jrdnltrn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
One of my all time favorites. Phenomenonal.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, War, Death, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content
jupitermond's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Slavery, and Blood
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
I just can't take any books with dark themes right now. I will probably return to this one at a later date.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Gore
Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
twistykris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I have a vague recollection of reading this as a teenager, so I thought it would be fun to revisit. As it turned out, the only thing I remembered were the bells, so it ended up being more of a "new" read.
I appreciate the world-building, in that it builds gradually throughout the course of the book, instead of info-dumping. And the descriptions Nix uses are just SO incredible. Pages of descriptions that actually felt like a sheet being dragged off of a scene- rooms and areas being revealed slowly, letting your mind focus in. I liked the characters, but I didn't really feel much of a connection to them. Their personalities didn't feel very developed and the romance between Sabriel and Touchstone felt very unestablished. Mogget was honestly my favorite character, if only for his snarkiness.
I went back and forth between reading a physical copy of the book and listening to the audiobook narrated by Tim Curry and I found myself more drawn towards the audiobook. I just can't help it with his voice- even if a couple character voices were very Nigel Thornberry-esque... SMASHING xD
I appreciate the world-building, in that it builds gradually throughout the course of the book, instead of info-dumping. And the descriptions Nix uses are just SO incredible. Pages of descriptions that actually felt like a sheet being dragged off of a scene- rooms and areas being revealed slowly, letting your mind focus in. I liked the characters, but I didn't really feel much of a connection to them. Their personalities didn't feel very developed and the romance between Sabriel and Touchstone felt very unestablished. Mogget was honestly my favorite character, if only for his snarkiness.
I went back and forth between reading a physical copy of the book and listening to the audiobook narrated by Tim Curry and I found myself more drawn towards the audiobook. I just can't help it with his voice- even if a couple character voices were very Nigel Thornberry-esque... SMASHING xD
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Gore
Moderate: Blood, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Child death, Vomit, and Animal death
oliverreeds's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
how was this written in 1995? with such a strong female lead??
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Body horror, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, and Death
thereadingdude's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Vomit and Slavery
leguinstan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gore and Violence
vyhelm's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Really disappointing. The book has some interesting concepts and a really unique magic system, but the execution falls flat. The plot is lacklustre, the descriptions are often confusing and hard to envision, and the writing itself leaves much to be desired. The characters are underdeveloped and I wasn’t able to form any kind of opinions on them. The romance also felt incredibly forced and basically went from 0 to 100 in a couple pages.
I might continue the series because it was a gift, but I’m not particularly excited to do so.
I might continue the series because it was a gift, but I’m not particularly excited to do so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Gore
avsdhpn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Slavery, and War
samanthalh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Minor: Slavery