A review by emilyrandolph_epstein
The Golden Yarn by Cornelia Funke

5.0

Cornelia Funke is flawless as ever. I could not put this book down. Funke always manages to infuse enough reality into her fantasy to up the stakes. I've been loving the Mirrorworld books so far, however I'm not sure I would classify them as strictly young adult. If you like fairy tale based books, but don't generally read YA, give this series a chance. The characters are vividly drawn, the world building balances whimsy and reality perfectly. And in the tradition of the very best fairy tales, there's a sinister element to the Mirrorworld books that makes you wonder if everyone you care about is going to survive. These books aren't black and white either, the villains aren't evil and the heroes aren't pure good. This series has some of the most compelling characters of any fairy tale based book series ever.