Snow lay in this depression, a fat, cigar-shaped draft, bright in the moonlight, stark white against the red granite. A narrow ridge where several slopes of the hill met to form a miniature plateau, with a slight depression in the middle. The descriptions of nature are gorgeous and offer vivid pictures during this epic adventure. It feels like a vast, untamed by human hands for centuries. Since no monarchy controls the Old Kingdom, the dead wander the forests and common roads. You only see a few locations in this first book, but you get a real sense of the wilderness of the Old Kingdom. The world in this series is vast, mysterious and beautiful. It’s fierce, dangerous and glorious to watch unfold in this series. I have never seen a magic system like this again. This magic isn’t as apparent in this first book, but is explored later in the series. It’s a tempting magic that ensnares the senses and exploits your hidden desires. Free magic is that which wild creatures, conjurations and corrupt necromancers use. Drawing certain symbols can help strength a healing spell for example. They represent order and control when used correctly. The Abhorsen’s magic uses the charter marks. Not only that, but the magic is separated into two categories in this world: charter marks and free magic. But she starts to grow into her confidence to use these bells as she fights both the undead and Kerrigor.

Sabriel knows these bells from her reading and seeing her father use them. Each bell has its own purpose to aid the Abhorsen, but one must be expeirenced and prepared for any consequences that follow.

The Abhorsen feels both the power and the risk with using these enchanted bells. The smallest bell Ranna will induce sleep, while the largest, Astarael will send you and the demon past the Ninth Gate with no return. The Abhorsen is the only person who controls seven bells to keep the dead down. The magic in this series is an original and dangerous take on wielding magic. So why do I love this book so much? Well, here’s the 5 reasons why you should check out this classic fantasy book! 1. Armed with knowledge of magic from her father, the Abhorsen, Sabriel goes beyond the Wall and into the Old Kingdom to find her father and finds her destiny in the process. But a messenger carries news of her father’s disappearance. In a land where a wall separates the unruly, dangerous Old Kingdom from the modern and magic less Ancelstierre, a young woman named Sabriel attends her final college semester. “It was little more than three miles from the Wall into the Old Kingdom, but that was enough.” (pg. Awards: Aurealis Award for both fantasy and Young Adult Novel (1995), Ditmar Award nominee (1996), Abraham Lincoln Award nominee (2005)

Tim curry sabriel