a way to remember

The conclusion to the Abhorsen trilogy does a wonderful job of ending the series.  Not only does it wrap up the battle against the Destroyer, but it also opens up whole new story possibilities.  We can all tell that there are a lot more Old Kingdom stories out there, and the addition of Nick to the cast is promising, as is the obvious connection between him and Lirael.  Not to mention Mogget just sort of almost really did let slip that Chlorr is a former Abhorsen.

But that’s for another time.  Abhorsen was much faster-paced than Lirael, and tied all the loose strings beautifully.  Besides that, Lirael and Sam finally found their resolve and became the heroine and hero that their world needed them to be.  The character growth in this last volume was great, and the plot was page-turning and exciting.  The story just flew past without my realizing it, and before I knew it, I was almost at the end.  Which was a shame because I just wanted the whole thing to NEVER END.  I still have a ton of questions left unanswered, and can see a lot of potential in the existing characters to go off and save their world(s).  Again.  I’m particularly very interested in knowing how the two worlds collided into each other, especially since a character mentioned Ancelstierre hadn’t been there, exactly, in the past, and that the Old Kingdom had merely intruded upon that world.  Here’s to more Old Kingdom stories in the future (even more than the upcoming one about Chlorr), and deeper insight into the world(s) of Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom.

Wonder what could have caused Chlorr to turn, however.  Maybe the ninth gate spooked her into turning bad.  I CANNOT WAIT for Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen to come out, in any case.

Garth Nix is, hands down, my favorite YA author still actively publishing.

Next up: Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora.