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Inkworld #3
Muerte de tinta
En el fulminante final de esta trilogía sobre el Mundo de Tinta , hay sombras negras en Umbra... Han pasado solamente pocas semanas desde que las mujeres Blancas se llevaran a Dedo Polvoriento con ellas. Meggie y sus padres viven en una finca abandonada y pacífica que hace casi olvidar las pesadillas que pasaron en el Castillo de Noche, aunque cuando oscurece y Meggie mira impaciente por la ventana esperando a Farid escucha el grito de un grajo... Entonces su padre desaparece en el bosque...
704 pages, Hardcover
First published September 28, 2007
About the author
Cornelia Funke
373 books13.5k followersCornelia Funke is a multiple award-winning German illustrator and storyteller, who writes fantasy for all ages of readers. Amongst her best known books is the Inkheart trilogy. Many of Cornelia's titles are published all over the world and translated into more than 30 languages. She has two children, two birds and a very old dog and lives in Los Angeles, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,734 reviews
January 24, 2015
3.5 stars!
I wish I had read this back when I started the series... Still enjoyable and I liked the ending :)
I wish I had read this back when I started the series... Still enjoyable and I liked the ending :)
Shelved as 'dnf'
January 24, 2022DNF 100 strona.
Widzę, że mam z tą serią ten sam problem co z ekranizacją.
Film zaczynałam 4 razy i wyłączałam na tej samej scenie. Podkreślam, że miałam 12 lat jak oglądałam go po raz pierwszy.
Pierwszy tom uwielbiam całym sercem, drugi już mnie bardzo rozczarował, a zaczynając trzeci, widzę, że wszystko idzie w stronę, która mnie nie interesuje.
Widzę, że mam z tą serią ten sam problem co z ekranizacją.
Film zaczynałam 4 razy i wyłączałam na tej samej scenie. Podkreślam, że miałam 12 lat jak oglądałam go po raz pierwszy.
Pierwszy tom uwielbiam całym sercem, drugi już mnie bardzo rozczarował, a zaczynając trzeci, widzę, że wszystko idzie w stronę, która mnie nie interesuje.
March 1, 2020
Halleluja! Ich habe es endlich geschafft dieses Buch und somit auch die ganze Reihe zu beenden! Puh gegen Ende hin habe ich mich echt durchquälen müssen, dem Buch hätten meiner Meinung nach ein paar Seiten weniger nicht geschadet.
Insgesamt bin ich auch nach dem Ende nicht der allergrößte Fan der Reihe geworden, da mich die Geschichte einfach nie so richtig packen konnte und auch die Figuren blieben mir irgendwie fremd und waren mir stellenweise leider echt egal... Die Gefühle kamen einfach nicht bei mir an, auch wenn ich den Schreibstil und die Aufmachung des Buches an sich super finde! Vielleicht begeistern diese Bücher einfach eine andere Zielgruppe als mich, denn ihre Reckless-Reihe mag ich um einiges mehr.
Das Ende ging dann - im Gegensatz zum Rest des Buches - ziemlich schnell und mir waren manche Konflikte dann etwas zu easy gelöst, dafür dass sie sich durch die ganze Reihe gezogen haben. Ansonsten fand ich das Ende aber echt schön und märchenhaft, passte einfach gut zur Reihe.
Insgesamt bin ich auch nach dem Ende nicht der allergrößte Fan der Reihe geworden, da mich die Geschichte einfach nie so richtig packen konnte und auch die Figuren blieben mir irgendwie fremd und waren mir stellenweise leider echt egal... Die Gefühle kamen einfach nicht bei mir an, auch wenn ich den Schreibstil und die Aufmachung des Buches an sich super finde! Vielleicht begeistern diese Bücher einfach eine andere Zielgruppe als mich, denn ihre Reckless-Reihe mag ich um einiges mehr.
Das Ende ging dann - im Gegensatz zum Rest des Buches - ziemlich schnell und mir waren manche Konflikte dann etwas zu easy gelöst, dafür dass sie sich durch die ganze Reihe gezogen haben. Ansonsten fand ich das Ende aber echt schön und märchenhaft, passte einfach gut zur Reihe.
May 15, 2008
[99% spoiler-free; I have trouble with spilling spoilers, so I'm working hard not to do it this time]
I got so crazy about this series that I not only ordered vol. 3 (this one) from Germany to find out how it ended, I even ordered the audio book and put it on my iPod so I could obsess about it repeatedly.
The cover blurb says, "Der Verlag übernimmt keine Haftung für eventuell verloren gegangene Personen." ("The publishers assume no responsibility for readers who disappear," essentially. It's all about getting lost in books. . .this time more literally than usual. They can laugh all they want. It happens.)
Incredible! I mean, what's not to like. It's a narrative about bibliophilia. Not just the stories out of books, which play a big role, especially in Vol. 1. . .but also, all the physical trappings of books. (The main adult point-of-view character is a bookbinder; secondary adult point-of-view characters are an author and a book collector; minor characters include a handful of book illuminators. If you Google for character names you find out that a handful of them are names of early scribes from St. Gallen. For a medievalist like me this is a delightful Easter egg, and it's hardly the only one.) Each chapter begins with a quotation from a book (the citations chosen vary interestingly between the English and German versions of Vols. 1 & 2 [and presumably will also in Vol. 3 -- the English version is due later this year], though they are probably 75% matches; I wouldn't be surprised if Funke picked the English set as well -- she's clearly a big Anglophile). The range of the quotes is impressive, from (in the German version) Mark Twain to Paul Celan to C. S. Lewis to Matthias Claudius to J. M. Barrie to Salman Rushdie to Umberto Eco to Schiller (_Die Räuber_ of course. There are marvelous robbers in the story, with all of the same conflicting agendas as the ones in Schiller*) and a host of others. *There's a definite kinship to the robbers in Astrid Lindgren, too.
The themes are Big: social justice for the downtrodden; families with all their complications (most of the characters are on the moody/passionate side; misunderstanding between close kin happens repeatedly); self-sacrifice to save others weaker than oneself; the meaning death gives to life. (Funke's husband Rolf was dying of cancer as she wrote Tintentod, and it shows. In a good way.)
Many readers' favorite character is Staubfinger (Dustfinger), the "fire-dancer" street performer who thinks he has no courage; but mine is Mortimer, the bookbinder, whose innocent heart (his symbol isn't a unicorn by accident) and empathy for the oppressed takes him into mortal danger multiple times (I can count five times from this volume without even thinking hard). Okay, there's a bit of "mild-mannered Clark Kent" going on here, but it's a nice archetype; and Mortimer's hero alter-ego, and what he finds he is capable of, will take your breath away. (I can't remember the last time I _forgot to breathe_ while reading.)
As one of the other reviewers says,
Dude.
I'll even say Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude.
What are they called in English? Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath.
What are they called in German? Inkheart, Inkblood, Inkdeath.
Go figure. It's another Sorcerer's Stone, as I figure it.
But don't let that get in your way. Read 'em.
I got so crazy about this series that I not only ordered vol. 3 (this one) from Germany to find out how it ended, I even ordered the audio book and put it on my iPod so I could obsess about it repeatedly.
The cover blurb says, "Der Verlag übernimmt keine Haftung für eventuell verloren gegangene Personen." ("The publishers assume no responsibility for readers who disappear," essentially. It's all about getting lost in books. . .this time more literally than usual. They can laugh all they want. It happens.)
