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Goldenhand (The Old Kingdom, #5)

Garth Nix

Start date: March 5, 2025

Finish date: March 19, 2025

Discussion: Archive [Retired Buddy Reads]

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Archive [Retired Buddy Reads]

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What Members Thought

Dec 21, 2014 Shera (Book Whispers) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: future-purchases, ya-fantasy, epic-and-high-fantasy, fantasy, future-purchases-unkown, 20-unknown

Oh . . . a story about Lirael and Nicholas.

I never dared to hope. Bless you Nix. ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Oct 04, 2016 Kaila rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, magic, young-adult, boats, animals-are-better-when-they-talk, book-lovers-never-go-to-bed-alone, 2017

October 2016:

I really REALLY disliked Clariel. Dare I give him another chance?

April 2017:

It was better than Clariel.

Unfortunately, the compliments end there.

The world falls apart with any closer inspection, and was at its best with Sabriel. Any subsequent information forms more cracks than it fills in and now appears to be balancing precariously.

I am not sure how he has managed to become a worse writer with the years in between these books, but perhaps going into the Middle Reader universe with ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2018 Stephanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy, young-adult

Yes, I am reading this before Clariel. I want more Lirael and Sameth and crew, okay??

Now on to the review!

I’m glad I went straight to Goldenhand after Abhorsen (skipping Clariel) since the events take place shortly after that. At the very least, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything crucial to understanding Goldenhand, and I got to spend time with the cast I’ve grown so familiar with. This results in some quite humorous moments/lines – I laughed out loud for this book far more than the fi ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Nika rated it liked it · review of another edition

I am so...exasperated by this book. I was expecting to like it so much and instead I'm so disgruntled. It is definitely set up to follow directly on the heels of Clariel, and now having read them both, I think Clariel is the better and more compelling novel.

This book is worth it for the worldbuilding (as is always the case with Nix) and the actual, like, plot. I found the actual story being told interesting, but-

My first thought finishing this book was "I'm too old to be reading books that end I am so...exasperated by this book. I was expecting to like it so much and instead I'm so disgruntled. It is definitely set up to follow directly on the heels of Clariel, and now having read them both, I think Clariel is the better and more compelling novel.

This book is worth it for the worldbuilding (as is always the case with Nix) and the actual, like, plot. I found the actual story being told interesting, but-

My first thought finishing this book was "I'm too old to be reading books that end with all the heteros paired off." Ugh. Or maybe too young to think that's any sort of appealing happy ending, having everything spelled out and heteronormative. (view spoiler) Either way, I think the greatest sin of Goldenhand is that it's too tidy. All the open ended plot points left ambiguous at the end of Abhorsen? That make the end of that book so great? Let's answer THEM ALL. IN 300 PAGES. Or rather, in the second 150 pages. And then everything works out just right, in the nick of time! (lol) (view spoiler) It makes the tone of Goldenhand feel less real than any of the other stories set in this world.

The other thing I didn't enjoy was the rapid-fire back and forth between Lirael and Ferin's chapters until they meet up. Exhausting. Maybe also boring? None of them were long enough to really be enjoyable or riveting, and as a result, I couldn't bring myself to really care about either character and their plotline.

Look, I am obsessed with many of the characters in this series and would do just about anything to continue to read novels set in this world. But this book just feels so unnecessary, and it doesn't add anything to any of the characters. I just want to understand! Is Goldenhand just Nix's wish fulfillment? (I regret typing that now that I've considered just how much sexual longing there is in this book. That's not what I'm implying AT ALL.) Is he just trying to wrap up any questions and then he's never going to write in this world again? WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?! ...more

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Dec 14, 2018 Nirkatze rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I'm glad I read Clariel first, and eye-read The Creature in the Case
even while I was audio-listening to Goldenhand. That actually let me follow Lirael & Nick at the same time, more or less, right up until their paths cross at the end of the short story. Their romance felt a bit more rushed than I'd like, but was still sweet.

I really liked the new introduction of Ferin, and the extra worldbuilding we got around her people. And seeing the modern story connect to Clariel's tragedy by the end was ve ...more

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