Sabriel

I first read this book when I was a kid, and truly, it made me develop an irrational fear of zombies for the rest of my life. Talk about formative.

I realize, as an adult, that this book isn't very scary - and while I try to re-read it every few years to see if it still holds the #1 spot in my heart, it's been a little while since my last re-read. So, this is my review of reading this book as an 11 year old, from 20-some years in the future. (Maybe I'll re-read it again soon and then delete this review in shame, but I doubt it).

The thing that continues to stand out in my memory is the pacing. The pacing made me feel like I was running for my life and it seemed like there was no room to even breathe. The consequences of inaction waited at every turn, and the tension and the sense of impending doom were oppressive. I have never been able to exactly recapture this feeling since. I was and am a relatively slow reader, but this was one of those books that I managed to read in one day (next-day-me, who had to wake up early for school, was not super pleased).

The second big thing for me was that this was my gateway read into fantasy. The concept of the charter magic system, which includes both necromancy and - er, reverse necromancy? I know that just sounds like killing people - were so new to me. I couldn't believe how much the author had packed into one book - charter magic, multiple set pieces, traveling between two different countries/kingdoms. I know this is all pretty standard fare in the genre, but I didn't know that at the time. Plus, the added splash of horror was so incredibly welcome to a kid that couldn't get enough ghost stories. I kept having to peek out my window to make sure there wasn't a dead thing creeping up on me.

The last big thing for me was the cover. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the original artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon, while less text accurate in what the main character looks like, was perfect and (for me) actually added more depth to the story. The solemn expression, the almost plain, almost austere design of the character - this was a new type of female character for me. I don't know how to exactly articulate this, but Sabriel was a girl who didn't know what she was doing but she was still...serious, competent, thoughtful, rational, heroic, smart, and surprisingly fearless despite being (rightly) terrified (and then grieving). I thought she was the coolest person ever.

So I guess it wasn't just the cover - it was the main character too. All of the characters were likable to me, but Sabriel is a character that I think I'll treasure for the rest of my life.