jupitermond's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Body horror, and Gore
Minor: Sexual content
babudarabu's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Blood, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Body horror, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Animal death, Sexual content, and Gun violence
synniestar's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
i read this so quickly and voraciously that i will, in time, need to re-read it to remember everything that happened...but reading it, as always when reading an Old Kingdom novel, felt like coming home. ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Ableism, and Racism
racism tag added for Nix's whitewashing of a POC character for in-canon reasons (walking in Death for long enough leaves you pale).thewildmageslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
4.0
It's so weird to read about Sabriel's parents! But like in a good way, lol. It's cool to learn more about them, and especially to see Terciel so young and slightly out of his depth. I loved Elinor instantly, bless her theatre-nerd heart. Can we have more stories about them?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Gore, Body horror, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content and Ableism
audeira's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore and Body horror
brigsssss's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I think i enjoyed this the most of the three books that have been published since the original trilogy. I agree with another reviewer i saw who said the language feels a little middle grade (maybe that was about clariel or goldenhand but i think it applies here as well) and i wasn’t sure if that was because i first read sabriel when i was the intended target age or if it actually is younger skewed. Having looked at sabriel again though, the language is definitely a little less sophisticated but once i adjusted to the tone it stopped bothering me.
I liked the nods to later books, and i enjoyed learning more about sabriel’s father and what he was like as a young man. It makes an interesting contrast with the terciel we meet in sabriel where we see how his years as abhorsen have changed him. I think it enriches the original story in a way that i appreciate.
I don’t know that i was entirely convinced by elinor’s character - i definitely feel that nix has spent the least amount of time thinking about her over the years (which makes sense since - as he points out in the preface - she only existed in a single line before now). She suffered a little from being too suspiciously well-prepared for the events of the novel without a good narrative reason for being so: how convenient that she was taught to swordfight and do acrobatics from a young age and is just a natural at charter magic. At least sabriel had a reason to be prepared as the abhorsen’s daughter. I did enjoy elinor not knowing to keep an eye on their backs during the expedition though, that felt real and relatable, and i have to admit i would have loved her circus skills when i was 13… it would definitely have contributed to my wanting to learn those things myself!
Overall i enjoyed this a lot and am glad i read it. I think a lot of the things i didn’t enjoy are a result of no longer being the target demographic and revisiting the series nostalgically as a huge fan of sabriel from when i was a teenager.
I liked the nods to later books, and i enjoyed learning more about sabriel’s father and what he was like as a young man. It makes an interesting contrast with the terciel we meet in sabriel where we see how his years as abhorsen have changed him. I think it enriches the original story in a way that i appreciate.
I don’t know that i was entirely convinced by elinor’s character - i definitely feel that nix has spent the least amount of time thinking about her over the years (which makes sense since - as he points out in the preface - she only existed in a single line before now). She suffered a little from being too suspiciously well-prepared for the events of the novel without a good narrative reason for being so: how convenient that she was taught to swordfight and do acrobatics from a young age and is just a natural at charter magic. At least sabriel had a reason to be prepared as the abhorsen’s daughter. I did enjoy elinor not knowing to keep an eye on their backs during the expedition though, that felt real and relatable, and i have to admit i would have loved her circus skills when i was 13… it would definitely have contributed to my wanting to learn those things myself!
Overall i enjoyed this a lot and am glad i read it. I think a lot of the things i didn’t enjoy are a result of no longer being the target demographic and revisiting the series nostalgically as a huge fan of sabriel from when i was a teenager.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Gore
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