Reviews for Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy Series #1)

The average rating for Sabriel (Abhorsen Trilogy Series #1) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-05-30 00:00:00 Maurizio Adinolfi I picked this book up from the library and noticed stickers on the book declaring that it was part of a reading challenge here in NSW for grades 7-8. "This book is acceptable to read for 12-13 year olds? Fuck me, can we turn around and go back to the library?" I asked my husband. He shook his head and smiled at me. "Just try it. You never know." "It's for twelve-to-thirteen year olds! No sex! No swearing! Minimum violence! I don't fucking think so!" In the end, we brought it home and I sulked the whole way. However yesterday I opened it up and thought I'd actually give it a try and I'm really glad it did. It actually managed to have more romance in it than Darkfever did, and that bloody book has NAKED people on the front cover, for crying out loud! I thought this was going to be a story about a young girl on a magical adventure with a sword and a bad hair-do. But it turns out it's about an eighteen year old woman with dark, deadly skills being chased and hunted by a terrible and deadly enemy. Sabriel has a good, clear head on her shoulder. She's smart, she's strong, she's a well-balanced and interesting character. The characters in Sabriel are all interesting and capturing in their way. Mogget was just pure win. He cracked me up. Touchstone was annoying at first but quickly won me over. The world is interesting and complex, filled with enough creepy things that go bump in the night to really freak me out. That's the best thing about this book. It's not TRYING to be a children's book. The rising action, climax and VERY short denouement had me on the edge of my seat. I was actually on the edge of my seat throughout most of the book. In some parts it's really freaky and quite scary, in other parts it's sad. This is the second male author I've come across lately that has written female characters BETTER than the women have been writing them lately. You can't even compare Sabriel to a character like Bella. Unless you were to really dumb it down into this: Bella - sucks, Sabriel - awesome beyond all belief. Give this book a go. It was fun, scary, action packed and I absolutely can't wait to read the sequels!

Review # 2 was written on 2018-09-02 00:00:00 Lee Breed 3.5 stars Death and what came after death was no great mystery to Sabriel. She just wished it was. Sabriel and her father have a very unique brand of magic. They can communicate with the dead and the damned from the Old Kingdom. Only they can confront such creatures and send them back to the gates of death. Then, during the first semester of Sabriel's school, her father, the Abhorsen, goes missing and Sabriel is unwittingly promoted to the Abhorson. Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker? With the dead creeping ever closer to her friends and countrymen, Sabriel must go to find her father before it's too late and he transverses through one gate of death too many. Do not tarry, do not stop, no matter what happens. I've heard so many wonderful things about this one...that I...welll....I expected a little bit more... I just never felt a connection to this book - the magic, the characters, the plot - all meh to me. This book relies heavily on Charter Magic - which, from what I can tell, involves speaking certain words and following strict rules that are never fully explained to the audience. The most frustrating part is that there's no build to the magic, it's just there. It's kind of like if you jumped into the seventh Harry Potter book without the first few novels of magical background - it was frustratingly complex. The other thing that really bugged me was the "love" interest. Sabriel and the "love" interest were essentially acquaintances (or perhaps pals, if you want to stretch it) but all of a sudden, before the big battle, THIS happens: "I love you," he whispered. "I hope you don't mind. And I'm just sitting there like, what? When did this happen? Between the magic mayhem and the bland-to-non-existent-love, I never formed an emotional connection to any of the main characters or the plot (other than Mogget - Mogget was the shining star in the clouded night). It felt like I was being dragged on a journey rather than eagerly plunging into a new series. Maybe I'll feel more connected in book 2? Anyone else feel the same? Audiobook Comments Read by Tim Curry - and honestly this audio did the book NO favors. It was SO frustrating to have all these really cool concepts and absolutely NO excitement from the narrator. No tone. No characterization - other than Mogget. YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads