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adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
I had heard this was a bit of a classic and I remember hearing about it when I was a teenager but never read it. It was recommended by a favourite bookseller and I couldn’t resist the 25th anniversary hardcover when it was on sale!
The story is interesting, well paced and the characters are pretty solid, I like the magic system and I’ll probably check out the others in the series.
The story is interesting, well paced and the characters are pretty solid, I like the magic system and I’ll probably check out the others in the series.
4.5
Not convinced that Sabriel and Touchstone have chemistry; and the whole relationship was very rushed but everything else was great
Not convinced that Sabriel and Touchstone have chemistry; and the whole relationship was very rushed but everything else was great
Sabriel was an interesting, sometimes confusing mixture of children's and young adult literature. It is written slanted toward somewhat younger audiences, but dealt with a lot of the themes and difficulties of older teens. Also, as an American reader, there was a frankness about sexuality, bodily function, and sexual desire that normally doesn't get discussed in children's literature (Tamora Pierce excepted). All of this made the book a little hard for me to categorize as far as age-level, so I wasn't sure what depth I should be reading it at until I was a good way into the book.
The plot was a version of a heroic quest, involving Sabriel's journey to find her father and rescue him from Death. A lot of the true questing didn't take place until halfway through the book (in my opinion the quest doesn't start until she's reached her father's house in the Old Kingdom), and the quest finished in the second to last chapter of the book. I did think that it was well written as far as this sort of plot goes (I personally have trouble keeping heroic quests interesting for a span of more than five thousand words or so), but there were places where it felt very stretched out, and others where I wished more time could have been spent.
I did appreciate quite a bit that Sabriel was not a cardboard cut-out of a main character, or of a woman. Even the most beloved characters can tend to be two dimensional, but Sabriel was quite well balanced, and remained the main character in her story throughout the book. (Please note, I am also reading The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen right now, and her main characters are very two-dimensional, so anything is an improvement, to be honest.)
There was more than enough in the book to make me want to keep reading the series, though, and while the ending did work to make the book into a standalone novel if I had wanted to stop, there were several intriguing occurrences that make me want to read at least the next book in the series before deciding to quit.
The plot was a version of a heroic quest, involving Sabriel's journey to find her father and rescue him from Death. A lot of the true questing didn't take place until halfway through the book (in my opinion the quest doesn't start until she's reached her father's house in the Old Kingdom), and the quest finished in the second to last chapter of the book. I did think that it was well written as far as this sort of plot goes (I personally have trouble keeping heroic quests interesting for a span of more than five thousand words or so), but there were places where it felt very stretched out, and others where I wished more time could have been spent.
I did appreciate quite a bit that Sabriel was not a cardboard cut-out of a main character, or of a woman. Even the most beloved characters can tend to be two dimensional, but Sabriel was quite well balanced, and remained the main character in her story throughout the book. (Please note, I am also reading The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen right now, and her main characters are very two-dimensional, so anything is an improvement, to be honest.)
There was more than enough in the book to make me want to keep reading the series, though, and while the ending did work to make the book into a standalone novel if I had wanted to stop, there were several intriguing occurrences that make me want to read at least the next book in the series before deciding to quit.
A page turner! Garth Nix created a compelling world that draws its readers in with an intriguing mythology and mysterious characters. The pacing of the book is excellent, and I liked how Nix immediately introduced the concepts of Charter Magic and crossing into Death in the Prologue. It provided something to latch onto while the rest of the story developed.
After the opening scenes, Sabriel grew into her role as Abhorsen well, at first rejecting the idea as she held onto the belief that she can save her father and ultimately embracing it. I would have perhaps liked to see Sabriel learn more Charter Magic on her journey because, at times, she felt too outmatched by Kerrigor and his army of Dead. But, Nix's introduction Mogget and Touchstone at the right moments not only allowed him to weave in more of Old Kingdom's mythology (which got me turning the pages even faster!) but also provided Sabriel with a believable escapes from her most difficult moments. I liked how Mogget's personality matched his incarnation as a cat, but I think Touchstone's characterization fell a little flat at times. His bloodline was predictable (though I will grant I am reading YA as an adult) and dominated his story.
I only had two dislikes about the book. First, the love story between Touchstone and Sabriel felt too rushed, and given the key role it played in the events following the death of Sabriel's father, I wish it had been fleshed out more. Second, I wish there had been more exploration of Charter Magic! I still have so many questions like, "Is Charter Magic a bound form of Free Magic?" I'm sure this and other parts of Old Kingdom mythology will be explored in the future novels, so this is a very minor complaint. Overall, I really liked Sabriel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fast and enveloping fantasy read.
After the opening scenes, Sabriel grew into her role as Abhorsen well, at first rejecting the idea as she held onto the belief that she can save her father and ultimately embracing it. I would have perhaps liked to see Sabriel learn more Charter Magic on her journey because, at times, she felt too outmatched by Kerrigor and his army of Dead. But, Nix's introduction Mogget and Touchstone at the right moments not only allowed him to weave in more of Old Kingdom's mythology (which got me turning the pages even faster!) but also provided Sabriel with a believable escapes from her most difficult moments. I liked how Mogget's personality matched his incarnation as a cat, but I think Touchstone's characterization fell a little flat at times. His bloodline was predictable (though I will grant I am reading YA as an adult) and dominated his story.
I only had two dislikes about the book. First, the love story between Touchstone and Sabriel felt too rushed, and given the key role it played in the events following the death of Sabriel's father, I wish it had been fleshed out more. Second, I wish there had been more exploration of Charter Magic! I still have so many questions like, "Is Charter Magic a bound form of Free Magic?" I'm sure this and other parts of Old Kingdom mythology will be explored in the future novels, so this is a very minor complaint. Overall, I really liked Sabriel, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a fast and enveloping fantasy read.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No