Inkheart
Book Series Review: Inkheart
P.S.- I didn’t watch the movie. I don’t suggest you do either.
Book Series Review: Inkheart
Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart Trilogy has finally come to a close on October 7, as the final book, Inkdeath, was released.
The trilogy began with the book Inkheart. Protagonist Meggie Folchart was a normal girl with a hard life. Her mother disappeared and her father was a bookbinder who was always uprooting her when work would call upon him. One rainy night, a stranger showed up outside her window, changing the way she would view her world for the rest of her life.
Meggie soon began to notice that ever since the stranger, Dustfinger, had entered the house, her father, Mo, was becoming distant and keeping secrets; something he’d never done before. After spying and eavesdropping, Meggie soon found out what Dustfinger came for; a book called Inkheart which he was to give to a man named Capricorn who planned to burn every existing copy.
Meggie’s life hadn’t yet turned upside down until she found out who Dustfinger really was, and why her mom had disappeared ten years ago. Inkheart was not just a book but also another world, which Mo had accidentally read live characters, Dustfinger and Capricorn, out of, and Meggie’s mother into.
Inkheart brings in many different types of storytelling for readers of any kind. Magic, action and adventure fill this book, but the most noticeable of Funke’s style of writing is her detailed imagery in every paragraph. Much of the pages are spent writing about how a person looks instead of what they are saying, which takes the book to a whole new level.
The second novel in Funke’s trilogy is Inkspell which takes place mainly in the Inkworld. In the story, Mo is mistaken for a robber named the Bluejay, who steals for the poor and kills for the weak. He is taken to the Castle of Night, where the ruler of the Inkworld, the Adderhead, resides.
To escape the castle unharmed, he and Meggie must bind the Adderhead a book that will “capture death between its pages” and make him immortal.
Inkspell is just as descriptive as Inkheart, if not more. Funke explains each color of the tree as if she’s seen the Inkworld herself and knows exactly how it looks. The story has an overall nice flow, but the beginning starts a bit slow, and the ending leaves a cliffhanger that many do not think will be resolved, the death of Dustfinger.
Inkdeath does not answer the cliffhanger of whether Dustfinger returns or not in the beginning, but it does reveal some surprises very early, such as Resa’s pregnancy, Mo’s flawed binding of the immortal book and the fact that the family has chosen to stay in the Inkworld for the time being. However, the story is also very sad. The words Fenoglio, writer in the Inkworld, wrote to describe the Bluejay were now transforming Mo’s actions into him. Soon, Mo begins to start behaving as the Bluejay would, being just as violent as illusive as the one Fenoglio thought up. Now, the Adderhead has sent men to collect the children of Ombra unless the Bluejay is found. When it comes to the safety of the children of Ombra, will the townsfolk give him up to the Adderhead, who wants him to pay for trying to ruin the book while creating it?
Inkdeath leaves readers with a sense of longing, which is why it is a relief the Inkheart movie came to theaters on January 9, 2009, which had been postponed for over a year. Hopefully the release of the movie will bring notice to Funke’s novels, not just the Inkheart trilogy, but also award-winning books such as The Thief Lord and Dragon Rider. Whether Funke decides to write more to the Inkheart series or not, I’m sure she has more great novels in her head, just waiting to be written down.
The trilogy began with the book Inkheart. Protagonist Meggie Folchart was a normal girl with a hard life. Her mother disappeared and her father was a bookbinder who was always uprooting her when work would call upon him. One rainy night, a stranger showed up outside her window, changing the way she would view her world for the rest of her life.
Meggie soon began to notice that ever since the stranger, Dustfinger, had entered the house, her father, Mo, was becoming distant and keeping secrets; something he’d never done before. After spying and eavesdropping, Meggie soon found out what Dustfinger came for; a book called Inkheart which he was to give to a man named Capricorn who planned to burn every existing copy.
Meggie’s life hadn’t yet turned upside down until she found out who Dustfinger really was, and why her mom had disappeared ten years ago. Inkheart was not just a book but also another world, which Mo had accidentally read live characters, Dustfinger and Capricorn, out of, and Meggie’s mother into.
Inkheart brings in many different types of storytelling for readers of any kind. Magic, action and adventure fill this book, but the most noticeable of Funke’s style of writing is her detailed imagery in every paragraph. Much of the pages are spent writing about how a person looks instead of what they are saying, which takes the book to a whole new level.
The second novel in Funke’s trilogy is Inkspell which takes place mainly in the Inkworld. In the story, Mo is mistaken for a robber named the Bluejay, who steals for the poor and kills for the weak. He is taken to the Castle of Night, where the ruler of the Inkworld, the Adderhead, resides.
To escape the castle unharmed, he and Meggie must bind the Adderhead a book that will “capture death between its pages” and make him immortal.
Inkspell is just as descriptive as Inkheart, if not more. Funke explains each color of the tree as if she’s seen the Inkworld herself and knows exactly how it looks. The story has an overall nice flow, but the beginning starts a bit slow, and the ending leaves a cliffhanger that many do not think will be resolved, the death of Dustfinger.
Inkdeath does not answer the cliffhanger of whether Dustfinger returns or not in the beginning, but it does reveal some surprises very early, such as Resa’s pregnancy, Mo’s flawed binding of the immortal book and the fact that the family has chosen to stay in the Inkworld for the time being. However, the story is also very sad. The words Fenoglio, writer in the Inkworld, wrote to describe the Bluejay were now transforming Mo’s actions into him. Soon, Mo begins to start behaving as the Bluejay would, being just as violent as illusive as the one Fenoglio thought up. Now, the Adderhead has sent men to collect the children of Ombra unless the Bluejay is found. When it comes to the safety of the children of Ombra, will the townsfolk give him up to the Adderhead, who wants him to pay for trying to ruin the book while creating it?
Inkdeath leaves readers with a sense of longing, which is why it is a relief the Inkheart movie came to theaters on January 9, 2009, which had been postponed for over a year. Hopefully the release of the movie will bring notice to Funke’s novels, not just the Inkheart trilogy, but also award-winning books such as The Thief Lord and Dragon Rider. Whether Funke decides to write more to the Inkheart series or not, I’m sure she has more great novels in her head, just waiting to be written down.
P.S.- I didn’t watch the movie. I don’t suggest you do either.
-Alex
Author's Rating
----------------------------
Inkheart- 9/10
Inkspell- 6/10
Inkdeath- 8/10
Inkspell- 6/10
Inkdeath- 8/10
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