Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Sara

"Sent to boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random free magic or the Dead who refuse to stay dead in the Old Kingdom. But during her final semester, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing, and Sabriel knows she must enter the Old Kingdom to find him. She soon finds companions in Mogget, a cat whose aloof manner barely conceals his malevolent spirit, and Touchstone, a young charter mage long imprisoned by magic, now free in body but still trapped by painful memories. As the three travel deep into the Old Kingdom, threats mount on all sides. And every step brings them closer to a battle that will pit them against the true forces of life and death - and bring Sabriel face-to-face with her own hidden destiny."

I love, love, love Garth Nix. He is one of the best fantasy writers I've ever read. Sabriel is the first in his trilogy which also includes Lirael and Abhorsen.

Sabriel takes place in a land riddled with dead that are trying to overtake the land - and the living - but the heroine, who bears the same name as the book, gives the reader hope as they learn the art of being an Abhorsen as she learns. Sabriel is one of the first characters that I've ever encountered that does not have any distracting flaws that make the reader dislike her. The other characters in the book, including Touchstone and Mogget, are also loveable - though they may not always be nice.