Okay so I really these in middle school and really wanted to get them again but I only remember a few details from each. I will describe what I can remember of these. I think a few were part of a larger trilogy.
BOOK 1
This book is similar to The Talisman by Stephen King/ Peter Straub. It is told from the perspective of two brothers. At the start of the book they are traveling with their parents through a desert in modern times on a road trip. The mother is dying of cancer, or so it seems. It turns out the brothers are connected to another dimension of sorts, and are powerful beings. The mother is actually dying in this other realm by way of an evil sorceress I think? The mother dies and they both realize their father has been dead a long time too. The older brother is seduced by the evil sorceress and the younger one has to travel to the other dimension to save him from being corrupted like his mother. Don't remember much beyond this, though.
BOOK 2
This one is about a man who literally becomes Death, the Grim Reaper. He is in a car accident and Death comes for him. Somehow, he shoots and kills the Reaper, which turns him into Death. He can grab souls from within people in their last moments, and they appear bright or dark depending on their sins in life. I recall a scene where he accidentally rips a soul apart not knowing what it was.
He interacts with Satan, whom exists on earth running a mega-conglomerate. Satan tries to persuade him to give even good souls over to him and offers him rewards. Satan eventually captures Death's love interest and tortures her, causing him to go after Satan himself. I recall their being magic carpets I think? Magic exists, and is sold in a kind of alternate future. It was titled something like "Upon a Pale Horse" but I can't find a book under that name anywhere. I think it was called that because he had a white horse he could use to get around fast.
BOOK 3
This one was more straight fantasy. The protagonist is a woman who is either magic or somehow destined to be? She has a sword and a talking animal friend. This was a series of three or so books. In one book she finds a man frozen in wood. She uses her magic to free him and they fall in love. Together they take on... something? This is really vague because I don't remember much of these. I remember the girl had long dark hair? Not much help.
Anyways thanks for reading that crap
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I agree. Sabriel is also part of the Abhorsen Chronicles, which for a long time was a trilogy, but now there's five books planned. (I just checked on Amazon. The covers of the early paperbacks have the appearance you described, but they changed the covers to something more "modern" apparently. I really liked the old ones better. They were way prettier.)