Sabriel (1995)

Sabriel by Garth Nix.

Sabriel Is a good fantasy book that explores a world of magic and necromancy, Sabriel is a girl who is pushed into a place that she is not ready yet, she accepts the role so she can find her father and save the Old Kingdom, Sabriel is my first Garth Nix book ( )

2.5 ( )

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Young Sabriel is thrust into the role of Abhorsen, which in her Kingdom means she is the one who must deal with the evil dead and the necromancers who raise them, after the sudden death of her father. With only a book and the Mogget for company, she must learn how to wield her bandolier of bells and defeat the ancient evil thing that is waking.
I've read this three times over the last 20 years and even though it is extremely lengthy, I race through it each time. The story is suspenseful, the world-building is quite impressive and the characters are well-drawn. ( )

It took me a little bit to get into the story and be able to visualize the setting and magic in my head which I'd been tripping over, causing me to be pulled out of the story. Once I felt comfortable with it, the story really pulled me in.

I felt I could understand Sabriel's emotions as she went through her journey. Her naivete added to the thrill and danger she faced, rather than becoming an annoyance at a heroine who didn't understand what she was getting into. Her brief understanding of the world of the Old Kingdom allowed the reader to become acquainted with the setting as Sabriel, herself, did which went smoothly and kept the flow of the story moving swiftly forward. There were lighthearted moments to balance out the dark, and a brief glimpse of first love through Sabriel's inexperienced eyes to remind the reader that she was, after all, an 18 year old girl and not as stone cold as perhaps she thought she ought to be.

Overall I was completely enthralled with the adventures she faced and the characters who faced it with her. ( )