Not sure what to rate this. It was going to be a 4, but by the end it felt closer to a 3.75, yet I still enjoyed it a lot more than Sabriel? I don't know.

Lirael is probably my favourite character so far. Everything she goes through, from the very beginning to the end of the book was really well done and just so relatable. I will admit though, I wish there had been a trigger warning for the start of the book. Lirael has a lot of suicidal thoughts and almost attempts it at one point and I wasn't really prepared for it. Besides that, I really felt for her character. She feels so alone and out of place because she doesn't have the Sight. And all she wants is to belong and feel normal. It really hit me how similar I am to Lirael and how much I wish I was normal. But I loved seeing her grow into her own, develop her Charter magic and just become more confident in her abilities. It was done slowly throughout the book, with the POV switching between her and Sam, but I really liked following on her journey slowly. It felt a lot more realistic and the time jumps were really well done too. By the end, Lirael is quite a different character, but we get to see how she gets there. Her desire to help people and do what she can is so different from who she was in the beginning. I just love how strong and confident she's become, yet she still is vulnerable and scared and struggling with where her new path is leading her. She doesn't suddenly get over her past because now she has a special mission. She still feels pain and sadness and bitterness and loneliness. She's such a complex character and I really think she's probably one of the best written characters I've read.

Sameth on the other hand... I did start off loving him a lot. He's just a soft, messy boy who is trying his best. The trauma he goes through in Death with Hedge was awful. And I totally understood how scared he was. I wasn't a huge fan of Ellimere and how she treated Sam, cause he did need some time off and a break, but about midway through the book, he did start to annoy me. I don't want to say he's a coward. He's just a kid, forced to do something he doesn't want to do/isn't prepared for. Honestly Sabriel shouldn't have left him to do all of this on his own. Even her own father spent time with her going over The Book of the Dead and didn't just leave it to her to figure it out. Sameth trying to tell his father and mother he wasn't ready and not being able to was a huge mood. But we get midway through the book and he starts making stupid mistakes. And while it was fine for a while, I did start to get annoyed a bit. Sam is quite intelligent and creative. He loves to build things, and the revelation we get at the end fits so well. Yet I wish he wasn't so passive and scared all the time. I felt like Lirael had more of a right to be terrified and timid. She's literally been in a library most of her life, talking to Dog, and passing notes to people cause she doesn't want to speak with them. Yet she goes off on this mission, doing things she's never done and somehow manages to handle things better than Sameth. I don't know. The part where Sameth suddenly realizes how attractive Lirael is and tells her she'd be prettier without her scarf and in a dress had me going ... ????! The revelation we get at the end, just makes this whole scene super awkward lol, but still Sameth saying that crossed a line for me. I do love how Lirael is so anti-romance and just wants friends though.

Speaking of friends. THE DISREPUTABLE DOG. I did really like her, even though I'm not a huge fan of dogs lol. She is such a good friend to Lirael and I loved their relationship. Lirael having no one to talk to among the Clayr, but being able to confide in her dog was so special. I wish I had an animal/familiar thing to talk to sometimes, cause honestly I think they'd understand me better than actual people. But I also love how Dog doesn't just spoil her with love and kisses, but is also a little harsh at times and makes sure she's not drowning in self-pity. That's a good kind of friend right there.

When Mogget finally appeared I was so excited!! I missed my sassy cat and even though he slept through a lot of this book, it was kind of funny and definitely made this book a little lighter.

The plot though was so dark and a lot of the themes were too. Seeing glimpses of what was happening to the refugees crossing the border, what Hedge was up to, etc. was creepy and disturbing. But the end with Nicholas was just wow. I did like him at first, just because it was nice to see his friendship with Sameth, but he's so blind and ignorant and stubborn. By the end, I really did hate him, though I'm sure some of what he does and says at this point isn't him entirely.

We get a lot of world-building in this one, especially surrounding the Charter. I'm excited to see what happens next. Though I will say, this book felt like it was building up to a huge battle scene at Edge, near the Red Lake. But the way it ended was sort of anti-climatic. There were multiple smaller climaxes throughout the book, but it didn't end in a huge one, which made the book feel a bit off and unfinished.

Probably going to pick up the next book tomorrow!