So after having killed off Dustfinger in the second volume of this trilogy, Cornelia Funke takes us down a rather dark road in this final book in the Inkheart trilogy. Things actually look rather hopeless for a while but of course, Funke has lots of stuff up her sleeves and takes the story on a lot of fascinating twists and turns.
As the first two novels, this one again shows a huge love of books and reading with main characters being book binders, authors, book illuminators, silver tongues.
Mo is actually in a lot of trouble in this book. To bring back Dustfinger from the dead, he strikes a deal with the White Women. A deal, that ultimately can cost both him and Meggie their lives.
There are several things to like in this book – not least the glass men that are helping the authors write. I also really love the whole relation between the author and his work, Fenoglio and the Inkworld. Unfortunately, Fenoglio has lost his inspiration and is getting more and more frustrated with Orpheus who’s changing the world as he sees fit and constantly writing and reading new things into the world by taking small parts of the original manuscript and piecing them together.
Ultimately, all the main characters come together for a show-down on the castle in the lake; a show-down that nearly sees Mo going insane, Dustfinger betraying him as well as Mo working painstakingly slow on a book to buy himself time. And not just any book, no, this book is why the Adderhed is immortal although decaying.
I have enjoyed this entire series and this final installment was no exception. The story flows easily and freely from the author’s imagination, it seems – very unlike what we encounter in the book with Fenoglio being lost for words and Orpheus having to steal all his. But I guess that’s ever author’s fear that Funke is diving into here.
I’ve rated all three books 4 stars out of 5 and I stand by that. I think they’re very successful ya fantasy novels. However, there’s a couple minor issues with this one that makes me not like it quite as much as the others. There are some mistakes in this one, some things I feel were out of character and the like. Still, I feel the author manages to pull it all together and while creating a satisfying ending that leaves open endings, she still manages to make room for a possible continuation of the series if she so wishes.
I’ve always been a book lover and I think I would have read this series over and over, had it been published when I was a young teenager. I enjoy the fantasy world and I really appreciate the love for books that are everywhere in these books. I think this is a trilogy that can get at least some young adults interested in both reading and fantasy.
NB: I read this book in 2011 – I’m just a bit late in writing the review.
Related posts:
Cornelia Funke: Inkspell (Inkheart #2) (Review)
- Title: Inkdeath (Inkheart # 3)
- Author: Cornelia Funke
- Publisher: Chicken House
- Year: 2008
- Pages: 713 pages
- Stars: 4 stars out of 5
The Literary Bunny 