I really love how Lirael messes with one of the big tropes, too. We're all so used to seeing the unhappy misfit-orphan type discovering their real, loving family and special magical heritage and then it's happy endings all around. But Lirael doesn't want to be special -- the magic gift she wants is the one that would make her normal for her culture, rather than unique and different. She finds out about her real family, but it's kind of way too late for them to be any part of her life. And her special magical gifts and destiny are cool and all, but in the end they still wind up reinforcing that she is different, when all she ever wanted was to be just like all the other Clayr.