Reviews

Sabriel 25th Anniversary Edition by Garth Nix

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yourneighborloko's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Sabriel is a wonderful start to the Abhorsen world, I loved the magic system and her perseverance!

purplequeen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A friend recommended this to me, and I wish I had read it when I was younger. I feel like it would have had a greater impact. I hope to continue the series and learn more about this world.

I enjoyed that the characters are well versed in death. It isn't a taboo thing in this world but rather part of their normal world. It has spooky vibes that I loved. Necromancy is a fascinating magic that I don't feel like it's featured in such a way in most fantasy worlds. She wasn't the bad guy she helped banish the dead. The bell magic concept was also very intriguing.

I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

anonymous_blobfish's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Garth Nix, in my mind, occupies the same space as Isobelle Carmody – books that I saw in my school library that by all measures I should have been into but either never tried or tried once and did not like. I didn’t ever really think I would change my mind regarding these two authors and I confess I only decided to read this book after picking it up at the Rotary Book Fair for $1 because why not.

I’m actually so glad I gave this a shot because this book was equal parts funny, charming and action packed and I had such a good time reading it!

Whilst the audiobook being narrated by Tim Currey was certainly a draw, I was immediately taken in by the necromantic system of magic that underpins this fantasy world. That along with the YA/NA cusp setting, fast pace, well written action sequences, and truly loveable characters made this story super engaging. I loved Sabriel as a main character and found her incredibly refreshing, especially considering she was written by a man in the mid-90’s.

I actually really recommend this book to my fantasy readers out there, I think it works well as some wonderful combo of a well written high fantasy and a funny palette cleanser. I will definitely continue with this series, probably via the audiobook as Tim Currey really did enhance my enjoyment!