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caseybones's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
The world Garth Nix introduces in Sabriel is complex, and I finished wishing I knew more about it and it’s history. His prose alternately frustrated me with avoidable word repetition, and impressed me with beautiful descriptive flourishes. The whiplash was sometimes maddening, but not enough to ruin anything.
My primary critique is the lack of character development . Although Sabriel grows in knowledge and experience, her core character attributes remain mostly unchanged by the end of the story. Touchstone’s trajectory is similarly flat, despite the information we learn about his past and his parentage.
Finally, the romance between our protagonists felt predictable and unnecessary. Developed over the course of what felt like only a few pages, it’s based more on proximity than anything else. I wish their platonic relationship could have been solidified by the events of this story so that a romantic connection based on more than shared trauma could be explored in another.
Moderate: Gun violence and Violence
Minor: Child abuse and Vomit
cait's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
thenoboshow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
mattiedancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- Readers looking for a fantastic fantasy read with a drop of romance
- Young adult readers looking to bridge into high fantasy
- Readers looking for a good fantasy read with a great female lead.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Gaslighting
shieldbearer's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Death- the entire book is centered around necromancy,bearystarry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Slavery
skai's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Vomit
pi_a_la_mode's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
The plot lags in some parts and there’s a little too much exposition (esp where the magic and its internal effects are concerned), but still a strong story that shouldn’t be missed by any fan of fantasy.
Minor: Child abuse, Death, and Death of parent