Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!
Review: Sabriel blew me away. It is one of the best fantasies I have ever read. The plot is engaging and keeps you interested to the end. The characters are realistic and develop throughout the book. The occasional comic relief does not skew the plot. I rate this book above Potter, and believe it may take its place amoung the classics. Mr. Nix has created an intricate and nuanceful masterpiece--A world so carefully thought out it is like that of Tolkien. The plot: Sabriel, a young woman of eighteen, discovers that her father, the necromancer Abhorsen, is trapped in the world between life and death and cannot reach her. He is only able to send her the news and his tools of necromancy: a sword and magical bells. Sabriel sets out to find him, but she soon realizes that she needs do more than just rescue her father. This book is a winner. Do not hesitate for one second. Even if you are not a huge fantasy fan and definately if you are, READ THIS BOOK! You will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: Just as great as Pullman's The Golden Compass (Which I must have read like a million times in a row [Along with the sequel The Subtle Knife, which was well-written too] - I love that whole daemon idea, it's stunning and thought-provoking)! I'm a big sci-fi/fantasy fan, and this book must be my fav fantasy. I just love that blend of early 20th century technology and magic. And the whole idea of death as a river with "gates" and "precincts" - Just fabulous! And Sabriel - The coolest female heroine (Mogget was my second fav character); oh, and the necromancy bells and the unique aspects of magic in the book were just WOW. The slightly elevated style of writing was also wow, it kept me HOOKED! I just can't say enough! It was incredible. Keep on writing, Mr. Nix! (I'm 17)
Rating:
Summary: Charter Magic, Greater Dead, and magic bells!
Review: A delightful series that will keep you in action from the first page to the last. (And first book to the last book) I felt like I was watching some type of movie when reading it. The world is in danger as evil nacromancers use their own bell powers to bring back the Greater Dead (those who do not pass the 'official' gate). It's up to the Abhorsen's job to see that these nacromancers are to be stopped and the Dead to return to the "river" in peace. Thus, the Abhorsen destined to do so would be Sabriel. Along the way, she meets up with unusual friends and vicious foes as the fight against the enemy isn't that easy as simply waving a bell.
Rating: 
Summary: A Creatively Written Fantasy
Review: The book Sabriel is quite a page-turner. The main heroin, Sabriel, is almost at an adult age and is forced to leave everything she is used to and loves including the school, which has been a home to her for most of her life. She receives a message that something horrible happened and her father is in trouble, so she must travel to another kingdom to save him. Without even knowing, she takes on even a greater burden of taking over her father's necromantic workings and being sucked into a war between the living and the dead, which has been going on for centuries. Along the way a Free Magic spirit inside a cat's body and a man who was trapped accompany her. They both know of the terrible past and what started the war but are permitted to speak of it. With their help she manages to find her father and takes on the greatest dead of all.
In this adventure story, the author, Garth Nix, creates a magical world with part as our own and parts fantasy. He created a bright and creative setting, which make the story so interesting to read. The characters are quite creative too. Although the stories behind the characters were great, I think Nix could have told us more about them and let us to get to know them a little better by adding some more details about their personality. The author did succeed in creating a plot with such twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the last page.
At to the audience, I think 7th grade and older students who like fantasy and adventure, would enjoy this book because the vocabulary might be to strong for younger children. Also the younger readers might be too frightened by the story line, which includes death and dead beings, described in detail. In case you are wondering, this book is part of a series. The sequel is called Lireal.
Rating: 
Summary: Thrown into a confusing world
Review: I was anticipating this book, had waited for weeks to clear my reading calendar. Now that I've struggled through it, I have mixed feelings.On its face, Sabriel seems heavy on character, light on story. Later I'll explain why that's not necessarily true. It also requires a tremendous investment into "Old Kingdom" world elements. I read this very carefully, and I'm still baffled by terms such as charter magic, charter stones, charter mages, the charter, mordicants, free magic and on and on. Garth Nix has created a vast world, but in my opinion, has failed to convince the reader of the world's solidity. Sabriel's plight is fascinating, but Nix never allows her to breathe and reflect on what's happening to her. What does she realize about being an abhornsen, other than you get banged around a lot and visit death frequently? Why is she head over heels for Touchstone after being with him for a few weeks? What has she connected with in terms of her history? All of this is extremely murky. Good ideas, but it would have benefitted from more editing, more clarity, and deeper explorations of Sabriel. In the end it's just a series of fights at various locations.