Incredible! I mean, what's not to like. It's a narrative about bibliophilia. Not just the stories out of books, which play a big role, especially in Vol. 1. . .but also, all the physical trappings of books. (The main adult point-of-view character is a bookbinder; secondary adult point-of-view characters are an author and a book collector; minor characters include a handful of book illuminators. If you Google for character names you find out that a handful of them are names of early scribes from St. Gallen. For a medievalist like me this is a delightful Easter egg, and it's hardly the only one.) Each chapter begins with a quotation from a book (the citations chosen vary interestingly between the English and German versions of Vols. 1 & 2 [and presumably will also in Vol. 3 -- the English version is due later this year], though they are probably 75% matches; I wouldn't be surprised if Funke picked the English set as well -- she's clearly a big Anglophile). The range of the quotes is impressive, from (in the German version) Mark Twain to Paul Celan to C. S. Lewis to Matthias Claudius to J. M. Barrie to Salman Rushdie to Umberto Eco to Schiller (_Die Räuber_ of course. There are marvelous robbers in the story, with all of the same conflicting agendas as the ones in Schiller*) and a host of others. *There's a definite kinship to the robbers in Astrid Lindgren, too.
The themes are Big: social justice for the downtrodden; families with all their complications (most of the characters are on the moody/passionate side; misunderstanding between close kin happens repeatedly); self-sacrifice to save others weaker than oneself; the meaning death gives to life. (Funke's husband Rolf was dying of cancer as she wrote Tintentod, and it shows. In a good way.)
Many readers' favorite character is Staubfinger (Dustfinger), the "fire-dancer" street performer who thinks he has no courage; but mine is Mortimer, the bookbinder, whose innocent heart (his symbol isn't a unicorn by accident) and empathy for the oppressed takes him into mortal danger multiple times (I can count five times from this volume without even thinking hard). Okay, there's a bit of "mild-mannered Clark Kent" going on here, but it's a nice archetype; and Mortimer's hero alter-ego, and what he finds he is capable of, will take your breath away. (I can't remember the last time I _forgot to breathe_ while reading.)
As one of the other reviewers says,
Dude.
I'll even say Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude.
What are they called in English? Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath.
What are they called in German? Inkheart, Inkblood, Inkdeath.
Go figure. It's another Sorcerer's Stone, as I figure it.
But don't let that get in your way. Read 'em.
January 8, 2018
Inkdeath is the epic adventure I expected
Inkheart
and
Inkspell
to be—and as much as I complained about the slow pace, plot meandering, and innumerable characters in the first two books, I can tell you now that all the buildup was worth it.
Funke was juggling so many different plots by the end of Inkspell that I was seriously worried that many or all would be dropped or mishandled in the third act, but she surprised me by keeping all of them going until their natural conclusions, and also resisting the temptation to add new ones. Not every writer can do that.
I can’t say much more than this without ruining all the surprises.
Content Advisory:
It might help to think of this as a very clean book for adults that happens to have a few teens among its many protagonists. Young kids might find it inaccessible and hard to follow—I remember a lot of younger friends who loved the first two books hated this one—and it avoids the melodrama of a typical YA offering. (There is a love triangle, but it’s minor. It is treated like a teen relationship should be, gently but not too seriously, and not given any undue importance).
Violence: Various warlords enjoy brutal executions, including flayings and disembowelments. These are never shown, only mentioned. We do, however, see a handful of stabbings. There’s a few non-graphic torture scenes. The Adderhead has fairies killed en masse, thinking that bathing in their blood will alleviate his pain. A warlord threatens to cut out a man’s tongue; a magician sends a prisoner horrifying visions, hoping to drive him to suicide. Orpheus reads a unicorn into being for one of the warlords—so said warlord and his friends can hunt the animal, brutally butcher it, and parade its bloodied corpse through the streets of Ombra City. A dead man lies unburied outside castle walls, and his daughter is put in a cage hanging from a window above him in an attempt to break her spirit. The Piper forces children to work in the silver mines. There’s a panic in the marketplace and three little kids are trampled to death.
Sex: Farid walks in on Orpheus yanking a serving-girl onto his lap, and the narrator adds that Orpheus molests all his maids, becomes enraged if they reject his advances, and might spend some of his money on prostitutes. Brianna’s past affair with Cosimo (or his doppelganger) is mentioned a few times. Violante has an obvious crush on Mo—or the Bluejay, rather—and sulks when she finds out he’s already married. Meggie gets a few chaste kisses in with both Farid and the new boyfriend, Doria.
Language: A few emphatic “damns!” from Fenoglio and Elinor, usually directed at each other. They’re madly in love, they just don’t know it yet.
Substance Abuse: Fenoglio and Orpheus are both described as heavily hitting the booze, the former because he’s depressed, the latter because he’s debauched. Elinor has no patience for Fenoglio’s drinking and tells him so on several occasions.
Anything Else to Worry About: The Adderhead’s flesh is rotting on his body even while he lives. No one can bear the stench well enough to go near him—except the Piper, thanks to his fake silver nose.
Overall, this is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a fantasy series that I’ve ever read. Warmly recommended.
Funke was juggling so many different plots by the end of Inkspell that I was seriously worried that many or all would be dropped or mishandled in the third act, but she surprised me by keeping all of them going until their natural conclusions, and also resisting the temptation to add new ones. Not every writer can do that.
I can’t say much more than this without ruining all the surprises.
Content Advisory:
It might help to think of this as a very clean book for adults that happens to have a few teens among its many protagonists. Young kids might find it inaccessible and hard to follow—I remember a lot of younger friends who loved the first two books hated this one—and it avoids the melodrama of a typical YA offering. (There is a love triangle, but it’s minor. It is treated like a teen relationship should be, gently but not too seriously, and not given any undue importance).
Violence: Various warlords enjoy brutal executions, including flayings and disembowelments. These are never shown, only mentioned. We do, however, see a handful of stabbings. There’s a few non-graphic torture scenes. The Adderhead has fairies killed en masse, thinking that bathing in their blood will alleviate his pain. A warlord threatens to cut out a man’s tongue; a magician sends a prisoner horrifying visions, hoping to drive him to suicide. Orpheus reads a unicorn into being for one of the warlords—so said warlord and his friends can hunt the animal, brutally butcher it, and parade its bloodied corpse through the streets of Ombra City. A dead man lies unburied outside castle walls, and his daughter is put in a cage hanging from a window above him in an attempt to break her spirit. The Piper forces children to work in the silver mines. There’s a panic in the marketplace and three little kids are trampled to death.
Sex: Farid walks in on Orpheus yanking a serving-girl onto his lap, and the narrator adds that Orpheus molests all his maids, becomes enraged if they reject his advances, and might spend some of his money on prostitutes. Brianna’s past affair with Cosimo (or his doppelganger) is mentioned a few times. Violante has an obvious crush on Mo—or the Bluejay, rather—and sulks when she finds out he’s already married. Meggie gets a few chaste kisses in with both Farid and the new boyfriend, Doria.
Language: A few emphatic “damns!” from Fenoglio and Elinor, usually directed at each other. They’re madly in love, they just don’t know it yet.
