#implied sabriel bc i can

[shadowsbrainrot]

hey guys

[alterac]

I finally got around to reading Terciel and Elinor after buying it months ago and I enjoyed it! It wasn’t the strongest prequel in the series but I really enjoyed learning more about the Abhorsen line and history and Mogget and charter magic. I’m not a huge romance person so the Terciel/Elinor stuff was kind of secondary to everything. I was really there for devouring all the new world building tidbits.

I enjoyed Terciel and Elinor and all the other characters though! Really liked Tizanael because my weakness will always be hyper competent bitter old gilfs. I loved seeing Mirelle making a badass dnd ranger cameo. I was honestly surprised there weren’t more cameos since we’ve been to nearly all the settings before.

I don’t think romance is Garth Nix’s strength but it’s not so weak that it ruins any of his books for me (save for Lirael bc that girl is a lesbian you can’t tell me otherwise I’m sorry Nicholas)

His queer rep is a bit iffy but it’s not bad for a boomer that started the series in the 90s. With every book he’s been more open to diversifying the cast but never as much as I’d like. At least in this new book it’s implied that in Ancelstiere queerness might not be looked down upon. One of Elinor’s friends is implied to be a lesbian and no one has a problem with it. The Clayr have always been free love bisexual glacier hippies.

What I have always appreciated is that there aren’t really any assigned gender rolls or tropes that especially older fantasy can fall victim to. The setting is very egalitarian.

8/10 if you like the Old Kingdom series I do suggest it. If you are interested in starting the series don’t start with this book though, definitely start it in its release order beginning with Sabriel. You’ll probably appreciate the prequels Clariel and Terciel & Elinor more that way.

Anyways please read this series it’s The Locked Tomb’s spiritual precursor in a lot of ways and my favorite world building and magic system of any fantasy series I’ve ever read.