Rating:
Summary: WOAH
Review: Sabriel really interested me. It was the first book in awhile that I just couldn't set down! The characters are all wonderful, but my favorite would have to be Moggot. His sarcastic and humerous ways lighten up the book a lot and gave me a good laugh. I love this book!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This book is truly remarkable in the complex world it creates. The reality is confusing at first, but Garth Nix has a skill like no other author I have read besides Frank Herbert in his Dune series, to explain an intricate concept without just sitting down and telling the reader straight out. Captivating for any age this book went right around my school (ages 10 to 15) and then circulated among a few of the parents. Several younger kids enjoyed the thrill of having this book read to them as well.
An inspiring fantasy book that never grows old.
-Herm
Rating:
Summary: SABRIEL
Review: "There, between gusts of snow, she saw a figure leaping from step to step; impossible leaps, that ate up the distance between them with horrible appetite...Sabriel cried out when she saw it, and felt the Dead spirit within...It was a Mordicant that hunted her." -Sabriel, Chapter VI Sabriel is one of the best books in the world, as are the other two in the series (Lireal and Abhorsen). I have read it at least twenty times and I never get tired of it! It's spine tingling and suspenseful all the way through, even when you know what's going to happen. I will keep this book to the day I die.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't like it...period.
Review: When I saw so many people here raving about this book, I thought I'd give it a try. I read to page 120 and I haven't picked it up again. I found it to be extremely confusing and kinda boring at that. I dunno, I just didn't get into the plot and I felt so distance from Sabriel; where I usually find a connection, feel sympathy, or respect towards a character. I really did try to read it, waiting to see if the plot would finally entice me, yet it never did. I got so frustrated and annoyed I just couldn't even bear to finish it. I love fantasy novels and everybody seems to think Sabriel is great but I guess it just wasn't for me.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fantasies of the last decade!
Review: High and complex fantasy at its very best, "Sabriel" has an original and fascinating heroine, a unique world that places a medieval land beside a version of George V's England, and reams of magic and action. Unlike the many fantasy novels that try to copy Lord of the Rings by piling on enormous amounts of complex information and plot strands, Sabriel maintains a simple narrative thrust that drives the story at a fast pace. It will fascinate both the young adult audience at which it is aimed, and also older fantasy fans. Garth Nix's world is accessible to the teenage reader, and dazzlingly inventive to entrance the older reader. The heroine, Sabriel, is a sorceress in training at Waverly College, an all-girl's school in the land of Alcestierre, a country that resembles World War I-era Britain. Across a great wall near the school lays the magical Old Kingdom, where Sabriel's father, the Abhorsen, works as a necromancer, using magic to keep the dead from crossing into the world of the living. Sabriel discovers that her father has become trapped in the world of the dead and she must cross the wall and enter the Old Kingdom to find him and rescue him. She is joined in her quest by a free magical creature trapped in a cat's body, Mogget, and an immature boy named Touchstone. Opposing them is a fearsome greater dead creature, Kerrigor, who desires Sabriel's death for his own fiendish purposes. The protagonist is the book's strongest feature. Sabriel resists the female action-hero stereotype of women who simply act like muscle-bound males. She is intensely feminine and emotional, a teenager at heart but an adult in mind, and shouldering a heavy burden of responsibility that gives her a somber attitude. Almost any teenager will understand Sabriel's problems, for they are only slightly removed from their own: obedience to parents, the conflict of awakening maturity, and finding a place in the adult world. Sabriel also casts an air of mystery-she's an image of the beautiful unattainable, and can hold her own in a sword fight. Sabriel's romantic foil Touchstone is also a departure from fantasy norms. He is no swashbuckling he-man or equal to his female counterpart, but is something of a child. We can understand why these two begin to fall in love but at the same time cannot let it fully flower. The roster of supporting characters is short, and Mogget is the most interesting. The cat creature's cynical attitude contrasts with Sabriel's inexperience and creates tension that carries much of the story. Abhorsen serves as an Obi-Wan Kenobi figure, and Kerrigor is a delightfully hideous and disgusting villain. The action and spectacle of "Sabriel" are almost non-stop. Adventure constantly brews, suspense and danger always mount. There are a number of terrific action-set pieces, and the finale sounds like an outrageous combination of different elements (WWI soldiers, an army of the dead, an all-girl's school) but is one of the most exciting conclusions I've ever read.(...)
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