Substance Abuse: Fenoglio and Orpheus are both described as heavily hitting the booze, the former because he’s depressed, the latter because he’s debauched. Elinor has no patience for Fenoglio’s drinking and tells him so on several occasions.
Anything Else to Worry About: The Adderhead’s flesh is rotting on his body even while he lives. No one can bear the stench well enough to go near him—except the Piper, thanks to his fake silver nose.
Overall, this is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a fantasy series that I’ve ever read. Warmly recommended.
August 7, 2017
Tintentod = Inkdeath (Inkworld, #3), Cornelia Funke
The Inkheart trilogy is a series of three fantasy novels written by German author Cornelia Funke, comprising Inkheart (2003), Inkspell (2005), and Inkdeath (2008). The books chronicle the adventures of teen Meggie Folchart whose life changes dramatically when she realizes that she and her father, a bookbinder named Mo, have the unusual ability to bring characters from books into the real world when reading aloud. Mostly set in Northern Italy and the parallel world of the fictional Inkheart book, the central story arc concerns the magic of books, their characters and creatures, and the art of reading.
عنوانها: مرگ جوهری؛ سیاه مرگ؛ نویسنده: کورنلیا فونکه؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و چهارم ژانویه سال 2012 میلادی
عنوان: مرگ جوهری - کتاب 3 از سه گانه؛ نویسنده: کورنلیا کارولینه فونکه؛ مترجم: محمد نوراللهی؛ تهران، بهنام، 1389؛ در 703 ص، مصور، شابک: 9789645668646؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان آلمانی قرن 21 م
عنوان: سیاه مرگ - کتاب 3 از سه گانه؛ نویسنده: کورنلیا کارولینه فونکه؛ مترجم: کتایون سلطانی؛ ویراستار: مژگان کلهر؛ تهران، افق، 1392؛ در 802 ص، مصور، شابک: 9789643698485؛
کتاب سوم از سه گانهی کورنلیا فونکه؛ «مو» از دنیای مرگ برگشته تا اشتباهش را در جان بخشیدن به حاکم ستمگر «مارکله» جبران کند. اگر موفق نشود، فساد و تباهی دنیای کتاب را فرا میگیرد؛ و «مگی» دختر مو هم به کام مرگ میافتد. از آن طرف مارکله که به عمر ابدی دست پیدا کرده است سعی میکند با کمک «ارفئوس»، مو را نابود کند. همه باید تلاش کنند تا کتاب قدیمی را که مارکله به کمک آن عمر جاودانه یافته است به دست آورند. اگر «فنوگلیوی پیر» در آن کتاب کلماتی جادویی بنویسد، مارکله میمیرد اما این کار دشوار است چون قدرت به دست مارکله است. ... ا. شربیانی
The Inkheart trilogy is a series of three fantasy novels written by German author Cornelia Funke, comprising Inkheart (2003), Inkspell (2005), and Inkdeath (2008). The books chronicle the adventures of teen Meggie Folchart whose life changes dramatically when she realizes that she and her father, a bookbinder named Mo, have the unusual ability to bring characters from books into the real world when reading aloud. Mostly set in Northern Italy and the parallel world of the fictional Inkheart book, the central story arc concerns the magic of books, their characters and creatures, and the art of reading.
عنوانها: مرگ جوهری؛ سیاه مرگ؛ نویسنده: کورنلیا فونکه؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: بیست و چهارم ژانویه سال 2012 میلادی
عنوان: مرگ جوهری - کتاب 3 از سه گانه؛ نویسنده: کورنلیا کارولینه فونکه؛ مترجم: محمد نوراللهی؛ تهران، بهنام، 1389؛ در 703 ص، مصور، شابک: 9789645668646؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان آلمانی قرن 21 م
عنوان: سیاه مرگ - کتاب 3 از سه گانه؛ نویسنده: کورنلیا کارولینه فونکه؛ مترجم: کتایون سلطانی؛ ویراستار: مژگان کلهر؛ تهران، افق، 1392؛ در 802 ص، مصور، شابک: 9789643698485؛
کتاب سوم از سه گانهی کورنلیا فونکه؛ «مو» از دنیای مرگ برگشته تا اشتباهش را در جان بخشیدن به حاکم ستمگر «مارکله» جبران کند. اگر موفق نشود، فساد و تباهی دنیای کتاب را فرا میگیرد؛ و «مگی» دختر مو هم به کام مرگ میافتد. از آن طرف مارکله که به عمر ابدی دست پیدا کرده است سعی میکند با کمک «ارفئوس»، مو را نابود کند. همه باید تلاش کنند تا کتاب قدیمی را که مارکله به کمک آن عمر جاودانه یافته است به دست آورند. اگر «فنوگلیوی پیر» در آن کتاب کلماتی جادویی بنویسد، مارکله میمیرد اما این کار دشوار است چون قدرت به دست مارکله است. ... ا. شربیانی
September 5, 2016
خو مُو ایی رِ چوطور رِیت بُدُم؟! :))
اینو اگه بچهتر بودم میخوندم، خیلی خیلی بیشتر خوشم میاومد.( و با این دید که برا سن من نوشته نشده، چار میدم) اما الآن بیاندازه مرگبار بود. جداً میگم. یه جاهایی اوج میگرفت و هَلَف هَلَف صفحهها رو میخوندی. بعد یهو دیالوگها ملالانگیز میشدن و ازون بدتر، زاویه دید ِ دانای کل میاومد شیرینبازی درآره. ولی یه جاهایی گلوی آدمو میزد. ولی بعضی توصیفها، دیالوگها و اتفاقا- به خصوص گرههای فرعی، اونقـــد خوب بودن که من سرمو بالا میاوردم و الکی میخندیدم. و دلم میخواست ازین چیزای قشنگ خیلی خیلی بیشتر بود. ذهن خلاق نویسنده مشخصاً خیلی حرفا برای گفتن داشت و جهانی که خلق کرده بود، با اینکه تا حد زیادی وامدار افسانهها و قصهها بود. اما اینکه همه اینا کنار هم جمع شن و یه داستان به این حجم و عظمت و چفت و بست خوب درآد، جداً هنر میخواد. ینی فک میکنم چطور همه اینا بهم وصل شدن، مغزم دود م��کنه و یه جاهایی غلظت ِ اینا میزنه بالا و من ِ خواننده کلافه میشم. حتی آخر داستان حس کردم نویسنده هنوز میخواسته بیشتر هنرنمایی کنه و قصههای فرعی دیگهای هم بیاره، منتها.. ای داد ِ بیداد! داستان باید تموم شه! :))
اینو اگه بچهتر بودم میخوندم، خیلی خیلی بیشتر خوشم میاومد.( و با این دید که برا سن من نوشته نشده، چار میدم) اما الآن بیاندازه مرگبار بود. جداً میگم. یه جاهایی اوج میگرفت و هَلَف هَلَف صفحهها رو میخوندی. بعد یهو دیالوگها ملالانگیز میشدن و ازون بدتر، زاویه دید ِ دانای کل میاومد شیرینبازی درآره. ولی یه جاهایی گلوی آدمو میزد. ولی بعضی توصیفها، دیالوگها و اتفاقا- به خصوص گرههای فرعی، اونقـــد خوب بودن که من سرمو بالا میاوردم و الکی میخندیدم. و دلم میخواست ازین چیزای قشنگ خیلی خیلی بیشتر بود. ذهن خلاق نویسنده مشخصاً خیلی حرفا برای گفتن داشت و جهانی که خلق کرده بود، با اینکه تا حد زیادی وامدار افسانهها و قصهها بود. اما اینکه همه اینا کنار هم جمع شن و یه داستان به این حجم و عظمت و چفت و بست خوب درآد، جداً هنر میخواد. ینی فک میکنم چطور همه اینا بهم وصل شدن، مغزم دود م��کنه و یه جاهایی غلظت ِ اینا میزنه بالا و من ِ خواننده کلافه میشم. حتی آخر داستان حس کردم نویسنده هنوز میخواسته بیشتر هنرنمایی کنه و قصههای فرعی دیگهای هم بیاره، منتها.. ای داد ِ بیداد! داستان باید تموم شه! :))
October 11, 2023
"Tintentod" von Cornelia Funke ist der dritte Teil der Tintenwelt-Reihe. Die Handlung setzt nur wenige Wochen nach dem Ende von "Tintenblut" ein und folgt Meggie, Mo, Fenoglio und den anderen bekannten (und teils neuen) Charakteren weiter durch die Tintenwelt, dieses Mal in winterlichem Setting. Cornelia Funkes Geschichte entwickelt sich sehr düster, spannend und mitreißend in diesem Band, die Protagonist*innen haben mit vielen Verlusten und Niederlagen zu kämpfen, bis zuletzt bleibt offen, ob sich alles noch zum Guten wenden kann. Zur Handlung selbst möchte ich nichts sagen, würde das doch zu viel von den anderen beiden Teilen vorweg nehmen. Ich bin aber erneut und vielleicht sogar noch ein bisschen mehr als in den Vorbänden begeistert von Cornelia Funkes schriftstellerischem Können, davon, wie sie ihre Figuren mit den verschiedensten Facetten ausstattet, sie sowohl mit guten, als auch mit bösen Eigenschaften bestückt und ihnen gerade dadurch Leben einhaucht. Neben den gelungenen Personen und Geschöpfen, die die Tintenwelt bevölkern, hat auch die Welt an sich mich wieder in ihren Bann gezogen.
