On her 14th birthday, Lirael is so dejected that she contemplates suicide. For years, she has been anxiously awaiting “the Sight,” an ability to “see” future events, which appears in the daughters of the Clayr at age 10 or 11. Feeling like a misfit, Lirael is grateful to get the job of Third Assistant Librarian. Although she shuns any social interaction that would remind her of her missing Sight, Lirael enjoys her job, where she encounters “fell creatures, old Charter spells that had . . . become unpredictable, mechanical traps, even poisoned book bindings,” in other words, “the regular hazards of a librarian’s life.” As the years pass, she becomes a master of Charter magic, yet she still longs for the Sight. When Lirael is sent away from the Clayr on a dangerous mission “seen” to be her destiny, she sets forth bravely, accompanied only by the magical Disreputable Dog. Meanwhile, Prince Sameth feels tortured by his impending adulthood and his overwhelming fear of assuming the honored but dangerous role of Abhorsen, an occupation that demands frequent trips into the realm of Death. Attempting to avoid the training for that future, Sameth sets out on a journey of his own. His quest soon intersects with Lirael’s. This sequel to Sabriel (HarperCollins, 1996) easily lives up to the high marks of its predecessor, being rich in sympathetic characters, smooth plot development, and moments of breathtaking action. The book closes with a cliffhanger, setting the stage for the next volume. (Ages 12–16)

In this riveting sequel to Sabriel, master of fantasy and globally bestselling author Garth Nix returns to the fantastic world of the Old Kingdom.

Who is Lirael? And what is her destiny?

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr. Abandoned by her mother, ignorant of her father’s identity, Lirael resembles no one else in her large extended family living in the Clayr’s Glacier. 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. She must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil — one that opposes the Royal Family, blocks the Sight of the Clay; and threatens to break the very boundary between Life and Death itself.

With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, to help her, Lirael must find the courage to seek her own hidden destiny.

“What makes Lirael a delight is the magic that Nix brings to his story and to his characters.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)