Review by Booklist Review
In this prequel to the classic Old Kingdom trilogy, Nix introduces Terciel and Elinor, Sabriel's parents, and tells the story of how they met. Raised by Abhorsen Tizanael, Terciel is resigned to a lonely life of servitude, believing that Abhorsens are too busy guarding Death to have a life. In Ancelstierre, Elinor has been taught nothing of magic, believing her Charter Mark to be an unsightly forehead scar. The two meet when the Dead invade Elinor's country home, awakening her Old Kingdom roots and bringing Terciel in their wake. Chapters alternate between them as they separate--Terciel aids Tizanael in finding a powerful relic, while Elinor seeks a way over the Wall--and are drawn together in even more dangerous circumstances. The romance is secondary to the story of the characters' coming into their own, growing in confidence and skill while wielding dark magic and battling the Dead. Terciel's mix of competence and vulnerability is appealing, but Elinor's journey--buoyed by her resilient spirit--is particularly rewarding. Fans will relish this return to a beloved world.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Nix (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London) makes a satisfying return to his Old Kingdom series with this prequel about Sabriel's parents, Terciel and Elinor. As young, brown-skinned Terciel moves from a life of hunger to an apprenticeship as Abhorsen-in-Waiting in the Old Kingdom, 19-year-old Elinor takes to the stage and practices carnival skills across the wall, in nonmagical Ancelstierre. After surviving an assault on her home through Terciel's timely intervention, Elinor takes a position at magic-teaching girls' school Wyverley College, hoping to learn magic--with which she is newly acquainted--and prepare to travel to the Old Kingdom. When an incident sees her reunited with Terciel, and whisked to the Abhorsen's House by a distant relative who reveals Elinor's connection to a sisterhood of seeresses, she finds that she is to play a vital part in the fight against a powerful Dead creature. Elinor, inexperienced with the Old Kingdom, offers a useful introduction to the world, while sympathetic characters, a unique magical system, and frightening foes guarantee broad appeal to teen and adult fantasy readers, whether established Nix fans or new to the series. Most characters default to white. Ages 14--up. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Nix returns to the Old Kingdom with the sixth book in the series, following Sabriel's parents--Terciel plucked from poverty and obscurity to become the Abhorsen-in-Waiting and Elinor, an aspiring thespian in non-magical Ancelstierre who has been told her Charter mark is nothing but a scar. Elinor and Terciel are brought together time and again, eventually leading Elinor over the wall to the Abhorsen's House and her mily history of magic. Well written and well paced, Nix's original "Old Kingdom" trilogy is considered a YA classic for a reason. Most characters are white, with Terciel's original brown skin being bleached by exposure to Death. VERDICT This prequel has broad appeal, but will ultimately be picked up by fans of the original series.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This sixth book in the Old Kingdom series chronicles how Sabriel's parents met. Readers first meet Terciel (who is later to become Sabriel's father) after he's been plucked out of poverty and obscurity to become the successor to Abhorsen Tizanael. Across the wall in Ancelstierre, Elinor (Sabriel's future mother), an utterly charming 19-year-old aspiring thespian, has spent all her years secluded in the countryside. Though she is lacking a loving parent--her mother is distant, her father dead--Elinor has found care and companionship in her governess, Mrs. Watkins, and the elderly groom Ham, Mrs. Watkins' uncle. When a horrible turn of events uncovers an old and dangerous foe--and leads to Elinor and Terciel's meeting--Elinor learns of her hidden Old Kingdom ancestry and must find her own way in the world for the first time, eventually returning to Terciel. Chapters alternate between the pair. Terciel is likable and his struggles as Abhorsen-in-Waiting are sympathetic, but it's endearing, charismatic Elinor who steals the show in this character-driven story. Nix offers fans of the Old Kingdom a gift in the book's return to the feel of the original trilogy; readers will be glad he chose the path that led to this story. Terciel has deep-brown skin, but his color is leeched by time spent in Death; most other characters read as White. Enjoyable, engaging, and well written. (maps) (Fantasy. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
