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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
I really enjoy the characters and the world in this book. But I felt like not a lot happened. Lots of travelling and little side adventures.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. I've never been more disappointed by an author I regard so highly. Honestly, if this hadn't been written by Funke, if this didn't have her beautiful writing style and picturesque imagination, I would have dnf-ed this book 100 pages in.
There was basically no red thread, the entire story was running on thousands of POV changes and tiny instances and conversations, and none of those things ever came together to form a coherent story. Up until the very end I was unsure what the overall plot was supposed to be and what the golden yarn had to do with it. All I remember is that we have way too many characters and a stupid love triangle. I honestly can't believe Funke thought that would be a good idea. Jacob doesn't wanna be with Fox for stupid reasons and she doesn't even get a say in it. It felt unnecessary and weird, and since they get together by the end anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal anyway. The characters were a weak point for me already in the last two books, and they haven't improved much here either. I just don't care enough about them or the mirror world to read almost 500 pages of a plot that's basically non-existent.
I won't be continuing this series. I love Funke and her writing style and imagination. But nice prose can't make up for a weak plot and a world overstuffed with paper-thin characters. The mirror world is interesting and Funke does bring a great sense of imagination to everything, but that just wasn't enough for me this time.
There was basically no red thread, the entire story was running on thousands of POV changes and tiny instances and conversations, and none of those things ever came together to form a coherent story. Up until the very end I was unsure what the overall plot was supposed to be and what the golden yarn had to do with it. All I remember is that we have way too many characters and a stupid love triangle. I honestly can't believe Funke thought that would be a good idea. Jacob doesn't wanna be with Fox for stupid reasons and she doesn't even get a say in it. It felt unnecessary and weird, and since they get together by the end anyway, it wasn't that big of a deal anyway. The characters were a weak point for me already in the last two books, and they haven't improved much here either. I just don't care enough about them or the mirror world to read almost 500 pages of a plot that's basically non-existent.
I won't be continuing this series. I love Funke and her writing style and imagination. But nice prose can't make up for a weak plot and a world overstuffed with paper-thin characters. The mirror world is interesting and Funke does bring a great sense of imagination to everything, but that just wasn't enough for me this time.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3,5 Sterne!
»Wir leben ein gefährliches Leben, wir wollen es so - auch wenn wir uns für die, die wir lieben, ein anderes wünschen.«
"Reckless - Goldenes Garn" hat in mir sehr gemischte Gefühle ausgelöst. Zum einen gab es wieder interessante Anspielungen und Ereignisse, und die Spiegelwelt mag ich immer noch sehr, sehr gerne. Auf der anderen Seite hatte die Handlung aber keinen wirklichen roten Faden und wirkte langatmig.
Nachdem der Erlelf Spieler Jacob im letzen Band vor dem Blaubart gerettet hat, fordert er nun seinen Preis. Dieser ist Jacob jedoch zu hoch und er macht sich mit Fuchs auf der Suche nach etwas, das Spieler und seine Spiegelkreaturen zerstören könnte. Währendessen gibt Spieler auch Will einen Grund, wieder in die Spiegelwelt zurückzukehren und sich mit Nerron zu verbünden. Während dies die Haupthandlung darstellt, erfahren wir diesmal aber auch etwas mehr über den Vater von Jacob und Will, sowie die Dunkle Fee.
Vor allem die Perspektiven von der Dunklen Fee haben mir extrem gut gefallen; leider kamen diese etwas zu kurz. Und da sind wir auch schon bei einem Punkt der mir weniger gut gefallen hat: die viele Perspektiven und häufigen Perspektivenwechsel waren anstrengend. Auch wenn viele davon interessant und spannend waren, hatte man durch die Wechsel dann doch oft das Gefühl, nicht wirklich in der Handlung voran zu kommen.
Mehr im Fokus steht auch die Beziehung von Jacob und Fuchs. Leider machen es sich die beiden nicht einfach, und dann schleicht sich auch noch ein Liebesdreieck ein.
