Inkdeath

(warning: Parts of this post may seem bloodthirsty due to some characters who made Galaxy furious)

Author: Cornelia Funke

Back-of-the-Book Description: The Inkworld is in disarray: Its author, Fenoglio, has lost his ability to write and, therefore, shape events; the odious Orpheus, however, has taken to recycling Fenoglio's words to control the narrative/world himself. The evil Adderhead, whose immortality was bound into the White Book by bookbinder-turned-people's champion Mo/the Bluejay, finds his body decomposing and demands a new Book; can Mo use the opportunity to end the villain's life altogether? Can Dustfinger come back from the dead? Will Resa's baby be born into peace or violence?

My Description: Inkdeath is beautiful. I'm not sure if it's the way it's written, if it's the magical Inkworld... I don't know. It's just beautiful, and you can't stop reading it because of it's beauty, and when you realize there are only 100 pages left you have to close the book and sigh to yourself that's it going to be over soon, and think about never finishing it, just so you won't have to leave that world behind.

However, I do have a few problems;

1. Doria(who is a boy, by the way, not a girl as the name suggests): In the last book, Meggie and Farid are together. I liked that. It tied the characters together, and those two made a cute couple; even though Meggie is a too young, and he is too old. For some reason, in this book Ms. Funke decides to bring in this 'other character' who starts to steal Meggie's affections, but we don't even get to know him. Sure, I know a bit about Doria's past, but that's it. I don't know his character.or what he would do or say half as well as almost any other character in the story, or at all, as a matter of fact, and for me he was underdeveloped. Meggie 'falling in love' with him was underdeveloped as well. One second we read about how he "sometimes brought her flowers", (it would have been nice if Ms. Funke had devoted a page or two to have an actual SCENE of that) the next her father sees him whispering in her ear and making her blush. Farid does hardly anything about it, even when he's without Dustfinger and with Meggie. He doesn't try to salvage the relationship until the very end, and that didn't make much sense.
2. Dustfinger: I love Dustfinger. He is one of my favorite characters; perhaps even my favorite. There jut wasn't enough of him in this book, though I was very excited when he took a lead in the end of Inkdeath, and I liked how he and Mo ended up good friends.
3. Meggie: Meggie used to be the main character. What happened to that? Why is Meggie no longer our protagonist? WHY? I always loved reading about her, yet she doesn't have much to do in this book besides blush at Doria, worry about her father and hold grudges with people who don't deserve it (especially her mother). Still, her no longer being the lead didn't bother me as much as I would have expected it to; it just confused me and made me wish for more of her--without the stupid grudges.
4. Mo: At the beginning of the book I can hardly recognize his character, but as the book moves on Ms. Funke sort of fixes that... Still, I find it odd that he'd say to Resa who is begging him to go back into our world (since when did Mo want to stay in the Inkworld anyway?) that "Meggie is almost grown up"(she's just thirteen, like me)"and she's in love with Farid"(oh, yes, she'd never even blush at another boy because of her love of Farid--that was sarcastic)and that's why they should stay. Later in the book Mo gets better, and you understand how he changed (sort of), it's just that one scene was a problem for me.
5. Orpheus: He LIVES? Are you kidding me? Why? WHY? Orpheus, who was a mere nuisance and annoying character in the previous book, becomes an evil, evil villain, and I, wanted, him, DEAD! Why did Ms. Funke leave him alive? WHY?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!
6. Brianna: Someone should have punched her. Violante should have punched her. I almost want to read her out of the book just so I can punch her. I don't mind Violante forgiving her for having a romance with Cosimo, Violante's husband, but I just wanted someone to punch her for it. I wanted Violante to do something. I mean yes, she kicked Brianna out of the castle for a while, (which was wonderful), but I would have liked something else... Like someone punching her. Like me punching her. Just once.

Besides those problems, this is a wonderful, wonderful book. I loved it. It's a page turning, it's interesting, and it's so, so beautiful.

Starting Date: Christmas (December 25th)

Ending Date: 2:??am, December 28th

Reading Time: Three days, if you count me staying up 'til 2:00am as a third day.

Pages: 663

Recommendations: To those who have read Inkheart and Inkspell. Don't think about reading this series out of order.

Writing Rating: 9

Story Rating: 7 1/2

Overall Rating: 8

Book #50 of '08

P.S. In the end, Farid leaves Dustfinger. WHAT? That's doesn't make any sense. NONE. That, is, not, FARID! NONE!!!