Nach dem Lesen der letzten Sätze des Romans war ich zunächst unendlich traurig, dass ich die Tintenwelt nun wieder verlassen muss, bis mir wieder bewusst wurde, dass jetzt, fast zwanzig Jahre nach Erscheinen von "Tintentod", mit "Die Farbe der Rache" ein vierter Band der Tintenwelt-Reihe hinzukommen wird. Und beim Zuklappen dachte ich: Ja, dieser Band wird gebraucht. Denn ein ganz wichtiger Handlungsstrang ist noch offen! Ich bin voller Vorfreude und denke, dass ich diese Bücher nicht zum letzten Mal (wieder)gelesen habe. Meine Lieblings-Jugendbuchreihe, eine Geschichte über die Macht der Worte und des Vorlesens.
Nach dem Lesen der letzten Sätze des Romans war ich zunächst unendlich traurig, dass ich die Tintenwelt nun wieder verlassen muss, bis mir wieder bewusst wurde, dass jetzt, fast zwanzig Jahre nach Erscheinen von "Tintentod", mit "Die Farbe der Rache" ein vierter Band der Tintenwelt-Reihe hinzukommen wird. Und beim Zuklappen dachte ich: Ja, dieser Band wird gebraucht. Denn ein ganz wichtiger Handlungsstrang ist noch offen! Ich bin voller Vorfreude und denke, dass ich diese Bücher nicht zum letzten Mal (wieder)gelesen habe. Meine Lieblings-Jugendbuchreihe, eine Geschichte über die Macht der Worte und des Vorlesens.
July 11, 2008
The German title for the second book in this series is TINTENBLUT or INKBLOOD. Why it became INKSPELL in the US is a mystery (my guess is it was a marketing decision --- spell is a lot less scary than blood). Having now read the final book in the series, I see why that original title was so apt and think it was very unfortunate that it was changed.
But back to this book. It is dense, dark, and rich with ideas. I found it totally engrossing. The story picks up where the previous volume left off. In the world of the INKHEART book. Who tells the story? Who writes the story? Can the story be changed? Can death (or the White Ladies, in this story) be stymied? What is love?
Meggie, the feisty heroine of the first two books, is here trying to determine what love is. She was in love with Farid in the last book. What happens in this one? Do they go riding off happily into the sunset? And what about other loves? Farid's for Dustfinger? Resa's for Mo? Mo's for the Bluejay (trick comment, that one)? Orpheus for ...Orpheus?
The world of INKHEART is a wonderful one --- there are fairies and glassmen and shapeshifters and giants. It is also a harsh world with many deaths. This is not a book for the squeamish, Funke doesn't hold back with these.
The characters are complex. Things change for all of them. Some of them seem to be headed to the dark side at times. As for plot, Funke kept me on my toes all the time wondering what would happen next. Up to the very last page, I was totally unsure. (I should say it ends satisfyingly, but won't say more than that. Or at least, I was satisfied.)
The book is dense with plot, characters, world, and ideas. I loved it, but can imagine that it takes a particular reader to most enjoy it. My ARC weighs in at 663 pages (with a relatively small font to boot).
So for fans of the previous two books, I think you are in for a exciting, thought-provoking, and satisfying final ride.
But back to this book. It is dense, dark, and rich with ideas. I found it totally engrossing. The story picks up where the previous volume left off. In the world of the INKHEART book. Who tells the story? Who writes the story? Can the story be changed? Can death (or the White Ladies, in this story) be stymied? What is love?
Meggie, the feisty heroine of the first two books, is here trying to determine what love is. She was in love with Farid in the last book. What happens in this one? Do they go riding off happily into the sunset? And what about other loves? Farid's for Dustfinger? Resa's for Mo? Mo's for the Bluejay (trick comment, that one)? Orpheus for ...Orpheus?
The world of INKHEART is a wonderful one --- there are fairies and glassmen and shapeshifters and giants. It is also a harsh world with many deaths. This is not a book for the squeamish, Funke doesn't hold back with these.
The characters are complex. Things change for all of them. Some of them seem to be headed to the dark side at times. As for plot, Funke kept me on my toes all the time wondering what would happen next. Up to the very last page, I was totally unsure. (I should say it ends satisfyingly, but won't say more than that. Or at least, I was satisfied.)
The book is dense with plot, characters, world, and ideas. I loved it, but can imagine that it takes a particular reader to most enjoy it. My ARC weighs in at 663 pages (with a relatively small font to boot).
So for fans of the previous two books, I think you are in for a exciting, thought-provoking, and satisfying final ride.
August 12, 2009
Wow. Wow! I'm speechless. Wow. Gah, I don't know what to say. Let me first let out a scream of stunned glee ...
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, now that that's over with, I'll get on with the review. XD First, I have to say ... INKDEATH IS SOOO A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! I could not tear my eyes away from the pages when I was reading it, and the whole time, my heart was pounding so hard ... Inkdeath is crazily exciting and thrilling. And there are so many genius plot twists, it's incredible! It's so different than the two other books in the trilogy, and that's one of the reasons why this is my favorite of all three.