Da der Großteil der Handlung erneut darauf basiert, etwas zu suchen, wirkt das Buch langatmig und das hat mich etwas gestört. Auch die Erlelfen konnte ich als keine Bedrohung wahrnehmen und das Hin und Her zwischen Jacob und Fuchs war eher frustrierend. Gefallen haben mir jedoch die Handlung rund im die Dunkle Fee und Nerrons Perspektive. Insbesondere herausgestochen haben ebenfalls einzelne Szenen und die Vielfalt der Spiegelwelt.
»Wir leben ein gefährliches Leben, wir wollen es so - auch wenn wir uns für die, die wir lieben, ein anderes wünschen.«
"Reckless - Goldenes Garn" hat in mir sehr gemischte Gefühle ausgelöst. Zum einen gab es wieder interessante Anspielungen und Ereignisse, und die Spiegelwelt mag ich immer noch sehr, sehr gerne. Auf der anderen Seite hatte die Handlung aber keinen wirklichen roten Faden und wirkte langatmig.
Nachdem der Erlelf Spieler Jacob im letzen Band vor dem Blaubart gerettet hat, fordert er nun seinen Preis. Dieser ist Jacob jedoch zu hoch und er macht sich mit Fuchs auf der Suche nach etwas, das Spieler und seine Spiegelkreaturen zerstören könnte. Währendessen gibt Spieler auch Will einen Grund, wieder in die Spiegelwelt zurückzukehren und sich mit Nerron zu verbünden. Während dies die Haupthandlung darstellt, erfahren wir diesmal aber auch etwas mehr über den Vater von Jacob und Will, sowie die Dunkle Fee.
Vor allem die Perspektiven von der Dunklen Fee haben mir extrem gut gefallen; leider kamen diese etwas zu kurz. Und da sind wir auch schon bei einem Punkt der mir weniger gut gefallen hat: die viele Perspektiven und häufigen Perspektivenwechsel waren anstrengend. Auch wenn viele davon interessant und spannend waren, hatte man durch die Wechsel dann doch oft das Gefühl, nicht wirklich in der Handlung voran zu kommen.
Mehr im Fokus steht auch die Beziehung von Jacob und Fuchs. Leider machen es sich die beiden nicht einfach, und dann schleicht sich auch noch ein Liebesdreieck ein.
Da der Großteil der Handlung erneut darauf basiert, etwas zu suchen, wirkt das Buch langatmig und das hat mich etwas gestört. Auch die Erlelfen konnte ich als keine Bedrohung wahrnehmen und das Hin und Her zwischen Jacob und Fuchs war eher frustrierend. Gefallen haben mir jedoch die Handlung rund im die Dunkle Fee und Nerrons Perspektive. Insbesondere herausgestochen haben ebenfalls einzelne Szenen und die Vielfalt der Spiegelwelt.
I was given an advanced reader's copy of The Golden Yarn from Goldberg McDuffie Communications and the author, Cornelia Funke, but my opinions are entirely my own.
The Golden Yarn is the third installment of the Mirrorworld series, a deep fantasy tale of love, treasure hunters, and magic. As I've done with previous reviews, I went into the book blind, hoping that the strength of the story would keep me from being out of the loop. Immediately, the story lunges into the action with the birth of the skinless prince to Kami'en, King of the Goyle, and the dollface human, Amalie. I was instantly enamored with the lyrical writing and a world that was both familiar and brand new. Funke's world beyond the mirror is based on many fairy tales, and despite the depth of the story, as well as the amount of characters in play, Funke's control of pacing kept the story moving. At no point did I feel bogged down by excess explanations. Instead, the narrative only lingered on past events or worldbuilding long enough to give the reader a taste for it. And it only made me hungry for more.
Though I have a general idea of what transpired in the previous two books, I still could not tell you how the story played out. At times when I read a sequel without reading the previous book, I no longer have to. The story is so thoroughly explained in the sequel, or the events are so linear that I would feel bored just reiterating what I already know. This wasn't the case at all with The Golden Yarn. I'm clamoring for the first two books, not only because I want to know more than just the little tastes I've been given, but because I know the first two are bound to be as complex as this one. Though some might be disoriented by shifting characters and titles used more often than names, I found the many characters and their layered inner conflicts so delightful. I loved seeing how these characters all intersected and then went their own ways. As well, each character had rich inner conflicts that influenced their actions. The Dark Fairy, of course, being the most obvious, especially after she sought to end the love she felt for Kami'en. I especially enjoyed Will's conflicts as well, how he was the "canvas others painted on," and how he came to deal with that.
