A review by thereadingrambler
Sabriel by Garth Nix

adventurous emotional 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

4.25

One sentence review: A classic YA fantasy novel that holds up into the present and presents a nuanced exploration of what it means to grow up. 

I read this book when I was in high school and part of the target audience. Thus, my 2024 reread was a risk; I was at risk of ruining a treasured childhood memory. As anyone who has been following me for a while will know, I don’t read YA. I picked up this book because of the nostalgia and continued because I found a book that was just as good at 30 as it was at 15.

Sabriel, the character, is the center of the novel. The story focuses on her external and internal journeys and how those two weave together. And, of course, coming of age as this is a YA novel. The themes of YA are pretty much always the same because teenagers are pretty tightly focused on those concerns, but what I specifically appreciated about Sabriel is the way Nix balanced the fear of becoming an adult with the wonder of learning your own powers and embracing your autonomy as an adult. Sabriel fully believes that after she accomplishes the main quest, then she can return to her normal life. Since the quest is to find her missing father, this is obviously a metaphor for wanting to stay a child and the protection that childhood can bring. But that’s an impossible wish, and this quest thrusts Sabriel’s burgeoning adulthood and its responsibilities on her. At the same time, she is learning about her powers, the magical ones and the more metaphysical inner strength kind of power. 

She does not go on this journey alone. She has two traveling companions: Touchstone and Mogget, the magical talking cat. Mogget joins the party first. He is a kind of dangerous magical being who has been bound as a cat, forcing him to render...something like aid to Sabriel and her family. Much like any cat, he is not pleased to be called upon to do anything, but he does seem to have some small amount of actual affection for Sabriel. Touchstone joins later, and I do think he was the weakest part of the book. He felt like something that was added in a later draft and not as well incorporated into the story. There was also some whiff of “a female main character must have a male counterpart.” I felt less connected to him and more like I just had a dossier of information about him. I wish Nix had done more with his character because he has a very interesting history, but it is given to us expositorily, which is at odds with the rest of the book’s flow and pacing. 

The plot develops logically and progressively, the stakes getting higher in consistent ways that are directly connected to the character development and the broader worldbuilding. Sabriel has not grown up in the Old Kingdom, but she is deeply connected to it and doesn’t even realize to what extent at first. Every time there is a new reveal, it is connected to the plot directly so all the threads of the story hang together well and cohesively. Every reward and the ending felt well-earned, and no loss felt cheap or just for the drama. 

If you’re looking for a book that has loveable characters, an interesting magic system, and unique worldbuilding, I would definitely recommend Sabriel.