There is so much amazing character development. Cornelia Funke has always been a queen of characters, but in Inkdeath, she definitely branches out and develops her well-loved characters to an astounding extent. In Inkheart and Inkspell, Resa was a bit flat; the kind, caring, sweet mother that looked out for her husband and daughter. But Funke really gives her a lot of depth in Inkdeath. She becomes a hero, instead of always being the one who sits out and watches the action unfold. She shows us all these sides that we never could have guessed of: her fiercely independent side, her firm stubbornness (now we know where Meggie got it from), her internal struggles – even all her flaws. I love how she has the courage and independence to go against her husband and wife and try to find a way for them to go back home. I really enjoyed getting to know Resa better, and watching her turn from a flat character to the three dimensional one she is now.
Mo's transformation into the Bluejay is amazing. He reveals a whole different side of him that I never knew he had. Who would have guessed that the quiet, loving bookbinder could also be the brave, noble, cold-blooded Bluejay? It's amazing how much Mo changes from Inkspell to Inkdeath ... in Inkspell, he kept telling everyone he wasn't the Bluejay, and he kept refusing the part. But in Inkdeath, he becomes the Bluejay, and he embraces the character as himself. Already in the first chapters, he is going out at night and killing, and he even considers himself to be the Bluejay. In Inkspell, I never would have guessed that Mo was actually going to turn into the Bluejay! Or was the Bluejay always a part of him, and he was just letting it free? What came first: Mo or the Bluejay? Who knows. Either way, it's so cool how much Mo changes. It's funny how at the beginning of Inkdeath, I want Mo to stop being the Bluejay, but when he finally stops at the end, I'm sad.
Dustfinger changes a lot when he comes back from the dead, and in my opinion, it's for the better. Yes, he has always been a very round, three-dimensional character, but I've always hated him. He was selfish, he only did things for himself, he only helped others if he could get something out of it, and he was always only concerned about his own agenda. Plus, I'd never really forgiven him for betraying Mo and Meggie at the beginning of Inkheart and leading Capricorn to them. And I hated him for always leaving Roxane and Brianna and going off doing whatever. When Dustfinger comes back to life in Inkdeath, I change from hating him to loving him. He isn't selfish anymore, and he doesn't hate Mo so unfairly. In fact, he and Mo are very close, so close that they can feel the other's emotions, which I think is really cool. I love how he always follows Mo and protects him. And the new things he can do with fire are awesome. Dustfinger definitely changes for the better.
Farid, on the other hand, changes for the worse. In Inkspell, he was the sweet, caring, kind boy who was head over heels in love with Meggie. In Inkdeath, he is a total selfish jerk. He only cares about rescuing Dustfinger – he's way too obsessed with that, actually. He barely cares about Meggie anymore, even though he used to be in love with her, and he actually cheats on her countless times with a bunch of maids. That moron has no sense of faith! By the middle of Inkdeath, I'm ready to jump into the book and punch him. I'm so glad that Meggie chooses Doria over Farid. I would have probably killed her if she chose Farid. Doria is so much nicer, and Farid doesn't deserve Meggie. It makes me kind of sad, though, when I remember how sweet Farid and Meggie were together in Inkspell. It makes me frustrated; wasn't Farid the one who was in love with Meggie!?! Ah well.
Violante really grows and develops in Inkdeath. In Inkspell, she was pretty flat; we didn't know much about her personality, and she didn't have that big of a role. But in Inkdeath, she has a huge part, and I like that. She shows herself to be strong and independent and clever. She's a great character. It's interesting how she's in love with the Bluejay, but hopefully she'll get over it now, because what Fenoglio said is true: she's not actually in love with Mo himself, but the part that he played.
Okay, let's talk about Meggie. She has no part at all in Inkdeath – and I love that. Okay, maybe Meggie's nice, but let's face it; she's always been a pretty boring, flat main character. So it's quite a relief to have other, more interesting characters be the main characters of Inkdeath – their views are much more exciting than Meggie's, and I love taking a look through all their eyes. Also, I was quite tired of Meggie always being the one to save the day. So I'm really glad that different people saved the day this time – that Mo and Resa and Dustfinger got their chance. I'm glad that she isn't the center of attention this time, and that I get to understand other characters better.
The scene where Mo talks to Death is so cool. Funke portrays Death in such a creative way; I never would have imagined Death as a shape-shifter, or with a woman's voice. That's one of my favorite scenes in the book.
I love the Black Prince, but I'm disappointed that he doesn't do much in this book. He basically stays behind while Mo does everything. Ah well.
I love how the climax of the book is set in the Castle in the Lake. That castle is really cool, and it lets us see Violante's history. We find out a lot about her mother, which we didn't know much about before (and who would have guessed that Violante's mother was actually in love with the Adder? I still don't see how she could have fallen in love with that snake ...). Plus, it's nice that the action is happening at a different place than the Ombra Castle or the Castle of Night.
I hate Orpheus SO much. Every single time I see him in the book, I want to leap into the pages and beat that son of a female dog to a pulp. Many times I wanted to chuck the book at the wall and stop reading because of him. I hate his stupid, sadistic, conceited, selfish, greedy butt SO much. I would have HAPPILY killed him. Slooowwwllyyy. And I would have enjoyed every second of it. (No, I am not a sadist. Shut up. Only Orpheus makes me like this. :P) Most of the bad things that happen in Inkdeath are because of him. And it was so disgusting, the way he was using the maids. Pedophile! Through the whole book, I was waiting and waiting for Mo or at least someone to kill him, but nooooo! Instead he gets to run off skipping into the sunset, unharmed! (Well, it's not really the sunset – more like the cold mountains. And I doubt he's skipping. But still. AGH!) Darnit, Cornelia, why couldn't you have just killed him! C'mon, it wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes! I mean, you've already killed so many people in Inkdeath, what's one more to you? I hope he freezes to death in the mountains. No, that's too nice of a death for him. I hope he reaches another village, tries to trick them and get wealthy, but they burn him at the stake. And he has a long, painful death in which he realizes that he is actually a terrible and pathetic person, and that Mo is so much better than him. YES!! THAT WOULD BE PERFECT!! :D GO DIE, ORPHEUS!!! YOU SUCK AT WRITING AND AT READING!! HAA!! TAKE THAT, YOU STUPID DOG!! YOU CAN'T WRITE, YOU CAN ONLY STEAL THE WORDS OF A WRITER THAT'S BETTER THAN YOU!! HAVE WE EVER SEEN YOU WRITE WITHOUT USING FENOGLIO'S WORDS?? HUH?? HUH?? NO, DIDN'T THINK SO. HAA!! SO GO DIE!!!! Okay, I think I'm done now. Yay. That felt good.
I don't like Fenoglio much, either. Okay, yeah, he's nicer than Orpheus (EVERYONE is), but that's not saying much at all. He's almost as vain and arrogant as Orpheus, and he always really irritates me. It really bugs me how he barely writes a word in all of Inkdeath for Meggie to read to make things turn for the better. The whole time where he's just drinking and feeling sorry for himself, I want to slap him, and even when he stops drinking, he doesn't even write at all. It makes me want to scream at him, “WHO'S STORY IS THIS, YOU CRAZY OLD MAN? YOURS! IT'S YOUR STORY, ISN'T IT? SO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!” But nooo. He's a totally useless character in this book.
