Rating: 
Summary: Sabriel
Review: Most magic books imitate each other, with the same classic plot. Sabriel is wonderfully different, featuring a young necromancer called Sabriel, whose father, Abhorsen, has been trapped in the realm of Death. Accompanied by a familiar-like animal called Mogget, presently in the form of a cat, and a confused young man whom Mogget calls Touchstone, Sabriel travels in the place called the Old Kingdom, hoping to reunite herself with her father. Pursued by several nasty Dead creatures, Sabriel is exciting, interesting, and believable. This is a fine novel that holds the power to transport you into another world, one that you will want to visit again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Lush, completely imaginative fantasy-adventure
Review: Possibly one of the greatest fantasy adventures of our times, Garth Nix's first novel is a lush, magical, dark-witty adventure about a young woman's battle with the hideous Dead.The story starts with a flashback in which a special necromancer named Abhorsen saves his baby daughter Sabriel from a creature called Kerrigor, in the spiritual river of death. Many years later, at an English-esque boarding school, Sabriel must take up her father's magical sword and bells and try to find out what has happened to him. To do so, she must leave her relatively high-tech home for the Old Kingdom, where magic rules and evil things are stalking her. Along the way, she is accompanied by the guard Touchstone and the menacing/funny cat-spirit Mogget. They must try to defeat the evil Kerrigor, who wants to blast the Charter which keeps all things from descending into evil. Sabriel is the best fantasy hero I've read about since Lord of the Rings. Too many fantasy heroines are either damsels or warrior women--Sabriel is neither. She acts and thinks precisely like a young woman in her position. Strong, intriguing, and no slack with a sword in a bad situation, she is a wonderful role model. Touchstone is a darling, but Mogget really is unique. Is he evil? Good? Or some peculiar mix? This ancient spirit forced to live as a cat is enslaved to the Abhorsen family for the good of everyone (we get a glimpse of how dangerous he is). The world that Garth Nix dreamed up, a mixture of Tolkien and WW2 England, is unparalleled in the fantasy genre. It's populated by animated ghouls, ghastly Mordicants, the almost-human sendings, Charter ghosts, the inhabitants of the river of Death, where only Abhorsens go, and so on... His writing style is lush and hypnotic--you can actually see the events unfolding in front of your eyes, in this wintry but inviting world. Thankfully, Mr. Nix appears to be writing a pair of sequels--I can hardly wait. Anyone else think this should be made into a movie?
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing!
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others
STORY: Sabriel, daughter of Abhorsen the Necromancer, has to journey into the Old Kingdom and Death itself in an effort to find her lost father and find out why so many towns are falling to the undead.
MY FEEDBACK:
My first praise comes from the fact that this isn't your typical fantasy. No elves or dwarves or other "cooki-cutter" elements.
Second praise is due to what the author calles Charter Magic. A form of rune magic, the author creates a form of magic that is powerful but also has its limitations.
Third praise is the world he creates is vivid and imaginable. The conflict between the living and the dead is nicely handled.
Fourth praise is because the characters were interesting. Sabriel the protagonist I was envisioning as a 12-14 year old but towards the end she says she is 18 years old. Either 12 or 18, she is mature for her age but I understood this to be because of her unique background and raising.
Final praise is due to content. Not overly violent or gory and little if no sex. Marketed in several book stores as a young adult fantasy, this was appropriate for teens. I'd rather a teen read this than the content found in the ever popular Drangonlance or Forgotten Realms books.
Overall, it was a refreshing read in the midst of the 20+ mediocre books I read last year. This book really hit a note with me and I'd recommended it to any fantasy lover...and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Fantasy
Review: Sabriel is the kind of fantasy book that glues your hands to the book. It draws you in further and further as the plot undergoes bumps, surprises, and spectacular twists. At times it can cause chills to run up your spine.
It's about an 18 year old girl who is just graduating college, but she's far from normal. She dwells in the dark and dangerous art of necromancy. Her family line is one known as the Abhorsens, who unlike most necromancers, who raise the dead, put those that should not walk in life, back to death. When her father doesn't show up for his monthly visit, Sabriel gets a disturbing message from a dead servant, telling her that his life is in danger, as he is trapped in the dark depths of death, itself. Sabriel ventures into the mystifying and dangerous Old Kingdom, where she grew up when she was little, in search of her father. Sabriel learns along the way a disterbing amount of information about necromancy, charter magic, and the dark world known as the Old Kindom.
Sabriel finds more then she ever thought she would while journying through the Old Kingdom, including deep love, dark magic, and an unspeakable evil.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Dark Secrets, Deep Love, and Dangerous Magic.
Review: Sabriel, daughter of Abhorsen, must leave Wyverley school when she discovers the horrid news that her father is missing. She must cross the wall to a world she has never set foot on and pursue a dangerous mission with only her two friends as companions. Mogget- bound by a unknown perhaps dangerous spirit and Touchstone- imprisoned by magic and after many years set free by Sabriel. The three must travel deep into the old kingdom and in some instances- travel into the chill of death and try to save her father before it's to late... before he crosses the ninth gate.