I will say that Will's sort of "betrayal" of Clara by the end of the book (at least how I saw it) felt a little off, especially since his entire motivation for going to the Mirrorworld is to save her. And because of the high fantasy and so many shifting POVs and varying storylines, the tension can seem to lag a bit and it can be easy to be pulled out of it, at least in my opinion.
The ending worked everything together well, which I was primarily concerned with, as it can be hard to create so many "beginnings" and "endings" in the course of a series, but everything tied together in a way that felt like closure with the room for more story to be explored. There was only one plot thread, the subplot of the skinless prince, that didn't get properly resolved. I realize that it will no doubt be carried on in the next book, but it would have made such a more satisfying read if that one last plot thread could be tied back into the central story with its own little sense of "closure."
All in all, I really adored this book. I was really happy to get the chance to read it and I can't wait to look into the others in the series. If you love high fantasy, or want to love high fantasy but have a hard time with heavy writing, pick up the story of Jacob Reckless, and I assure you, you won't be disappointed.
4/5 stars. A lyrically written fantasy that tugs at the golden heartstrings.
The Golden Yarn is the third installment of the Mirrorworld series, a deep fantasy tale of love, treasure hunters, and magic. As I've done with previous reviews, I went into the book blind, hoping that the strength of the story would keep me from being out of the loop. Immediately, the story lunges into the action with the birth of the skinless prince to Kami'en, King of the Goyle, and the dollface human, Amalie. I was instantly enamored with the lyrical writing and a world that was both familiar and brand new. Funke's world beyond the mirror is based on many fairy tales, and despite the depth of the story, as well as the amount of characters in play, Funke's control of pacing kept the story moving. At no point did I feel bogged down by excess explanations. Instead, the narrative only lingered on past events or worldbuilding long enough to give the reader a taste for it. And it only made me hungry for more.
Though I have a general idea of what transpired in the previous two books, I still could not tell you how the story played out. At times when I read a sequel without reading the previous book, I no longer have to. The story is so thoroughly explained in the sequel, or the events are so linear that I would feel bored just reiterating what I already know. This wasn't the case at all with The Golden Yarn. I'm clamoring for the first two books, not only because I want to know more than just the little tastes I've been given, but because I know the first two are bound to be as complex as this one. Though some might be disoriented by shifting characters and titles used more often than names, I found the many characters and their layered inner conflicts so delightful. I loved seeing how these characters all intersected and then went their own ways. As well, each character had rich inner conflicts that influenced their actions. The Dark Fairy, of course, being the most obvious, especially after she sought to end the love she felt for Kami'en. I especially enjoyed Will's conflicts as well, how he was the "canvas others painted on," and how he came to deal with that.
I will say that Will's sort of "betrayal" of Clara by the end of the book (at least how I saw it) felt a little off, especially since his entire motivation for going to the Mirrorworld is to save her. And because of the high fantasy and so many shifting POVs and varying storylines, the tension can seem to lag a bit and it can be easy to be pulled out of it, at least in my opinion.
The ending worked everything together well, which I was primarily concerned with, as it can be hard to create so many "beginnings" and "endings" in the course of a series, but everything tied together in a way that felt like closure with the room for more story to be explored. There was only one plot thread, the subplot of the skinless prince, that didn't get properly resolved. I realize that it will no doubt be carried on in the next book, but it would have made such a more satisfying read if that one last plot thread could be tied back into the central story with its own little sense of "closure."
All in all, I really adored this book. I was really happy to get the chance to read it and I can't wait to look into the others in the series. If you love high fantasy, or want to love high fantasy but have a hard time with heavy writing, pick up the story of Jacob Reckless, and I assure you, you won't be disappointed.
4/5 stars. A lyrically written fantasy that tugs at the golden heartstrings.
Another strong book set in this dark Germanic fairytale world. This time we go to Russia and experience their folklore and fairies. I am enjoying this world and cant wait for more but I will say how annoying John was his cowardice and guilt was obnoxious which I guess is the point
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes