Taking us back to a time, a time before the story many of us already know and love....and if you don't already know - well that's ok too 
 Clariel returns us to the land of the original Abhorsen trilogy but at least 600 years preceding the events that take place in the first book, Sabriel. The main character this time is a 16 year old Clariel, a cousin to the king and daughter of a renowned goldsmith who is also a daughter to the current Abhorsen. Clariel is very unhappy because she has been forced to leave her home town of Estwael and now live in the capital, Belisaere. Here her parents expect her to forget about her own lifelong dreams and marry. 
 And then there was, a Crooked Governor, his shiesty rich son, dangerous free magic creatures, frustrating parents, a meddling magician, a doe eyed cousin, and a grumpy old king...phew what a cast right? 
 The city is currently run by a crooked man, Governor Kilp and his nasty natured son Aronzo. Both have designs upon Clariel. Indeed there seems to be all sorts of political machinations going on in which Clariel is a pawn. But she is determined to have none of it - though as we all know seldom do things work out the way we want them to, especially at the tender age of 16. She is enrolled in a local academy where she meets her cousin Belatiel and is sent to additional charter magic lessons with Magister Kargrin. Kargrin being another person might might have plans for her. 
 She may be young but don't count her out 
 Clariel however, is not without a sense of resourcefulness. She is stubborn and somewhat bull headed and has a bit of a family curse called the Fury that makes her berserk whenever a big fit of anger strikes her. Throw all of that together and the fact that everyone seeks to trap her in situations not of her liking and sooner or later anyone would snap. She is obsessed with returning to Estwael and her beloved great forest so she can live as from the land away from the hustle and bustle of cities. Readers should know this is definitely a character focused story even with the fair amount of world building and background that you get, Clariel is still the main focal point. Everything other then the prologue is told from Clariel's point of view. Because of that you get to suffer through all of her aggravation, tempers and slight injustices that likely many a girl of her age and time may have had. There were a few times I wanted to smack her for going on the way she does about her forest and what she wants but then I don't blame her since no one other then her aunt has ever really taken her and what she wants into consideration. She is a great character and her story a good one. 
 While there is a fair amount of magic and rich world building the book moves at a decidedly slow pace up until the 75% point perhaps. Not the same pace throughout - just one that only slowly increases as you read through it. If you enjoy delving deep into character development and the political maneuverings of fantasy worlds then you will still enjoy Clariel despite the slower pace. Don't despair tho, there are still a few action scenes through the book but I admit I had thought I would have more of an adventure from this return to the Old Kingdom. I did enjoy the read and was lucky enough to both read the print version and listen to the audio in tandem. It helped me get through the book in two days and I can't recommend the narrator Graeme Malcolm. I really hope I run across another novel narrated by him soon. 
 If you enjoyed the original Abhorsen trilogy, Clariel is definitely not a book you'd want to miss. And even if you haven't read those books you don't need to in order to read Clariel.