This is a breathtaking book that takes you out of this world and into a spine-tingling new world. The action and adventures come at a non-stop pace. It's a definite page-turner. Give this book a chance and you won't regret it! If you enjoyed this book you definitely should get the sequel 'Lirael'. It's worth spending the extra money for the hardcover.
Rating:
Summary: Can Fantasy Get Any Better Than This?
Review: Seriously. I do not know of any other fantasy series that can beat this. The storyline is supurb, and everything is described so wonderfully. There isn't much else I want to say, besides that if you are looking for the best fantasy/adventure book out there, you found it. Buy Sabriel, and the other two books, Lirael, and Abhorsen.
I loved it, and you will too.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Blah Fantasy Book
Review: This book was exactly what i expected it to be: Another blah fantasy book. It had almost no character development, so the characters were all one-dimensional. Especially Touchstone, I couldn't even imagine him as a real person. I felt absolutly no attachment to Sabriel, and had difficulty remembering she was female. There were some good opportunities for interesting internal conflicts (like the relationship between Touchstone and Rogir), that were glossed over or completely bypassed.
The magic had a few creative elements, but often fell to cliches. Like a previous reviewer, this book reminded me of a video game. See monster, fight monster, go somewhere else, oh no there is another monster, fight that monster, etc. There was no explination as to why the dead don't like the living, apparently being dead just automtically made them bad people, and so they went around killing people. You could tell that, in the hands of a capable author, this book could have been amazingly good. However, it fell short.
The reason i didnt give this one star, is that it actually carried your interest by sheer force of plot. There was enough action going on (See monster, fight monster...) that I almost enjoyed reading it. almost.
I came away from this book entertained, but not moved intellectually, spiritually, or emotionally. It didnt teach any life lessons (or any lessons at all), didnt show me a new perspective on life, help me understand a new character, didn't make me laugh, cry, or feel any emotion but some suspense (there would have been much more if i had cared what happened to the characters).
So, another blah fantasy book. If you like magic and action and don't care that the book you are reading is trash, read on.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid YA Fantasy
Review: Though I've long since passed the "appropriate" age to read young adult fantasy books, I try to read all of the ones that have come out since I entered aduldhood. I found out about Sabriel on amazon -- it was listed on many people's favorites lists. What a find! I finished the book in one sitting, completely entranced. Mr. Nix's imagination shines in the pages of Sabriel. While the basis of the plot is farly standard -- young orphan-like girl has adventures, finds strength she didn't know she had, experiences love -- it's the details that really stand out. The story of the Abhorsen, in particular, is fascinating. I don't, however, give the book 5 stars because it left a few loose ends here and there, and could have used a tad more editing. It's a fun read, though, recommended for anyone who enjoys Robin McKinley, Lloyd Alexander, Philip Pullman, and C.S. Lewis.
Rating:
Summary: Garth Nix owns you. Yes, YOU.
Review: When I first saw this book in my school library, when I was 12... I blew it off. Sure, it looked cool. The cover art is amazing, but the summary seemed too typical. Finally, though, I gave in. I checked it out, totally skeptical. 4 pages, and I was hooked. My mother yelled at me for trying to read it during dinner. Now 15, I've read it over again, and I **still** go back to my favorite parts. The main character is a strong, yet serious teenage girl named Sabriel. Normally, I hate that sort of character, but she was great. The characters are all amazing and VERY well thought out. Sabriel is the heir to the title of Abhorsen. An Abhorsen is a necromancer (thats a person who can raise/control the dead) of sorts, a holy one. Their job is "to bind and destroy" any 'problematic' spirits or necromancers. One night in her school, Sabriel recives word from her father that he is indeed trapped in death, a second dimension of sorts. Setting out to find his body and free him, Sabriel soon discovers there are darker things brewing. She meets up with Mogget, an all-powerful spirit... stuck in the form of a cat. Definetely my favorite character. There is also Touchstone, a berserker prince who was sealed as a wooden figurehead. With these strange companions, the young woman travels in the Old Kingdom, fighting the dead and unraveling the tangled strings that are all tied to her fate. There is also a sense of modernism. There is Ancelstierre, the New Kingdom, which is like a modern-day city. Then there is the Old Kingdom, an almost empty area where the dead don't tend to stay dead. There is so much in this that is so original. The above wall,death being represented as "gates" (there being 9 in all), her weapons being bells...it's fantastic. Buy this. You will not regret this. If you're like me, you like happy endings and lighthearted books. While this is pretty heavy sometimes, it's so good you won't give a flying crap. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, and it **SCARED** the heck out of me. Seriously! Most likely one of the GREATEST fantasy novels I have ever read. Also, read Lirael and Abhorsen, which are the sequels! They're JUST as good!!!!
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