Garth Nix's 'Sabriel' is one of those books that sticks with you long after you’ve turned the last page. The protagonist, Sabriel, is a refreshingly capable and determined young woman who inherits the role of Abhorsen—a necromancer tasked with laying the dead to rest rather than raising them. Her journey from a sheltered
schoolgirl to a
powerful force against the dead is gripping. Then there’s Mogget, this enigmatic, sarcastic cat-like being bound to serve the Abhorsen, who steals every scene he’s in. Touchstone, the mysterious young man Sabriel rescues, adds depth with his tragic past and eventual growth into a key ally. The villain, Kerrigor, is terrifyingly charismatic, a fallen royal whose darkness looms over the entire story.
What I love about these characters is how they balance each other—Sabriel’s resolve, Mogget’s wit, Touchstone’s loyalty. Even secondary figures like Sabriel’s father, Abhorsen, leave a mark despite limited page time. The dynamics feel organic, and their struggles against the creeping horrors of Death make the stakes visceral. It’s a cast that lingers in your mind, partly because they’re so vividly drawn and partly because their world feels so perilously real.