You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
i have such a soft spot for the "labeled YA but appeals to adults + strong female protagonist + soft magic system" fantasy microgenre. great for fans of Tamora Pierce. the romantic arc didn't really connect for me, but the interesting premise and skillful pacing were enough to make up for it. 4½ stars
Revisiting this series that I loved in middle school and it still rips
Zero interest in the storyline and couldn’t seem to care about her journey
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
No
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
It's got some flaws (like very slow start) but it's not entirely hopeless either. That said, I've made it half way through and called it quits. I'll second what Susan said "the heroine didn't have a lot to distinguish her, and some of the plot elements seemed overused (the prince thing really made me groan"). To those grievances I'd add:
- Cat sidekick! Hehe! Hhahahaaa!! NOT FUNNY Sheesh, a bit of a cliché, way to cutesy, and reminds me too much of anime crap.
- The fact that it's not clear what the quest is for, I keep reminding myself that she wants to get to the bottom of what happened to her father... I think that's it, but I'm not 100% sure
The book's got some moments... but errr.... no thank you.
- Cat sidekick! Hehe! Hhahahaaa!! NOT FUNNY Sheesh, a bit of a cliché, way to cutesy, and reminds me too much of anime crap.
- The fact that it's not clear what the quest is for, I keep reminding myself that she wants to get to the bottom of what happened to her father... I think that's it, but I'm not 100% sure
The book's got some moments... but errr.... no thank you.
I appreciated this story as a sort of fantasy without the "pretty" elements. It focuses on keeping dead spirits at bay and has an interesting historical backstory. Hoping that book 2 gets into that backstory some more.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this first book of the Old Kingdoms series. Sabriel is a fantastic main character - she is strong and intelligent but also unsure and inexperienced. She is relatable and believable throughout. The other characters were also well defined and purposeful.
The pace was rather slow in the beginning but picks up quite a bit after Sabriel is in the Old Kingdom, and especially after she meets Touchstone, which was somewhere around halfway. The last 25% was a riot of action and suspense, leaving me wanting to know how it ends. The end I felt was a little abrupt and almost feels like a weird cop-out, but overall it ended the story fine. The author does not shy away from death, grief, and pain. All are found throughout the book but nothing felt disingenuous.
I am a little worried that the next installments in the series are concerning wholly different characters, but I still may look into the next books in the series as I did enjoy the concept of this book and I do think Nix writes characters well.
The pace was rather slow in the beginning but picks up quite a bit after Sabriel is in the Old Kingdom, and especially after she meets Touchstone, which was somewhere around halfway. The last 25% was a riot of action and suspense, leaving me wanting to know how it ends. The end I felt was a little abrupt and almost feels like a weird cop-out, but overall it ended the story fine. The author does not shy away from death, grief, and pain. All are found throughout the book but nothing felt disingenuous.
I am a little worried that the next installments in the series are concerning wholly different characters, but I still may look into the next books in the series as I did enjoy the concept of this book and I do think Nix writes characters well.
mysterious
medium-paced