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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the journey into the book in this sequel to Inkheart. Again I did find it rather long, it could have used an edit, and the feeling of foreboding is so strong that it prevents me from loving it as you do a children's book when you know it has a happy ending, but still a good, solid, entertaining read.
Inkspell, the second volume in the Inkheart trilogy. Captivating, magic, builder, below expectations
3.5 stars for me.
I had to think a lot about how to evaluate this book. In one hand Cornelia Funke manages to keep me engaged in the story, as the previous one. The narrative of Inkspell is incredibly fluid, capturing your attention for a long time. However, I had found that this book had so much potential in terms of topics since the story took place inside Inkheart, which is such a rich and complex world. In my opinion, what this book provides it was not what I was expecting. For those reasons, I could not give the same rating as the previous one which was 4 stars, but I also think 3 stars is a lower rating because is not a bad book at all.
I feel that this book served as a building block for the last book of this trilogy. With some character growth and events that set up certain key plot points for the next volume.
One thing that I did not enjoy so much was the lack of action scenes. They were very short and sporadic which left me the feeling of wanting more action and more plans like in the previous one.
First - Maggie's Character Development
At the beginning of the book, Meggie was totally obsessed about the world of Inkheart that she had a fight with her father (Mo). When Farid tells her that he wants her to read him inside the book to be with Dustfinger and warn him about Basta and Mortola. Meggie still obsessed with the world, said she was going to go anyways.
The book hammers in many times how sure Meggie is in going to Inkworld. One notable example is her internal monologue as she's about to leave for Inkheart. Thoughts like "Meggie thought all those things; she thought them over and over again. And at the same time, she knew, deep down inside her, that she had made her mind long ago." Especially given that Meggie has a particularly strong will (which was established in the first volume) and takes her decision very seriously. She knows what she wants and she's going to get it.
BUT at the very moment she enters into Inkworld, she immediately panics and regrets her choice. "Quite Suddently, Meggie felt fear rise in her like black, brackish water. She felt lost, terribly lost, felt it in every part of her mind. She didn't belong here! What had she done"? and later in the same page "Meggie tried desperately to find some other feeling in her heart, but there was nothing, not even curious about the world surrounding her. I want to go back! That was all she could think"
Sure, Meggie was admittingly a teenager (aged 13) and most of them barely has a grasp of the full consequences of their actions. Maybe she was a bit naive. But the book made it obvious that her decision was clear with such conviction. That I felt it didn't make sense with what we already knew about her character. Why would a strong willed person suddenly change their mind that abruptly without actually experiencing events that could make them regretting their decision.
Second - Fenoglio
Before we discuss Fenoglio. I just wanted to say that I've never meet such despicable, egocentric, liar, narcissistic and think he is better than everyone else just because he creates that book.
The first thing that caught my attention was the introduction of Bluejay a character that he invented, or not. While reading I thought " It is very similar to someone that I know. Steals from the riches to give to the poor.". For me was strange to think that an author could use the literal idea and creation of someone just changing the looks and name and call it his. For me that shows that we lacks some values. But during all the rest of the book we see and Meggie too that we use poems and songs from our world to give to Violante which made think that we were only capable of creating one thing and nothing more.
During this book we see how Fenoglio thinks and acts, I create this I create that, I don't remember making you. Acts like a god-like and wants things to follow his ways which by the way go wrong a lot of times. Like when Cosimo is killed for the second time and he said that it all happens because of Meggie that she did not finish to read his beautiful words.
In the end, after Dustfinger gave his life for Farid, Fenoglio refuses to help them bringing back Dustfinger and is only thinking how much he is suffering because he can not write anymore, the words are like poison when before were honey and that the story that he creates is destroying him. What a dramatic guy.
Finally at the end when Meggie reads Orpheus into the story Fenoglio writes about himself as "the great poet".
Now the smallest things
When Orpheus finally enters the story and the thinks that he was able to even after Meggie talk to him that it was she that put him inside, he acts like Fenoglio so the apprentice already looks pretty much the master.
I really like it how Mo trick Adderhead with a book that it will ruin him although I would like to know what he did for that to happen.
I loved how during the story for 2 times the name inkspell is mention because we still not know the origins and how the powers appear but we know that is similar to a spell made of ink. it is written
and then they read like an incantation.
And to end my favourite quote of the book. when Meggie asks Farid if he thinks that Inkworld is a cruel one, and he responds to her " 'They're all cruel', he said. 'The world I came from, the world you came from, and this one too. Maybe people don't see the cruelty in your world straight away, it's better hidden, but it's there all the same.' "
3.5 stars for me.
I had to think a lot about how to evaluate this book. In one hand Cornelia Funke manages to keep me engaged in the story, as the previous one. The narrative of Inkspell is incredibly fluid, capturing your attention for a long time. However, I had found that this book had so much potential in terms of topics since the story took place inside Inkheart, which is such a rich and complex world. In my opinion, what this book provides it was not what I was expecting. For those reasons, I could not give the same rating as the previous one which was 4 stars, but I also think 3 stars is a lower rating because is not a bad book at all.
