Abhorsen

by Garth Nix

Grade: Good

(Possibly To Own if I like the upcoming sequal enough.)
See below (i.e. Lirael), about romance. I liked the romance in this one. It was basically non-existent, true. But I thought I got bits of it, and the stuff that DIDN'T turn out to be romance, I was very glad about.
Anyway, enough on romance. If only his theology wasn't quite so weird, he'd be one of my favourite authors, I think.