Review Detail

GOLDENHAND is the fifth book in the Abhorsen series. A wonderful series about magic and dead things coming back to life. This book has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be happier with the way this book went. In GOLDENHAND we follow Lirael who is no longer a Second Assistant Librarian but the new Abhorsen-in-Waiting. When a young woman brings Lirael a message from her long dead mother she must find a way to stop the coming evil. This series has been such a surprise and not one I would normally read, if not for everyone saying how great it is. I fell in love with the first book, Sabriel, and GOLDENHAND is no exception.

What I liked

The characters, I absolutely loved seeing how far Lirael has come from when we first met her. She has grown into an amazing character and I love that she’s so strong and willing to speak up. She knows who and what she is and she’s not afraid to use that. In GOLDENHAND, we see many old characters, such as Nick. Who I truly enjoy and am so glad to be seeing more of him. We also meet some new characters, such as Ferin who is part of the Athask tribe. What I found so interesting about Ferin was her unwillingness to give up. She loses a foot and yet she continues on, without stopping. It is amazing really and I would love to see more of her in future books. What I love about each and every character in Garth’s books is how very alike they are but so very different at the same time. They are so interesting to me and I found myself very invested in each of their stories. That being said I did find myself more and more interested in Nick and Lirael. I thought they were so cute and definitely fun to be around. One of my favorite things (also very frustrating) is seeing how much the characters like each other but they themselves are oblivious to the others feelings. I don’t know why but I love it.

The world that Garth has created in the Abhorsen series is so beautiful. It’s so detailed and interesting. You find yourself drawn into the beautiful setting he creates. The setting combined with the characters almost make you feel as if you are watching a movie. I would love to see this in a movie. To see the gates of the dead, and the land they inhabit, as well as the paperwings. It’s all simply amazing and GOLDENHAND does not hold back with an amazing story.

What left me wanting more

I left this book feeling content but also knowing I want more and more. I want to get to know more about this land. Why Ancelstierre has no magic, but the Old Kingdom does? What can Nick do? Does Ferin ever get her foot? So many questions and I hope they will, with time be answered.

Overall I fell in love with this author and this series. Amazing and imaginative, one of my favorite fantasy reads of this year. Everything about this book was amazing and beautiful. This series has made me a definite fan of Garth Nix. His world and the magic he has built into it, is amazing. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Brandon Sanderson, and magic. There are 5 books, but they are a very quick read and one that will have you sucked in from the very first page.