Scan barcode
florasin's review against another edition
4.5
Excellent. A YA story that I remembered enjoying years ago. Somehow, at that time, I hadn't realized it was part of a series. Given how prone to unfinished story/cliffhanger endings the genre is, it's especially wonderful to read something so contained.
Sabriel is a great character. The story is a little slow as it eases you into the world and then it takes off running.
Perfect for someone who wants to read genuine YA fantasy with an interesting setting. Not for people who are looking for romantasy/spice (no shame to them, but the genre has become a little messy with recent trends and this book shouldn't suffer for people looking for something else).
Unless you consider Tim Curry's voice the spice. In which case, you should know he reads this audiobook. Actually, looking ahead, he reads the first three books in the series. The others after that seem to have a variety of performers. Anyway, Curry does a wonderful job. I can never have too much of him though, so I'm biased.
Sabriel is a great character. The story is a little slow as it eases you into the world and then it takes off running.
Perfect for someone who wants to read genuine YA fantasy with an interesting setting. Not for people who are looking for romantasy/spice (no shame to them, but the genre has become a little messy with recent trends and this book shouldn't suffer for people looking for something else).
Unless you consider Tim Curry's voice the spice. In which case, you should know he reads this audiobook. Actually, looking ahead, he reads the first three books in the series. The others after that seem to have a variety of performers. Anyway, Curry does a wonderful job. I can never have too much of him though, so I'm biased.
geasha1m's review against another edition
4.0
Right out of the gate I could tell that this book has some excellent writing. It’s especially apparent when you have read something of lesser quality just before, like taking a breath of fresh air when the sentences and therefore the world just feel more alive.
In my opinion the strongest aspect has been the writing - meaning the actual prose - and the world itself. I haven’t read a book where necromancy was such a strong theme, more so because here necromancy is used by "the good guys". Also the way this theme was implemented works great. At times it is gruesome and ugly, like we're used to but sometimes it is beautiful, usually when the main character uses his tools to combat the undead. It resolves around musical elements, like singing, whistling, different kinds of bells and sounds and it’s all done and created very uniquely, which I really liked.
The only really developed character is Sabriel, the main character. All the others have some "meat" to them but not overly much, just enough to make the story work. Sometimes they feel like tools to provide the main character with an explanation or as a guide. Unfortunately the author focused more, as is usual with older books, on having the main character get on a quest, to find something or someone and the story basically is them getting from point a) to b). I would've loved to have it the other way around. Less about the travel and maybe more focus on the father-daughter relationship or more time spend on interactions between certain other side characters. I’ll give it a pass here because it’s an older book and they were written like that back then. Also the prose and the theme kept it interesting to me.
I’d say this is a 3.5 but considering the time it was released ill bump it up to 4.
In my opinion the strongest aspect has been the writing - meaning the actual prose - and the world itself. I haven’t read a book where necromancy was such a strong theme, more so because here necromancy is used by "the good guys". Also the way this theme was implemented works great. At times it is gruesome and ugly, like we're used to but sometimes it is beautiful, usually when the main character uses his tools to combat the undead. It resolves around musical elements, like singing, whistling, different kinds of bells and sounds and it’s all done and created very uniquely, which I really liked.
The only really developed character is Sabriel, the main character. All the others have some "meat" to them but not overly much, just enough to make the story work. Sometimes they feel like tools to provide the main character with an explanation or as a guide. Unfortunately the author focused more, as is usual with older books, on having the main character get on a quest, to find something or someone and the story basically is them getting from point a) to b). I would've loved to have it the other way around. Less about the travel and maybe more focus on the father-daughter relationship or more time spend on interactions between certain other side characters. I’ll give it a pass here because it’s an older book and they were written like that back then. Also the prose and the theme kept it interesting to me.
I’d say this is a 3.5 but considering the time it was released ill bump it up to 4.
magsteriniv's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
chippyreads's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook was fantastic. Can't wait to reread as a physical as I've had this book on my tbr shelf for about 5 years.
jennyjaybles's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
A very much enjoyed this YA fantasy book. I'm getting the rest of the series. Necromancer magic is cool as hell, the monsters are bloody and creepy, and a talking cat character is just so very cool.
And yes the book does not have diverse characters because it was written in 1995 by a white dude but I have read the author has written diverse characters into his more recent books so that is good. Sometimes when I am reading an old book where everyone is white I just decide to change the skin colors randomly of some of the main characters in my mind. I am autocorrecting stuff in my imagination.
And yes the book does not have diverse characters because it was written in 1995 by a white dude but I have read the author has written diverse characters into his more recent books so that is good. Sometimes when I am reading an old book where everyone is white I just decide to change the skin colors randomly of some of the main characters in my mind. I am autocorrecting stuff in my imagination.
robbers19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
eran11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of those that I would always see around when I was growing up but never read, and I’m so pleased that I finally read it. Beautifully done and intriguingly built.
abbeymaeriereads's review
3.0
I can appreciate the concept of this book, but I unfortunately just found the execution so boring. For the first 40%, Sabriel is basically alone, then we finally get introduced to another character, which is exciting for a while before devolving back into a slog. I really think I just don’t click with Garth Nix’s writing style, which is fine; I felt really disconnected from the characters and the action, which made for a difficult read. A few nitpicks: (1) the magic system is not explained well at all, which might be intentional, but I found it frustratingly confusing, and (2) I saw absolutely no need to throw in a random romance plot, which came completely out of nowhere and didn’t add anything emotionally for me.
natskremer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0