The highly anticipated and long-awaited prequel to Garth Nix's internationally bestselling OLD KINGDOM fantasy series. Sixteen-year-old Clariel is not adjusting well to her new life in the city of Belisaere, the capital of the Old Kingdom. She misses roaming freely within the forests of Estwael, and she feels trapped within the stone city walls. And in Belisaere she is forced to follow the plans, plots and demands of everyone, from her parents to her maid, to the sinister Guildmaster Kilip. Clariel can see her freedom slipping away. It seems too that the city itself is descending into chaos, as the ancient rules binding Abhorsen, King and Clayr appear to be disintegrating. With the discovery of a dangerous Free Magic creature loose in the city, Clariel is given the chance both to prove her worth and make her escape. But events spin rapidly out of control. Clariel finds herself more trapped than ever, until help comes from an unlikely source. But the help comes at a terrible cost. Clariel must question the motivations and secret hearts of everyone around her - and it is herself she must question most of all. With over 1 million Old Kingdom books sold in the UK, this timeless fantasy series is a must-read for fans of Philip Pullman. Praise for Garth Nix: 'Sabriel is a winner . . . a world with the same solidity and four-dimensional authority as our own, created with invention, clarity and intelligence' Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series 'One of the best worldbuilders in fantasy . . . I love the Old Kingdom series' Brandon Sanderson 'There is no joy like returning to the Old Kingdom . . . Nix sets the standard for fantasy' Leigh Bardugo 'One of the greatest living fantasy writers . . . I will never get enough of the Old Kingdom' Sarah J. Maas
