Liked it but there were some problems. The place of Death and the way the book deals with death was really cool, and I liked the idea of the necromancy magic. I don't know if we got quite enough information about the bells, but it was a fun new magic element. Sabriel herself was fun to read, though I think I would have liked her more if I had discovered this book when I was younger. I don't know if we got enough of an emotional connection with her to really connect.
On the other hand, a lot of the plot seemed really convenient, like she was just wandering around and happens to come to the places that she needs to be and meet everyone who is essential to solving the problem. There's also a lot of convenient info dumping. Also, the romance is not built up and seemed really unnecessary. Still, the world was pretty cool and I will be finishing the trilogy.

This was a fun sequel. It takes place a generation after the first one, but unlike the first one, it doesn't feel like a standalone book. It feels more like the first half of a book, so I guess I'll be reading Abhorsen right away. Lirael and Sameth aren't as cool as Sabriel, but they're still fun characters to read about. We get more about the charter magic, as well as a different group of characters (related to the Abhorsen bloodline) that use magic as well - the Clayr. The first half of this one was definitely more intriguing with the Library and the sight. But I'll be interested to see how it wraps up in the next one.

This was basically the second half of the second book. It all comes together in the end (even if some of it is a bit convenient). The magic is still cool. Lirael and Sam grow from where they were in the last book. And we finally get to go through all nine gates. I just wish we got more of a wrap up at the end - it feels like some things are unresolved. I would have liked to see more of an epilogue.