When I reached the end and put this book down, I felt elated, at peace with the world once more. I had been reading so many crappy books with high hopes and promises that turned out to be big let downs, that Sabriel was a breath of fresh air.
I actually went into it expecting very little and it took a while for me to settle into the rhythm of this story but once I stopped holding my breath, waiting for the author to ruin everything, I found myself thoroughly enjoying it.
The story doesn't get bogged down in emotions, feelings, and romance, and yet it still treats all three of these things with respect. Sabriel is fierce, not to be reckoned with, capable of great things, and yet not infallible, not invincible, and certainly not perfect. The stakes keep escalating in the best possible way.
This story is witty and clever but there's more to it than that: this book has that special something that is not easily defined.
A stunning anniversary gift edition of the second in the bestselling Old Kingdom fantasy series.
Sabriel has spent most of her young life far away from the magical realm of the Old Kingdom, and the Dead that roam it. But then a creature from across the Wall arrives at her all-girls boarding school with a message from her father, the Abhorsen - the magical protector of the realm whose task it is to bind and send back to Death those that won't stay Dead. Sabriel's father has been trapped in Death by a dangerous Free Magic creature.
The False Prince surprised me. I feel silly saying that it took me a long time to cotton on to what was really going on (perhaps longer than others) but that was what actually made this story all the more enjoyable. When things finally made sense, they really, really made sense and I didn't mind all that I had to read through to get there.
If I were to compare it to another novel that didn't do it as well, The Queen's Assassin by Melissa de la Cruz is the perfect example. If you've read both, you'll see what I mean.
If you love the danger and sword-fighting of MERLIN, you'll like this! In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point - he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. As Sage's…
Two people joined by magical typewriters - what a premise to start with! And it was well executed too.
I particularly appreciated that this story took place with the backdrop of a look-a-like World War II Britain but the war that wages is that between two powerful gods.
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman…
She ran away with him when she should have run from him... Evelyn is just an art student at Mianjin Arts Academy dreaming of a gap year abroad. Until she meets William. Through the Hidden Grove he reveals more than a gap year could ever offer. But as she steps into exotic lands and worlds untouched she discovers that there is another side to William lurking below the surface and that his motives might not be as pure as she first thought. Will she get home before the damage done is irreversible? With abundant green pastures turned snowcapped mountains, Purlieu will reveal an unthinkable power that leaves your heart thumping.
