I managed to finish this book in a day, I couldn't put it down. I think it was a great conclusion to the series.
The story begins directly after the second book Lirael ends. Lirael and Sam are still trying to stop Hedge's plans coming to fruition, with the help of the Disreputable Dog and Mogget. So you should definitely read the second before this.

A more mature and confident Lirael is presented in this third and final Abhorsen Trilogy ending. It's great to see Lirael as a more confident and skilled Abhorsen, working her good against evil and the dead.

At first, I thought way too much attention and space was given to the writing of Nick and Ancelstierre. But in re-reading the sections where nick is pictured, I actually think Nick is just framed in important scenes to make the reader aware that this non-action character is very important to the plot. In the future, I hope Mr. Nix either makes this type of character with more action or more substance. ( )

This is the perfect crown to an excellent trilogy. Nix utilizes one of the great and well-known formulas of bringing together all of the elements of good to fight against the greatest evil, who is threatening to destroy all of life. It’s overused, but it works well in the hands of great writers like Nix. He is able to unveil the story and the mythology in a way that keeps readers interested as well as informs and educates them about the world he’s created.My only gripe would be that he’s left himself very little room to write anything else of equal caliber within this world, yet I want more stories written about the Old Kingdom. There is one other companion story in Across The Wall, but it’s mostly about Nick and Ancelstierre. The fact that “A Tale of the Abhorsen” is part of the title is misleading as Lirael only shows up for a brief stint at the end. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that anything else will emerge from the world of the Old Kingdom, although I wouldn’t begrudge Nix if it did. I recommend this book to anyone ages 12 and up.-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com ( )

I agree with the previous review *except* (and it's a strong exception) for the "whiny, angsty teenagers" part. How funny to whine about the (alleged) whining of others! (Especially when those others are fictional characters!) This has come up a few times in reviews of this book and its prequel, and I find that saddening.
Lirael & Sam wouldn't be nearly as convincing if they were personally flawless & never struggled with a difficult emotion.
I'm sorry, but sadness, grief and loss are inescapable realities of life, and a person (especially a young person) going through them may not come across as perfectly composed and well-behaved (think about it: Lirael had no-one to talk to AT ALL! That means no social/emotional support of any kind). For anyone forced to go through these things, the last thing you need is some judgemental, emotionally constipated and underdeveloped onlooker who clearly has no idea about how to deal with these things themselves, hypocritically labelling you as "whiny & angsty". It's an understandable act of projection, because no-one wants to have to deal with such painful difficulties, but it also says a *lot* about our society & culture when even fictional characters can't be allowed some judgement-free space in which to work these things out. And if you have that much trouble dealing with this reality in fiction, good luck with real life! No wonder kids are binge-drinking. I can't blame them, when there's so little tolerance in our culture for the usual difficulties of being a young person.
Nix has bravely gone for emotional realism in fantasy fiction - an often unsuccessful writerly endeavour - and done it brilliantly. Bravo. ( )

This book is an immediate continuation of Lirael, the second book in the trilogy, which makes it impossible to include a comprehensive summary here without mentioning any spoilers. Suffice it to say that Abhorsen finds the main characters coming together to, well, save the world. It sounds like a corny, stereotypical ending, but it's not.

Lirael and Sameth, whom we met in Lirael, really come into their own in this book. Where they were previously whiny, angsty teenagers unsure of their place in the world, in this book they have accepted their respective destinies and bravely taken up the mantle of the parts they are meant to play. I really appreciated the work Nix had put into developing these two characters in particular throughout the second and third books. Their progress was slow, but realistic, and when they make the adult choices that they do in the end, it makes perfect sense. Lirael and Sameth have grown up, and it was a pleasure to watch them do so.

When I read Sabriel, I remember complaining about how little information Nix gave about the Old Kingdom and its magic. Lirael addressed the dearth of background adequately. However, Abhorsen so completely explains everything that I was left stunned at the end, overwhelmed by that instant of absolutely everything falling into place. What I dismissed at the beginning as Nix's inability to explain coherently the world his characters live in without interrupting the story was revealed as a clever technique to suck a reader in while simultaneously not spoiling the ending of the trilogy. Now that I've finished the series, I can see that all three books were very well-planned. Nix wrote the first while already keeping the third in mind, as is made strikingly obvious in hindsight. He leaves little clues and hints long before the reader will be aware of them. The way he wrapped up all the loose ends is rare for any series that is so rife with mysteries from the beginning, and this final book only leaves me more in awe of his storytelling ability than I was before.

If anything, I actually now wish that Nix had kept certain aspects of the ending a little closer to his chest-- by the end of Lirael I had guessed vital elements of the plot, which were confirmed in Abhorsen. I think it diminished the ending a little bit, as I wasn't surprised when I should have been. Still, the story was so action-packed (more so than the previous two) and fast-paced that it managed to still be an enjoyable ride. I sped through this in one night, and now I'm sorry to see it's over.

All in all, a brilliant ending to a fresh series. The Old Kingdom Trilogy, all three books of it, really blew me away. All the recognition Garth Nix received for these books was, in my mind, undoubtedly well-deserved. I can't recommend this trilogy enough for lovers of fantasy. ( )