The Old Kingdom trilogy was very dear to me in my teens. I revisit the books every few years and always find something new in them. Garth Nix is a master of world building and his descriptions absolutely transport me.

There's a gravity to the objects of power like the bells Sabriel wields, and a sense of mystery to locations like the Abhorsen's house. Free magic has a smell, and death a kind of proprioception, engaging all our senses. And all the small details– of the food, ordinary interactions while on the road, descriptions of the clothing– make the old kingdom feel fully lived in. The sense of depth and wonder keeps this world big in my mind after twenty odd years have passed since I first read the book.

As an adult, Sabriel reads as a story about responsibility. I really feel for her and the impossible weight of duty she has to shoulder, with huge gaps in her knowledge, right after leaving the sheltered world of boarding school. It's a book about having to grow up overnight, and a courageous young woman coming into her own against overwhelming forces.

I learned that Tim Curry narrates Sabriel about a week before his death, and decided to listen after learning of his passing. His narration was fantastic and I found myself frequently overwhelmed with emotion.

Let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die.

Now that I've read multiple T. Kingfisher romances, her formula is starting to feel well, formulaic. A 30 something, big chested, unlucky in love woman is caught up in an increasingly complicated predicament that she navigates with the aid of a respectful, guilt ridden warrior and of course there is undeniable attraction between them!

I can't be mad though because I love her writing style and the formula totally works for me! Most of all, I love spending time in the world of the White Rat. I've never been so ready to devote myself to a religious order and pass the days cooking for the temple, gossiping, and being an incorrigible flirt like 75% of the characters who inhabit these books. What a joy that Daggerbound was just released and we don't have to go home just yet.