I feel that this book served as a building block for the last book of this trilogy. With some character growth and events that set up certain key plot points for the next volume.
One thing that I did not enjoy so much was the lack of action scenes. They were very short and sporadic which left me the feeling of wanting more action and more plans like in the previous one.
Spoiler
Now let's discuss some of the points that I found interesting about the book and some not so good aspects.First - Maggie's Character Development
At the beginning of the book, Meggie was totally obsessed about the world of Inkheart that she had a fight with her father (Mo). When Farid tells her that he wants her to read him inside the book to be with Dustfinger and warn him about Basta and Mortola. Meggie still obsessed with the world, said she was going to go anyways.
The book hammers in many times how sure Meggie is in going to Inkworld. One notable example is her internal monologue as she's about to leave for Inkheart. Thoughts like "Meggie thought all those things; she thought them over and over again. And at the same time, she knew, deep down inside her, that she had made her mind long ago." Especially given that Meggie has a particularly strong will (which was established in the first volume) and takes her decision very seriously. She knows what she wants and she's going to get it.
BUT at the very moment she enters into Inkworld, she immediately panics and regrets her choice. "Quite Suddently, Meggie felt fear rise in her like black, brackish water. She felt lost, terribly lost, felt it in every part of her mind. She didn't belong here! What had she done"? and later in the same page "Meggie tried desperately to find some other feeling in her heart, but there was nothing, not even curious about the world surrounding her. I want to go back! That was all she could think"
Sure, Meggie was admittingly a teenager (aged 13) and most of them barely has a grasp of the full consequences of their actions. Maybe she was a bit naive. But the book made it obvious that her decision was clear with such conviction. That I felt it didn't make sense with what we already knew about her character. Why would a strong willed person suddenly change their mind that abruptly without actually experiencing events that could make them regretting their decision.
Second - Fenoglio
Before we discuss Fenoglio. I just wanted to say that I've never meet such despicable, egocentric, liar, narcissistic and think he is better than everyone else just because he creates that book.
The first thing that caught my attention was the introduction of Bluejay a character that he invented, or not. While reading I thought " It is very similar to someone that I know. Steals from the riches to give to the poor.". For me was strange to think that an author could use the literal idea and creation of someone just changing the looks and name and call it his. For me that shows that we lacks some values. But during all the rest of the book we see and Meggie too that we use poems and songs from our world to give to Violante which made think that we were only capable of creating one thing and nothing more.
During this book we see how Fenoglio thinks and acts, I create this I create that, I don't remember making you. Acts like a god-like and wants things to follow his ways which by the way go wrong a lot of times. Like when Cosimo is killed for the second time and he said that it all happens because of Meggie that she did not finish to read his beautiful words.
In the end, after Dustfinger gave his life for Farid, Fenoglio refuses to help them bringing back Dustfinger and is only thinking how much he is suffering because he can not write anymore, the words are like poison when before were honey and that the story that he creates is destroying him. What a dramatic guy.
Finally at the end when Meggie reads Orpheus into the story Fenoglio writes about himself as "the great poet".
Now the smallest things
When Orpheus finally enters the story and the thinks that he was able to even after Meggie talk to him that it was she that put him inside, he acts like Fenoglio so the apprentice already looks pretty much the master.
I really like it how Mo trick Adderhead with a book that it will ruin him although I would like to know what he did for that to happen.
I loved how during the story for 2 times the name inkspell is mention because we still not know the origins and how the powers appear but we know that is similar to a spell made of ink. it is written
and then they read like an incantation.
And to end my favourite quote of the book. when Meggie asks Farid if he thinks that Inkworld is a cruel one, and he responds to her " 'They're all cruel', he said. 'The world I came from, the world you came from, and this one too. Maybe people don't see the cruelty in your world straight away, it's better hidden, but it's there all the same.' "
adventurous
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Can you tamper with a story that's grown a life of its own?
In Inkspell, Maggie's romantic storyline felt odd to me. I recognize a year has passed since book one but she is still only 13, and it just like Funke wanted something to happen so forced it to be true and tried to make it more mature then it should've been. Book two wasn't as entrancing as book one (few sequels are), and was unnecessarily long, but I love the characters and was eager to discover what happened to them all.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
In some ways this sequel gave so much more depth to the characters and story of Inkheart, the first in the Inkworld trilogy. The people I learnt to love from Inkheart became so much more real in Inkspell. And the villains so much more wicked. It seemed the story wound its way between real and book and back again, though sometimes I felt that the people of Inkworld were cheated. I feel like evil won more than good did. It is darker and sadder than I anticipated. And damn, for the cliffhanger at the end. Now I have to read Inkdeath (the third in the trilogy) to find out what happens to who - and how!
Loveable characters:
Yes