Book Review: Frogkisser by Garth Nix

---

FROGKISSER

Author: Garth Nix
Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Released: February 28th 2017
Review Source: Scholastic Press

The last thing she needs is a prince. The first thing she needs is some magic.

Poor Princess Anya. Forced to live with her evil stepmother’s new husband, her evil stepstepfather. Plagued with an unfortunate ability to break curses with a magic-assisted kiss. And forced to go on the run when her stepstepfather decides to make the kingdom entirely his own.

Aided by a loyal talking dog, a boy thief trapped in the body of a newt, and some extraordinarily mischievous wizards, Anya sets off on a Quest that, if she plays it right, will ultimately free her land—and teach her a thing or two about the use of power, the effectiveness of a well-placed pucker, and the finding of friends in places both high and low.

Having been a fan of Garth nix;s work for the last some-odd 20 years, Frogkisser was a fun short read. It takes a pinch of the old fairy tales and he re imagines them to fit within his own imagination and book.

Frogkisser reminds me of an old childhood favorite The Two Princesses of Bamarre, sisters as different as night and day, a land rich in magical creatures and magic, a quest undertaken by the bookish princess uninterested in adventure, all for the sake of saving herself, her sister and their kingdom. LOVING IT!

Now Frogkisser follows the younger sister, Princess Anya, on a very dangerous quest, against her evil stepstep father (who’s a horrible and fearsome sorcerer). Yet somehow, along the way, she keeps picking up side quests, and it’s not only slowing her down but upping the ante. Everyone is looking for her, and not everyone is a willing friend.

I loved the story, the adventure was a fun one and it was (for the most part) wrapped up nicely within one book. If it’s a stand alone then I’m satisfied, if another book is added to the story I’d be quite interested in what Princess Anya, Shrub, Ardent and the White Wizard might get up into next!

Book review: Abhorsen By Garth Nix

---

Abhorsen
Old Kingdom Series #3

Author: Garth Nix
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Action Fantasy
Released: January 7th, 2003
Review Source: Harper Teen

The Ninth was strong and fought with might
But lone Orannis was put out of the light
Broken in two and buried under hill
Forever to lie there, wishing us ill.

So says the song. But Orannis, the Destroyer, is no longer buried under hill. It has been freed from its subterranean prison and now seeks to escape the silver hemispheres, the final barrier to the unleashing of its terrible powers.

The Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone are missing, leaving only Lirael—newly come into her inheritance as the Abhorsen-in-Waiting—to stop the Destroyer. If Orannis's unspeakable powers are unleashed, it will mean the end of all Life. With only a vision from the Clayr to guide her, and the help of her companions, Sam, the Disreputable Dog, and Mogget, Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the evil destructor—before it is too late. . . .

Where book one of the series focuses on Sabriel as the Abhorsen, book two diverts to Lirael but keeps her as the semi-central character in the final book of the trilogy. It does bring back all the characters to band together but the weight of the world is seemingly on Lirael's shoulders.

Now this review does have quite a few spoilers for anyone who's not yet read these books, the synopsis gives key points. Turns out that Lirael's destiny was not that of the Clayr per-say but that of the Abhorsen, to follow as a daughter of both, as a Rememberancer!

Sabriel and Touchstone have been rebuilding the kingdom, driving back the hoards of dead and reclaiming the land for the living, clearing villages and putting right all the charter stones. Sam has been doing his own research into magic, his understanding is limited having grown up south of the Wall, but ever the scholar, he will find answers!

His search however, is not only driving him to madness but it's unleashing a hell on earth. Everyone is racing against time to find this evil that has been resting for so many millennia, since the creation of the seven and the birth of the charter. Will they make it in time?

Book Review: Lirael by Garth Nix

---

LIRAEL: Daughter of the Clayr
Old Kingdom Series #2

Author: Garth Nix
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Action Fantasy
Released: April 21st, 2001
Review Source: Harper Trophy

Lirael has never felt like a true daughter of the Clayr.

Now, two years past the time when she should have received the Sight that is the Clayr's birthright, she feels alone, abandoned, unsure of who she is. Nevertheless, the fate of the Old Kingdom lies in her hands. With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil.

In this sequel to Sabriel, winner of the Aurealis Award for Excellence in Australian Science Fiction, New York Times best-selling author Garth Nix weaves a spellbinding tale of discovery, destiny, and danger.

Have you ever felt you didn't belong, even within your own family? That's now Lirael has been feeling. The Clayr are a tight family who live together within a massive glacier in the Old Kingdom. They all share familiar traits, like the telling blond hair, tanned skin with green eyes. They also share the gift of Sight, to see the future. Lirael has been waiting for her Sight to manifest itself, to assimilate into her family. Not only does Lirael have pale skin and dark hair, as she gets older she becomes more of an oddity within the Glacier, younger and younger girls get their sight around her.

In a desperate attempt to define herself, to busy herself away from the constant reminder she is still without her Sight, she gets an apprenticeship within the vast spiraling library. It is within these dusty tomes that she finds a friend, the Disreputable dog. She reads and works the days away, finding small adventures within the ever downward spiral of the library, some doors are not meant to be opened, many old and dangerous things hide down the further she goes. Within one door, what she finds cannot be undone, but maybe it was meant to be found...

As always with this series, I love it, truly I do! I felt a kin to Lirael, in how odd she felt and how hard she was searching to find herself. Then again, I first read this book back in middle school, and weren't we all trying to find ourselves? A fantastic follow up to Sabriel, packed full of adventure and a growing heroin.

Book Review: Sabriel By Garth Nix

---

Sabriel
Old Kingdom Series #1

Author: Garth Nix
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Action Fantasy
Released: Aug. 23rd, 1997
Review Source: Harper Collins

Game of Thrones fans will love the New York Times bestselling Abhorsen series.

Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of Free Magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him.

I first read this book back in middle school, I was eleven. I fell in love with the writing style, the details and the epic story with a strong hero. I have loved this book for many years and I still re read it, as I do with the Potter series.

The book opens with Sabriel walking to school, we see the town through her eyes and understanding. The City of Waverly is turning modern, a few cars are seen but only the military has them, asides from the excessively wealthy, there is electricity but it is sparse yet still. We get a peek into the type of power that Sabriel and her father can wield. As the graduation grows closer, Sabriel is approached by a sending, an ominous message from her father. Now, she leaves school to search for him, across The Wall.

What awaits a fresh Abhorsen? Will she find her father or find her doom in the Old Kingdom that lies just across the wall. After all, times have been tough in the Old Kingdom, the monarchy has been destroyed for a long time. Winter is already falling around her as she searches for Terciel, her father. Not too long she notices that she is being followed, is it a friend or a foe?

This is always a great book to curl up with on a rainy day or long road trip! To clear any confusion up, Sabriels family are necromancers, but they bear the title Abhorsen, they lay the dead down where others raise the dead for nefarious deeds. Only her families bloodline can walk in death, without succumbing to the call to rest as all others who wade into the waters do. There is quite a bit of action through the book. The choice of weapons for an Abhorsen is a set of bells and sword, its quite the creative take for the book and I loved it. I recommend this book for any and all fantasy readers!