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Inkspell
- By Cornelia Funke
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Overlong but often exciting sequel, darker than first book.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that, in addition to the bloody violence depicted in this fantasy sequel, 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. As with the first book, kids pick up on some positive messages as brave bibliophile Meggie fights for good against evil -- and to save her family. The
whole series is tribute to books, authors, reading, and especially
reading aloud.
What's the story?
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 takes 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 you 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. Just ask J.K.
What families can talk about
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? Are you going to read the third book, Inkdeath?
This book is fantasy but does feature some intense violence and threats. Is it easier to read about
dark and disturbing things if it's in a work of fantasy? Does it
make any difference to you?
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AGE
It's brilliant!
I don't think she's copied anyone. It might take some people a while to get into, but a connection can quickly be established with the plot and characters. The language isn't really a problem ad while there is violence, it isn't to excessive levels. Inkheart, the prequel is my favourite book.
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AGE
Inkspell - - skip it!
Inkspell had several story lines going at one time - - much like a soap opera - - which was very hard to keep up with for our 9 year old son. It took a very long time for my son to get committed to it mentally and it moved very slow for the first 200 pages. There were significant episodes of swearing that didn't add anything to the book and it spoke often of a married man sleeping with a 13 year old. It was a huge disappointment for us after reading Inkheart and watching the movie. Very poor sequal.
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AGE
Best book of the series
This was loads better than the first. The villians are more villianous, there are more characters and the original chracters get more complex, and there are multiple romances. Yes, it is quite violent, and there are a few swears, but it's nothing that tweens can't handle.
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AGE
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 D**n, Breast, Son of a b**ch, Lover, etc. D**n, 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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AGE
Interesting....
KNOW YOUR KID--- please look over the ENTIRE series before giving to a 8-9 yr. old. There are some cold scenes in some of the books. This is definately better than Harry Potter, if you are steadfast on reading the Harry Potter book, than squeeze this series in while you wait. It is something you'll thank me for later ( and the author)
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AGE
VERY dragged out, but good once you get into it
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.
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AGE
for kids 12 and up
It was better than the first.
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AGE
Good....but not as good as Inkheart
This is a very good book. It's a lot darker than Inkheart was, so it's probably good for about 10+.
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AGE
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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AGE
sequel has bad pacing and it loses inkHEART for it...
Inkspell lose the reading magic that made Inkheart a real charmer. Although the pacing is off, crazily boring at parts, but right before your about to give up the story picks up again, only to slow its pace again, to jump into adventure, and so on for the rest of the book. It gets annoying and I have really think it was over long. The ending leaves off at place that the reader sees coming from the beginning. Inkspell continues the story where INkheart left off, talking for 100 plus pages about Maggie living at her aunts house, and then she reads herself and Farid into Inkheart, which you expect to be exciting but that is where the story is boring. The book is heavy and you expect to be hit with awesome emotion from each page form the funny and realistic characters, but will only be disappointed, otherwise the book is exciting and its cool to begin each chapter with a quote form great books, that if you read, foreshadow the next chapter coming after. The violence contains knives and guns, a death taking fire, a death that is heartbreaking even know you see it coming 200 pages before it really happens. People are tortured, and stabbed, and are shot at. There is flirting and kissing and romance. And the da** word is uttered a lot. Inkspell may be overlong, and boring at places but still its a great read, and I totaly agree you should try it if you're a fan of fantasy.
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| Author: | Cornelia Funke |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Scholastic Inc. |
| Publication date: | October 9, 2005 |
| Number of pages: | 635 |
| Hardcover price: | $19.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
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