Exactly how steamy is this story?
PG-13
Like many coming-of-age novels, Sabriel deals with topics like sexual attraction and romance. When Sabriel first sees Touchstone, he's a naked statue on the prow of a ship, and the first thing she notices about him is his—yeah, fill in the blank. The romance here never goes beyond a dramatic kiss or two, but there is one moment where Sabriel suspects Touchstone of having sex with another woman in their inn due to certain noises in the room next door. She's wrong, but as readers we're still granted the details we'd get if she weren't.
There's also an odd scene where a magical servant gives Sabriel a bath at Abhorsen's House, washing her in places she doesn't necessarily want to be washed. Surprisingly, this doesn't creep Sabriel out, but it's kind of creepy nonetheless.
The long and the short of it is this: The book in general isn't particularly racy, but there are a few moments you definitely wouldn't want to read aloud to your grandma.