Sabriel (Abhorsen #1)
Summary:
Sent to a boarding school in Ancelstierre as a young child, Sabriel has had little experience with the random power of 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 its 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 destiny.
With Sabriel, the first installment in the Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix exploded onto the fantasy scene as a rising star, in a novel that takes readers to a world where the line between the living and the dead isn't always clear—and sometimes disappears altogether. (Summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
I love this book. I must have read the series 4-5 times and each time I find it intriguing. The premise is very unique, the characters well-developed and the world believable. When I read it the first time I thought the theme of death was going to put me off, but the whole series has just the right balance between creepy and exciting.
Sabriel is realistic, strong and smart. Touchstone and Mogget give just the right balance of comedic relief to some very heavy storylines. All-in-all this book provides a vivid and captivating peak into another world.
Rating? 5 stars
Who should read it? Fantasty fans
Want to read the whole series?
The Creature in the Case (Abhorsen #3.5)
To Hold the Bridge