The thing about how Fenoglio wrote a different story about the grown-up Doria is so amazing! I think it's really interesting that Doria's story isn't published, but it still is included in the Inkworld. Which shows that a story doesn't have to be published to come to life, and I love that message. :)
I was always sad how Dustfinger loved Brianna, but she hated him. It hurt whenever Brianna referred to Dustfinger as “The Fire-Dancer,” instead of her father, and when Brianna never seemed to care that her father was dead. But at the end of Inkdeath, she starts to accept him as her father, when he saves her from the Night-Mare, and I really like that.
Also, Violante and Jacopo have always hated each other, but at the end of Inkdeath they start to warm up to each other. I love the hints that Funke gives us – how Jacopo calls Violante “mother” for the first time, and how Violante puts her arm around her son.
There are so many astonishing plot twists that sweep me off my feet (in a good way) in this book ... Violante offering Mo her alliance; Violante being in love with the Bluejay; Mo visiting Death and making a bargain with her (I never would have expected Death to actually be personified and revealed as a character in this story, so I didn't know what to think when Mo went into the world of the dead – and I was stunned right out of my skin when Mo met Death); Dustfinger coming back to life (I was convinced that he was going to stay dead, forever, so it's a huge surprise when Mo brings him back into the world with him); the whole thing with Meggie falling out of love with Farid and in love with Doria; Mortola coming back and allying herself with Orpheus; her turning into a magpie; Resa turning into a swift; Basta's spirit being the Night-Mare (I thought Night-Mares were just nameless creatures, so it came as quite a shock. I'm so glad that Dustfinger kills it; I've always thought that Dustfinger should have been the one to kill Basta, not Mo.) ...
But the biggest and most shocking plot twist of them all is definitely Jacopo's part in the conclusion of Inkdeath. Jacopo is the last person I would have expected to help Mo kill the Adderhead – which is why I love the fact that he does. I love when minor characters turn into major characters. And it makes perfect sense why he does it ... at the end of the book, we can see that Jacopo is changing. He's still snobby and bratty and self-centered, but he doesn't idolize his grandfather or the Piper anymore, and he begins to hate them. And, he starts to feel affection towards his mother. That's why he changes heart and helps Mo. This makes me really respect and view him differently; I used to hate him, but after what he does, I almost feel affection towards him.
I think it's really cool how Mo writes the three words in the book, how Jacopo distracts the Piper. It's so suspenseful and intense when Mo writes each word, then gets distracted after each. That's my favorite part in the book (besides the scene where Mo meets with Death); my heart was beating so fast at those moments! It's so dramatic.
And I love how the words to kill the Adderhead are the three titles of the book, in order: heart, spell, and death. It ties the book titles' together and makes sense why the books are called what they are. However, I just recently found out that when Cornelia originally wrote the book in German, she called the second book “Inkblood” instead of “Inkspell.” So in that case, did the translator not only change the title from “blood” to “spell,” but also the words that the kill the Adder from “heart, BLOOD, and death” to “heart, spell, and death?” It makes more sense that way ... but why did they change it?
What's up with the White Woman that writes something about Mo and gives it to Meggie? We never actually find out what is written on there, Meggie only says that it's “the Bluejay's last song” and that it's a happy ending for him or something. I don't get it. Did the White Woman write something for Meggie to read, so that Mo's story would end happily – so does that mean that the good outcome of the events at the Castle in the Lake are because of Meggie? But we never actually saw Meggie read, and she never said so ... so did the White Woman just show Meggie what was going to happen, so she wouldn't worry? But why would the White Woman do that – wouldn't she just let Meggie find out when Mo came home safe? Plus, why did the White Woman care so much about Mo?
The last line of the chapter before the epilogue is awesome. But even though Farid is a jerk and totally deserves Meggie to leave him, it still makes me kind of sad ... because I remember the days in Inkspell when Farid and Meggie were together, and that was so sweet ... *sigh* oh well.
I love the epilogue. Meggie's brother seems so cute. It's so cool how he longs to go to the real world, just like Meggie once longed to go to the Inkworld. The last line of the book is so cool; it kind of makes you feel like the story is going back to the beginning again, except reversed. I love indefinite endings. :D
I'm kind of disappointed that the Folcharts don't go back to the real world (Doria with them, of course), but I guess they really do love the Inkworld ... and I admit, I fell in love with the Inkworld myself, too. So I can hardly complain. :D No, I'm actually happy that they stay.
One thing I really love about this trilogy is how Cornelia Funke puts quotes from other books at the beginning of each chapter, quotes that sort of have to do with what goes on in each chapter. They're interesting, and I always get a pleasant jolt when she puts a quote from a book that I've read. :D
Cornelia Funke's characters really impress me. Her ability to create such realistic and believable characters is astounding. Every single one of her characters are so round and complex and three-dimensional, and they're all so lifelike! It's not just that ... they all mature and develop and grow so much over the three books. Only a highly skilled writer can do that.
What really amazes me is that Cornelia Funke wrote the book in German, so the English edition is written by a translator – and it has such an amazing writing style! The books are one of the most well-written ones I've ever read. But usually when a book gets translated, the writing style isn't that great, because the pretty prose usually gets lost when someone else takes them and transfers them to a different language. Not in this case! Either Cornelia Funke is such a great writer that her style shines even through the tampering of translation, or the translator is a great writer herself! It's probably a mixture of both.
Another thing is, I feel like the book drags on for way too long. There are long periods of time in which nothing seems to happen, or the events just get stretched out and out. Sometimes I felt like the book was never going to end. The book doesn't flow well. When I try to remember the first half of the book, it feels hazy, and it feels like I'm remembering it from a book before Inkdeath. Funke should have cut Inkdeath in half and made it into two separate books, in my opinion. That would have made it much easier. Or at least, she should have made it much shorter! There are many unnecessary scenes, and the ones that are necessary go on for forever.
I didn't like how Meggie's ambition to be a writer just kind of dropped after the first book. What happened to her wanting to be like Fenoglio and write her own words that she can read aloud? In Inkdeath, she doesn't even think of that ambition again! It's like someone totally erased it in her mind, or Funke didn't think it was important anymore ...which really frustrates me. I thought it was really cool that Meggie wanted to be a writer, so why did that have to spill out the window?!?
Also, I think the whole Brianna/Cosimo thing is weird. First of all, I thought it was kind of gross when they were in love in Inkspell, because he's like, way older than her (it never actually says how old Cosimo is, but I've always thought of him as being, like, 20, while Brianna is 15. Pedophile, anyone?) plus he was MARRIED to Violante, so he was cheating on his wife with her own maid! Plus, what I really didn't get was that Violante knew about it, and she wasn't doing anything. What the hell?!? (I mean, Brianna was spending her nights with Cosimo, for crying out loud! What does that tell you?) So I don't get at all why Violante forgives Brianna for cheating on her with her husband and why she lets Brianna come back to her. I would have punched her for even asking to come back! Ugh.
Sometimes I feel like there's too much going on in the story. There are too many subplots (so many that sometimes I forget what the main plot is), too many back stories, and definitely too many villains. There's way too many conflicts to keep track of them all, and with all these different villains with all their different agents, and all these different heroes with all their different agendas, I found myself getting many headaches as I was struggling to keep up with the crazy tangle going on in Inkdeath. And not all the villains are even that great, either. I mean, the Piper and Orpheus and Mortola are great villains, but the Milksop is a boring, flat one ... and the Adderhead is such a lame villain in Inkdeath. Sure, in Inkspell he was a great villain, but he loses all his magic in Inkdeath, and just turns into an annoying old man. I kind of feel the same about Mortola – she was a great villain before, but in Inkdeath she just becomes really annoying, and there isn't really any point to her in this book. She doesn't do much, and she just ends up dying anyway before she can cause any harm or anything.
