Goldenhand by Garth Nix

I am definitely not as enamored with Goldenhand as I was with the rest of the Abhorsen/Old Kingdom series. It was good, but it wasn’t fantastic. The pacing was quick, for the most part, but also not in a detrimental way. The characters were as lovely and vibrant as ever. Goldenhand was just missing something, for me, that would have elevated it.

Kind of in love with Mistress Finney. Might be a little silly, but I like the added dimension to message hawks. This is a very small part of the story, but I always love me some world-building so… yeah.

Not a fan of romance, really, but Nick and Lirael being awkward and ridiculous around each other amuses me. I’m not sure how I feel about another quick romance… or two, actually, but I am glad there was no will-they-won’t-they dithering for too terribly long. About a day, I think, maybe?

I feel like Ferin’s chapters detailing her battle/running-thing on the shale ridge took forever due to Nix needing to line Ferin’s actions up to Lirael’s. It did feel a little weird that Ferin’s speaking style seemed to change between that adventure and when she’s talking to Sam later. Somehow gone from perfectly eloquent to having some sort of ESL-like cadence. I’m not doing a good job of explaining, so I’ll just reiterate that it felt weird.

Overall, I’m perfectly happy with Goldenhand. Happy, not over-joyed. I’m glad Lirael got some closure with the Clayr. I’m glad Clariel gets a better ending. However, I do feel like all my emotions were spent at the end of Abhorsen, so there’s that.