Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy)

Rating:
Summary: Read this book. It's a book!
Review: When her father becomes trapped in Death, Sabriel is forced to grow up fast and take on her destined role as Abhorsen in order to save him. Unlike necromancers who raise the dead, the Abhorsen's job is to send these beings back to their final death. Teenage Sabriel must travel into the dangerous Old Kingdom in order to pass into Death and find her father. Along the way, she gains the companionship of Mogget the cat (a Free Magic element who is serving the family only by force) and Touchstone (a prince who was imprisoned in stone for 200 years). However, she soon finds more trouble than she had bargained for when she discovers that more sinister forces are at work in the Old Kingdom. Now, not only must she rescue her father, she must also save the Kingdom from ruin by an evil necromancer and his minions.

This is an excellent first installment of the Abhorsen trilogy. We get a strong and intelligent female lead in Sabriel. The reader feels truly sympathetic for Sabriel and her situation. The setting is fascinating because it takes place in two different countries: Ancelstierre, which is much like our world and over the Perimeter wall lies the Old Kingdom, a place full of danger and magic. The character's use of Charter Magic in the story is also interesting but my only complaint is that Nix doesn't explain it very well. He mentions Free Magic and Charter Magic but doesn't go into that much detail about the workings of either one. An appendix in the back of the book would have been helpful. But, other than that, this was a really great read. However, the subject of death and the death of a parent may be rather upsetting for some of the more sensitive young readers.