It certainly reads young, but without those conventional Young Adult staples that I sadly encounter so often when picking up a younger audience fantasy read. A complex ethical substrate that leaves the reader with relatively few fully bad or fully good characters (though there are some) and that poses open-ended questions. Being someone who normally loves to find an action packed adventure while reading I was surprised to find I didn’t end up enjoying this one more as it was one long adventure story. Susan, though she's an agreeable enough character, never quite comes into her own - like I mentioned, that first chapter is very quick off the mark, and it doesn't feel like the ensuing action ever quite gives us a chance to get to know her entirely. Action, light romance and otherworldly machinations keep the tension flowing as Nix reveals a warm-hearted and clever fantasy.

la base c’est un autre livre de l’auteur qui me tentait et puis la magie d’internet m’a suggéré cette histoire-ci. I suppose it shows a facet of Merlin’s character, but since most of his conversations go along those lines, it doesn’t, not really. I enjoyed this very much finding myself caught up in the story of Susan Arkshaw and her quest to locate her father in a slightly alternative 1983 London.The tropes have been somewhat ‘modernized,’ with Merlin a bit gender-bendy, Susan embracing her DocMartens and coveralls, and and the “family” of booksellers containing a mix of socioeconomic and racial backgrounds, blood relations notwithstanding. Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary agent. This turned out to be a wonderful fantasy read, I loved the alternate world that Nix creates and builds on, the battles that ensue, and the many booksellers with their varying gifts coming to the fore.

The Grandmother raised the flower and sniffed it again, her piercing dark eyes momentarily hooded, a smile passing across her thin-boned face like a glimpse of some small, colorful bird darting between dark and brooding trees. The story had potenial, it could've been a good book but I just found it very confusing at times, like there were pointless details and the world building kinda made no sense.But if it does get a sequel, I'd definitely be interested to read it - I think there's a lot of good potential in this world and these characters. The worldbuilding is exquisite--the broad, immersive world and the specific rules for types of booksellers maintain a sense of discovery, and Susan and Merlin, the heroic protagonists, have vibrant, entertaining personalities (and a realistic romantic storyline). I was a gigantic fan of Sabriel/Lirael/Abhorsen growing up, and so naturally I jumped on this fast, exciting read when it popped up somewhere in my timeline. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan's.

The left-handed booksellers are the physical fighters while the right-handed ones are more intellectual and wields magic. The characters are excellent especially Merlin who is completely delightful, and Vivian who has some remarkable talents.Dropped unaware into that world is Susan, future art student and newly arrived in London, and it's up to Merlin, bookseller and generally rakish individual, to make sure she doesn't fall victim to one if it's many, many dangers. I have to admit that for some time I thought that this was not really a book for me, that I was not the intended audience and that it was meant for younger readers. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Como me pasó con "Magia Angelical", creo que el mundo que ha creado da para más de una historia: ofrece una sensación amplia, como si temporalmente ya hubiera estado y estará en un futuro. It doesn't necessarily feel like the characters have much agency or effect on anything that's happening - they just defend against a series of issues.