Book Review: Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

Inkdeathis the thrilling conclusion of the Inkheart trilogy (first two books are Inkheart and Inkspell). As Mo becomes more and more the part of the Bluejay, Meggie and Resa struggle with their fears for his life. The stakes are raised higher when the evil king Adderhead demands the Bluejay in exchange for hundreds of kidnapped children. Mo gives himself up to save them, but will he be able to save himself? And will Mo, Meggie, and Resa ever decide to return to their own world?

I liked the final volume a lot more than the second one. The story was interesting again and kept me turning pages, wanting to know what happened. I think it could have been shortened a lot and still been a fantastic story - really, the length almost detracted from the excitement. I found it exhausting at times trying to keep up with all the complex story lines, but I still loved it.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
Too many for a children's book.

mrg-factor: none.

v-factor: ->->
Some of the violence was pretty scary for young kids.

Overall rating: ****

Book Review: Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Inkspellis the sequel to Inkheart and follows the continuing story of Meggie, Mo, and the characters from the book-within-a-book Inkheart. When Mo and Resa are taken to the Inkheart world by force, Meggie finds that she must read herself in too. She longs not only for her father and mother, but also to see this beautiful world full of fairies and glass men. But, the world is also filled with ugly horrors and the Inkworld seems to have taken on a life of its own. Even Fenoglio, its author, finds things don't go according to plan when he writes amendments and additions to his tale. Mo becomes caught up acting as a dangerous character, the Bluejay, written with him as the inspiration. He and his daughter must think and act quickly if they are to survive this dangerous place to return home again.

I really was disappointed with this sequel. It didn't have as much adventure and heart as the first one. The story seemed to lag and drag a lot (it should have been a lot shorter too). I suppose, as a middle book in a trilogy, it has to be the least likable. But, I found that I lost interest during parts and grew bored.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
More language than it should have.

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
There are some pretty scary and violent things that happen.

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheartis the fascinating story of a young girl whose father has a very unusual talent: he can bring to life characters from a story - literally. Meggie, who knows only that her father refuses to read to her, suddenly finds herself at the mercy of a very wicked character - one brought to life by her father.

I fell in love with this story from the first. Really, for someone who loves reading and books so much, it would be hard not to. Despite the fact that this book is quite long, it was worth all the time to read and kept my attention right through to the end.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
There is some swearing.

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
The bad guys, they are pretty scary!

Overall rating: ****