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A review by laurasauras
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
3.0
Although the story is fantastic and I did feel attached to several of the characters, I cannot rate this book as highly as I expected for several reasons. Firstly, for a book about language so beautiful that the characters spring from the pages, the actual flow and sophistication of the words is not that high. I can excuse this for two reasons: it is a children's book and therefore must be simplified; and it was translated from German and although the translator has done a marvelous job, alliteration and similar language devices have not been maintained for obvious reasons.
My second reason is the one that made the book increasingly hard to finish: I struggled to believe the emotions that the characters were feeling. Of the many and varied characters in this book, I only truly believed Dustfinger. Dustfinger is the kind of character who would die for the little marten he carries around with him. And the best bit about him is that he would never tell someone that he would rather die than allow his pet to be harmed. It is shown by the way he was written in the book he belongs to. It is shown despite the many times the marten bites him and the more times that he criticizes the creature, he still loves it.
Contrasted to that, the love between Meggie and Farid feels forced and ingenuine. One moment they were staring shyly at one another and the next, Farid is kissing Meggie softly and telling her that he loves her. It was foreshadowed by adults teasing the two children about the other, but all I could think as they declared their affections was that it was very convenient they did love each other as there seems to be no other children their age in the book. Though Dustfinger looks at Farid and remarks that he remembers all to well what it felt like to be in love for the first time, we as the readers are not allowed to see that.
As far as stories go, I liked it. And I will read the next book in the series, out of interest in what happens next. But it was a struggle to get to the end and I can't see myself recommending it to anyone else.
My second reason is the one that made the book increasingly hard to finish: I struggled to believe the emotions that the characters were feeling. Of the many and varied characters in this book, I only truly believed Dustfinger. Dustfinger is the kind of character who would die for the little marten he carries around with him. And the best bit about him is that he would never tell someone that he would rather die than allow his pet to be harmed. It is shown by the way he was written in the book he belongs to. It is shown despite the many times the marten bites him and the more times that he criticizes the creature, he still loves it.
Contrasted to that, the love between Meggie and Farid feels forced and ingenuine. One moment they were staring shyly at one another and the next, Farid is kissing Meggie softly and telling her that he loves her. It was foreshadowed by adults teasing the two children about the other, but all I could think as they declared their affections was that it was very convenient they did love each other as there seems to be no other children their age in the book. Though Dustfinger looks at Farid and remarks that he remembers all to well what it felt like to be in love for the first time, we as the readers are not allowed to see that.
As far as stories go, I liked it. And I will read the next book in the series, out of interest in what happens next. But it was a struggle to get to the end and I can't see myself recommending it to anyone else.