the WHOLE thing totally worthwhile!!!

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mattiedancer's review against another edition

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adventurous sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Writing: 4⭐️/5

In contrast to the other books in the series, I found Clariel lacking a bit something. The start of this novel is a bit lackluster, taking a while to get started. In contrast, the ending wrapped up a little quickly.

Characters: 3.75⭐️/5
*Some Spoilers*

Clariel, unlike Lirael, Sameth, and Sabriel, lacks a bit of depth. While the Clariel we see as the novel progresses does get deeper and more interesting, she never gets to a point where I believe her fully. For her motives, she’s relatively one-dimensional, searching for a way to escape the city without giving up her lifestyle. At nearly every interval we are reminded of this as a core of her being and, while I appreciate this motive, it makes her feel less real that she rarely thinks of anything else. I did enjoy Bel and the character shift we see in Mogget when left alone for too long.

Plot: 4⭐️/5
*Some Spoilers*

I do find the plot interesting, though I wonder at the initial plan to trap a Free Magic creature using two children. I did like following Clariel and watching her sanity slip away as she craves more and more Free Magic. As a backstory for Chlorr of the Mask, it served its purpose, creating an interesting backdrop in an already well-established world. I wonder what might have been gained if the attention was split or focused more on Bel, and how that might have helped the pacing and the characters.

World 5⭐️/5

Here’s the thing: the Old Kingdom and the world in which it resides is fascinating, well-developed, and always interesting.

Who Should Read This Book?

Fans of The Old Kingdom
Fans of Garth Nix

Content Warnings?

Gaslighting, Emotional Abuse, Murder, Death, Death of Parent, Animal Death, Animal Cruelty

Post-Reading Rating: 4.25⭐️/5

It’s always a good adventure into The Old Kingdom.

Final Rating: 4⭐️/5

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chaoticblue's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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ohmage_resistance's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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sapphicbookdragon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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qrschulte's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was great but also so sad. Nix does such a great job at reminding you of how his world works without being annoying about it, which is very helpful when it’s been awhile since you’ve read the others. I was so angry about how Clariel’s parents seemed to not care about her at all, though they did eventually make up for it.

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inameitlater's review against another edition

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adventurous sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

When I read the summary of the book before I started it, I realised I had been horribly spoilered when the book came out. So it was a weird experience reading this book, knowing something that would in the end only be revealed in the authors afterword.

But I'm glad I read it. It was great to get an asexual main character and I yearned with her for the woods.

The story itself felt a bit rushed, there was no time for Clariel or the reader to reflect a lot. But a lot of shit happened and during such times, people mostly react and don't think a lot. This is something the book showed really well.

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