Description from the publishers site:

Only the Abhorsen can keep the living safe from the dead.
Sabriel: Every step she takes brings her closer to a battle that will pit her against the true forces of life and death – and bring her face-to-face with her own destiny.
Lirael: With only her faithful companion, the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must undertake a desperate mission under the growing shadow of an ancient evil, which threatens the fate of the Old Kingdom.
Abhorsen: The Abhorsen Sabriel and King Touchstone are missing, and Lirael must search in both Life and Death for some means to defeat the evil Destroyer – before it is too late.

An aside before I move onto my review:

On my recent visit to Paris  I decided to take a little bit of light reading with me to make a change from my more usual factual books.  I had been given this box-set as a gift a while ago so it was about time I read them.  Part one of the trilogy, Sabriel traveled Paris and back with me.

Sabriel did pose me a problem when I was reading her book in the hairdressers (just after my return from Paris). I got to page 192 and I moved on to what should have been page 193 only to find that I was suddenly catapulted back to page 145. I flicked through expectantly to find the next page 193 only to be disappointed when it was page 241…

*sighs* don’t you just hate it when bookbinding goes wrong?

I had to be patient and wait a few days before I could obtain a replacement copy to continue on the journey that started in Paris…

Review:

This fantasy trilogy is classified as a young adult read, it is also a story that can be enjoyed by ‘the grown ups’.  The books are set in a realm of two countries one is similar to our world and the other country which is just beyond the wall contains magic and mystery. The setting is realistic and whilst reading the books I was almost transported to those realms.  The story crosses the boundaries between life and death, the fine line between good and evil and also reveals the consequences of choices.

Between the covers of the books you can find magic, seers, necromancers and unusual magical creatures. The characters are well defined and their roles develop and grow throughout the three novels. I have to admit two of my favourite characters are Mogget and The Disreputable Dog and they are not quite what they seem…

The books are fast paced and I found them difficult to put down, if you like a fantasy read I thoroughly recommend the trilogy.

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