Clariel is used to the forests of Estweal, but now she’s been sent to the capital city of Belisaere. She feels isolated in her strange new environment, and with dangerous magic loose in the city, she’s not sure which of her mentors she can trust.
Note: this book has problematic representation and we do not recommend it.
Publisher’s Description:
Award-winning author Garth Nix returns to the Old Kingdom with a thrilling prequel complete with dark magic, royalty, dangerous action, a strong heroine, and flawless world building. This epic fantasy adventure is destined to be a classic and is perfect for fans of Rae Carson, Kristin Cashore, Scott Westerfeld, and Cassandra Clare.
Clariel is the daughter of one of the most notable families in the Old Kingdom, with blood relations to the Abhorsen and, most important, to the King. She dreams of living a simple life but discovers this is hard to achieve when a dangerous Free Magic creature is loose in the city, her parents want to marry her off to a killer, and there is a plot brewing against the old and withdrawn King Orrikan. When Clariel is drawn into the efforts to find and capture the creature, she finds hidden sorcery within herself, yet it is magic that carries great dangers. Can she rise above the temptation of power, escape the unwanted marriage, and save the King?
Genre: Fantasy
Representation:
Gender:
Cis girls: Clariel
Sexual and Romantic Orientation:
Clariel is asexual and aromantic
Race/Ethnicity:
White: Clariel
Trigger Warnings:
Amisia/Aphobia
Additional Notes: Clariel is considered by many aromantic and asexual readers as harmful, due to deeply problematic representation and its reliance on negative stereotypes. It is not recommended as an example of good aromantic or asexual representation. Additionally, although Clariel doesn’t technically die at the end of the novel she is sentenced to death and exiled, feeding it into the “aces are dead and cannot be a part of society” stereotype and Nix’ author’s note explicitly states that she goes on to become the undead antagonist of earlier books.