my friend begged me to read inkheart, and after the first fifty pages or so i started getting into it. the same with inkspell. they're both the type of book you have to read in one sitting, otherwise you're tempted not to pick them up again once you've put them down. you have to let your mind sort of sink into the writing, until then you'll find yourself reading the same paragraph over and over because it isn't catching your interest. but it's a great story. the audiobook, once you get over the self-important voice of the narrator, is also really good.
Inkspell
(2005, Fiction - Fantasy, Written by Cornelia Funke)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Overlong but at-times exciting sequel.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 11 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Inkspell was written by Matt Berman
Parents need to know that, in addition to the bloody violence depicted, there are lots of references to violence in the past, and the threat of violence hangs over most of the book. There is an edge to the violence here as well: it is somehow more vicious, hate-filled, and senseless than in most fantasies.
Families Can Talk About
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- Families can talk about how this sequel compares to the first book. Is the story as exciting as in the first book? What would you change, if anything?
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More on Inkspell
Book Summary
Meggie shares with her father the perilous ability to read things and even characters out of books. In this sequel to Inkheart, Meggie discovers that she can also read people into books. After Dustfinger is sent back into Inkheart by Orpheus, another person with this ability, Meggie and Farid soon follow him, and Resa and Mo are sent by Orpheus, along with Mortola and Basta, the surviving villains from the first book.
Mo is seriously wounded by Mortola, and Meggie finds Fenoglio, the author of the story, now living inside it. He agrees to try to help Mo by writing new sections of the book, but the story seems to be evolving in ways that he can't control. As kingdoms go to war and multiple villains team up for revenge and conquest, Meggie tries to rescue her parents while falling in love with Farid.
Is It Any Good?
Fantasy writer Cornelia Funke tried to take a page from J.K. Rowling's book, but she missed the most important lessons: Pacing is essential, and books don't get long by larding them up with lots of unnecessary description and pointless to-ing and fro-ing; characters should age gradually; there has to be some lightness in the dark, some humor, some occasional lifting of the miasma of misery; if have lots of characters, you have to sharply delineate them or it's just confusing; and if you're going to kill off major characters, you have to involve readers emotionally with them first if you want them to care.
This isn't to say that Inkspell lacks excitement -- there's plenty to be had, scattered among the long, drawn-out scenes and descriptions. Fans of the first book will doubtless love this one as well: They have presumably learned to put up with the pacing and skip over the paragraphs that are unnecessary to the story. And the author has an intriguing premise and no shortage of imagination. But this could have been done so much better. Blame it on J.K.
Publisher’s Details
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., Publication date: 10/09/2005
Number of pages: 635, Price: $19.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 11, Read Alone: 11
Number of pages: 635, Price: $19.99 (hardcover)
Read Aloud: 11, Read Alone: 11
Our Members Say
See all 36 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
VERY dragged out, but good once you get into it
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
Good for tweens but not younger and it is hard to put down!
When I first started to read Inkheart (the first) book I wasn't sure if I liked it. But then I couldn't put it down. Inkspell is just as good. Couldn't put it down and wanted to absorb everyword. The descriptions are so vivid you feel as if you are really in Ombra. The only issue I have is the use of some words that my not be appropriate for tweens such as Damn, Breast, Son of a Bitch, Lover, etc. Damn, Breast and Lover aren't bad on their own, it was the context of them. The book would have been just fine without their use.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
Takes forever, but is an interesting perspective on the literary world
I've grown up reading an incredibly wide variety of literature and received these books for my birthday from a friend. The books are good, but the descriptive narrative is reminiscent of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, in the fact that it really does wander and take quite a lot out of the story. The information and descriptive language is interesting for a while, but the action is what really should drive the fantasy-based story. Inkspell is much better than Inkheart, in terms of the character development and story telling, but the plot jumps around quickly and doesn't take the necessary time to develop. The book would be good for avid readers and thinkers over about 13, as it takes concentration and patience to make it through the ~650 paged novel.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Awesome read!
I thought this book by Cornelia Funke was amazingly written. I was blown away by the enchanting descriptions and fell in love with the characters immediately. I personally think this series is better than Harry Potter, and if you or your children are worried that Harry Potter was Satanish or demonic, you needn't worry at ALL about Inkspell. The only major magic I recall is reading things and people into or out of books. Language wasn't really an issue to me; the only two dirty words used weren't overwhelmingly offensive, and they tend to appear in most young adult books. There wasn't anything blasphemous or anti-religious, and the only thing that might bother you are the White Women, or ghosts, that frequently haunt people terminally ill or fatally wounded ... it was, in my opinion, harmless. If you are bothered by wounds or blood, etc., you might not enjoy Inkspell. A character gets shot, but survives, a couple of people get run through with a blade, and there is one brief battle in which quite a few folks die. Ms. Funke doesn't go into unnecessary or brutal description, though. Now for some positive points in the book. In one part a character gives their life for another, which was an extremely loving and selfless act (quite emotional, too.) I think that Inkspell is appropriate for anyone over eight years old, though some of the younger children might get slightly bored or confused. I am thirteen and I adored it, so if you like fiction/fantasy novels you will most likely enjoy it also. It's not like epic fantasy or anything, but it delves very deeply into the realms of character and plot. Inkspell's main idea was basically good versus evil, and there is a clear definition between the two. In this book, good is good and evil is evil. It doesn't praise murder, deceit, etc., in any way. There was no adult content, if you take my meaning, whatsoever. Overall it was a wonderful and exciting novel, and it ended far too quickly!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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