Okay, enough of the things I didn't like about it...
I really love the theme of Inkdeath: the message that it is not the author who controls the story, but the characters and the story itself. This is basically the theme of the whole trilogy. The story and characters will do what they want, whether the author likes it or not, and it is in fact the story and characters that control the author, not the other way around. This is so true; every writer learns that the hard way (I'm talking from experience. Erp. ><) I think this is the coolest theme a book has ever portrayed.
All in all, this is an amazing ending to the trilogy, and I'm glad that Cornelia Funke finished it this way; it's perfect. I love this series so much, and it's now one of my top favorites. It's a great story not only for book lovers, but for writers, too. I'm definitely going to keep these three books and take them with me wherever I go. I'll definitely go on re-reading and re-reading them, and I know this is one of those series's that I'll be reading even when I'm an adult.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, now that that's over with, I'll get on with the review. XD First, I have to say ... INKDEATH IS SOOO A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! I could not tear my eyes away from the pages when I was reading it, and the whole time, my heart was pounding so hard ... Inkdeath is crazily exciting and thrilling. And there are so many genius plot twists, it's incredible! It's so different than the two other books in the trilogy, and that's one of the reasons why this is my favorite of all three.
There is so much amazing character development. Cornelia Funke has always been a queen of characters, but in Inkdeath, she definitely branches out and develops her well-loved characters to an astounding extent. In Inkheart and Inkspell, Resa was a bit flat; the kind, caring, sweet mother that looked out for her husband and daughter. But Funke really gives her a lot of depth in Inkdeath. She becomes a hero, instead of always being the one who sits out and watches the action unfold. She shows us all these sides that we never could have guessed of: her fiercely independent side, her firm stubbornness (now we know where Meggie got it from), her internal struggles – even all her flaws. I love how she has the courage and independence to go against her husband and wife and try to find a way for them to go back home. I really enjoyed getting to know Resa better, and watching her turn from a flat character to the three dimensional one she is now.
Mo's transformation into the Bluejay is amazing. He reveals a whole different side of him that I never knew he had. Who would have guessed that the quiet, loving bookbinder could also be the brave, noble, cold-blooded Bluejay? It's amazing how much Mo changes from Inkspell to Inkdeath ... in Inkspell, he kept telling everyone he wasn't the Bluejay, and he kept refusing the part. But in Inkdeath, he becomes the Bluejay, and he embraces the character as himself. Already in the first chapters, he is going out at night and killing, and he even considers himself to be the Bluejay. In Inkspell, I never would have guessed that Mo was actually going to turn into the Bluejay! Or was the Bluejay always a part of him, and he was just letting it free? What came first: Mo or the Bluejay? Who knows. Either way, it's so cool how much Mo changes. It's funny how at the beginning of Inkdeath, I want Mo to stop being the Bluejay, but when he finally stops at the end, I'm sad.
Dustfinger changes a lot when he comes back from the dead, and in my opinion, it's for the better. Yes, he has always been a very round, three-dimensional character, but I've always hated him. He was selfish, he only did things for himself, he only helped others if he could get something out of it, and he was always only concerned about his own agenda. Plus, I'd never really forgiven him for betraying Mo and Meggie at the beginning of Inkheart and leading Capricorn to them. And I hated him for always leaving Roxane and Brianna and going off doing whatever. When Dustfinger comes back to life in Inkdeath, I change from hating him to loving him. He isn't selfish anymore, and he doesn't hate Mo so unfairly. In fact, he and Mo are very close, so close that they can feel the other's emotions, which I think is really cool. I love how he always follows Mo and protects him. And the new things he can do with fire are awesome. Dustfinger definitely changes for the better.
Farid, on the other hand, changes for the worse. In Inkspell, he was the sweet, caring, kind boy who was head over heels in love with Meggie. In Inkdeath, he is a total selfish jerk. He only cares about rescuing Dustfinger – he's way too obsessed with that, actually. He barely cares about Meggie anymore, even though he used to be in love with her, and he actually cheats on her countless times with a bunch of maids. That moron has no sense of faith! By the middle of Inkdeath, I'm ready to jump into the book and punch him. I'm so glad that Meggie chooses Doria over Farid. I would have probably killed her if she chose Farid. Doria is so much nicer, and Farid doesn't deserve Meggie. It makes me kind of sad, though, when I remember how sweet Farid and Meggie were together in Inkspell. It makes me frustrated; wasn't Farid the one who was in love with Meggie!?! Ah well.
Violante really grows and develops in Inkdeath. In Inkspell, she was pretty flat; we didn't know much about her personality, and she didn't have that big of a role. But in Inkdeath, she has a huge part, and I like that. She shows herself to be strong and independent and clever. She's a great character. It's interesting how she's in love with the Bluejay, but hopefully she'll get over it now, because what Fenoglio said is true: she's not actually in love with Mo himself, but the part that he played.
Okay, let's talk about Meggie. She has no part at all in Inkdeath – and I love that. Okay, maybe Meggie's nice, but let's face it; she's always been a pretty boring, flat main character. So it's quite a relief to have other, more interesting characters be the main characters of Inkdeath – their views are much more exciting than Meggie's, and I love taking a look through all their eyes. Also, I was quite tired of Meggie always being the one to save the day. So I'm really glad that different people saved the day this time – that Mo and Resa and Dustfinger got their chance. I'm glad that she isn't the center of attention this time, and that I get to understand other characters better.
The scene where Mo talks to Death is so cool. Funke portrays Death in such a creative way; I never would have imagined Death as a shape-shifter, or with a woman's voice. That's one of my favorite scenes in the book.
I love the Black Prince, but I'm disappointed that he doesn't do much in this book. He basically stays behind while Mo does everything. Ah well.
I love how the climax of the book is set in the Castle in the Lake. That castle is really cool, and it lets us see Violante's history. We find out a lot about her mother, which we didn't know much about before (and who would have guessed that Violante's mother was actually in love with the Adder? I still don't see how she could have fallen in love with that snake ...). Plus, it's nice that the action is happening at a different place than the Ombra Castle or the Castle of Night.
