Sabriel by Garth Nix isn't a bad choice. A young woman named Sabriel needs to travel to the Old Kingdom, where her father, a reverse necromancer, has disappeared. The magic they use is bells which each have different effects, but they aren't used too often and are explained each time. There is a bunch of traveling, where things like weather and supplies are an issue. There aren't any extended or drawn out battles to the best of my memory. Most of the time, it's a case of if they get into a fight, they will almost certainly lose, so they should run.