I hate Orpheus SO much. Every single time I see him in the book, I want to leap into the pages and beat that son of a female dog to a pulp. Many times I wanted to chuck the book at the wall and stop reading because of him. I hate his stupid, sadistic, conceited, selfish, greedy butt SO much. I would have HAPPILY killed him. Slooowwwllyyy. And I would have enjoyed every second of it. (No, I am not a sadist. Shut up. Only Orpheus makes me like this. :P) Most of the bad things that happen in Inkdeath are because of him. And it was so disgusting, the way he was using the maids. Pedophile! Through the whole book, I was waiting and waiting for Mo or at least someone to kill him, but nooooo! Instead he gets to run off skipping into the sunset, unharmed! (Well, it's not really the sunset – more like the cold mountains. And I doubt he's skipping. But still. AGH!) Darnit, Cornelia, why couldn't you have just killed him! C'mon, it wouldn't have taken more than a few minutes! I mean, you've already killed so many people in Inkdeath, what's one more to you? I hope he freezes to death in the mountains. No, that's too nice of a death for him. I hope he reaches another village, tries to trick them and get wealthy, but they burn him at the stake. And he has a long, painful death in which he realizes that he is actually a terrible and pathetic person, and that Mo is so much better than him. YES!! THAT WOULD BE PERFECT!! :D GO DIE, ORPHEUS!!! YOU SUCK AT WRITING AND AT READING!! HAA!! TAKE THAT, YOU STUPID DOG!! YOU CAN'T WRITE, YOU CAN ONLY STEAL THE WORDS OF A WRITER THAT'S BETTER THAN YOU!! HAVE WE EVER SEEN YOU WRITE WITHOUT USING FENOGLIO'S WORDS?? HUH?? HUH?? NO, DIDN'T THINK SO. HAA!! SO GO DIE!!!! Okay, I think I'm done now. Yay. That felt good.
I don't like Fenoglio much, either. Okay, yeah, he's nicer than Orpheus (EVERYONE is), but that's not saying much at all. He's almost as vain and arrogant as Orpheus, and he always really irritates me. It really bugs me how he barely writes a word in all of Inkdeath for Meggie to read to make things turn for the better. The whole time where he's just drinking and feeling sorry for himself, I want to slap him, and even when he stops drinking, he doesn't even write at all. It makes me want to scream at him, “WHO'S STORY IS THIS, YOU CRAZY OLD MAN? YOURS! IT'S YOUR STORY, ISN'T IT? SO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!” But nooo. He's a totally useless character in this book.
The thing about how Fenoglio wrote a different story about the grown-up Doria is so amazing! I think it's really interesting that Doria's story isn't published, but it still is included in the Inkworld. Which shows that a story doesn't have to be published to come to life, and I love that message. :)
I was always sad how Dustfinger loved Brianna, but she hated him. It hurt whenever Brianna referred to Dustfinger as “The Fire-Dancer,” instead of her father, and when Brianna never seemed to care that her father was dead. But at the end of Inkdeath, she starts to accept him as her father, when he saves her from the Night-Mare, and I really like that.
Also, Violante and Jacopo have always hated each other, but at the end of Inkdeath they start to warm up to each other. I love the hints that Funke gives us – how Jacopo calls Violante “mother” for the first time, and how Violante puts her arm around her son.
There are so many astonishing plot twists that sweep me off my feet (in a good way) in this book ... Violante offering Mo her alliance; Violante being in love with the Bluejay; Mo visiting Death and making a bargain with her (I never would have expected Death to actually be personified and revealed as a character in this story, so I didn't know what to think when Mo went into the world of the dead – and I was stunned right out of my skin when Mo met Death); Dustfinger coming back to life (I was convinced that he was going to stay dead, forever, so it's a huge surprise when Mo brings him back into the world with him); the whole thing with Meggie falling out of love with Farid and in love with Doria; Mortola coming back and allying herself with Orpheus; her turning into a magpie; Resa turning into a swift; Basta's spirit being the Night-Mare (I thought Night-Mares were just nameless creatures, so it came as quite a shock. I'm so glad that Dustfinger kills it; I've always thought that Dustfinger should have been the one to kill Basta, not Mo.) ...
But the biggest and most shocking plot twist of them all is definitely Jacopo's part in the conclusion of Inkdeath. Jacopo is the last person I would have expected to help Mo kill the Adderhead – which is why I love the fact that he does. I love when minor characters turn into major characters. And it makes perfect sense why he does it ... at the end of the book, we can see that Jacopo is changing. He's still snobby and bratty and self-centered, but he doesn't idolize his grandfather or the Piper anymore, and he begins to hate them. And, he starts to feel affection towards his mother. That's why he changes heart and helps Mo. This makes me really respect and view him differently; I used to hate him, but after what he does, I almost feel affection towards him.
I think it's really cool how Mo writes the three words in the book, how Jacopo distracts the Piper. It's so suspenseful and intense when Mo writes each word, then gets distracted after each. That's my favorite part in the book (besides the scene where Mo meets with Death); my heart was beating so fast at those moments! It's so dramatic.
And I love how the words to kill the Adderhead are the three titles of the book, in order: heart, spell, and death. It ties the book titles' together and makes sense why the books are called what they are. However, I just recently found out that when Cornelia originally wrote the book in German, she called the second book “Inkblood” instead of “Inkspell.” So in that case, did the translator not only change the title from “blood” to “spell,” but also the words that the kill the Adder from “heart, BLOOD, and death” to “heart, spell, and death?” It makes more sense that way ... but why did they change it?
What's up with the White Woman that writes something about Mo and gives it to Meggie? We never actually find out what is written on there, Meggie only says that it's “the Bluejay's last song” and that it's a happy ending for him or something. I don't get it. Did the White Woman write something for Meggie to read, so that Mo's story would end happily – so does that mean that the good outcome of the events at the Castle in the Lake are because of Meggie? But we never actually saw Meggie read, and she never said so ... so did the White Woman just show Meggie what was going to happen, so she wouldn't worry? But why would the White Woman do that – wouldn't she just let Meggie find out when Mo came home safe? Plus, why did the White Woman care so much about Mo?
The last line of the chapter before the epilogue is awesome. But even though Farid is a jerk and totally deserves Meggie to leave him, it still makes me kind of sad ... because I remember the days in Inkspell when Farid and Meggie were together, and that was so sweet ... *sigh* oh well.
I love the epilogue. Meggie's brother seems so cute. It's so cool how he longs to go to the real world, just like Meggie once longed to go to the Inkworld. The last line of the book is so cool; it kind of makes you feel like the story is going back to the beginning again, except reversed. I love indefinite endings. :D
I'm kind of disappointed that the Folcharts don't go back to the real world (Doria with them, of course), but I guess they really do love the Inkworld ... and I admit, I fell in love with the Inkworld myself, too. So I can hardly complain. :D No, I'm actually happy that they stay.
One thing I really love about this trilogy is how Cornelia Funke puts quotes from other books at the beginning of each chapter, quotes that sort of have to do with what goes on in each chapter. They're interesting, and I always get a pleasant jolt when she puts a quote from a book that I've read. :D
Cornelia Funke's characters really impress me. Her ability to create such realistic and believable characters is astounding. Every single one of her characters are so round and complex and three-dimensional, and they're all so lifelike! It's not just that ... they all mature and develop and grow so much over the three books. Only a highly skilled writer can do that.
What really amazes me is that Cornelia Funke wrote the book in German, so the English edition is written by a translator – and it has such an amazing writing style! The books are one of the most well-written ones I've ever read. But usually when a book gets translated, the writing style isn't that great, because the pretty prose usually gets lost when someone else takes them and transfers them to a different language. Not in this case! Either Cornelia Funke is such a great writer that her style shines even through the tampering of translation, or the translator is a great writer herself! It's probably a mixture of both.
Another thing is, I feel like the book drags on for way too long. There are long periods of time in which nothing seems to happen, or the events just get stretched out and out. Sometimes I felt like the book was never going to end. The book doesn't flow well. When I try to remember the first half of the book, it feels hazy, and it feels like I'm remembering it from a book before Inkdeath. Funke should have cut Inkdeath in half and made it into two separate books, in my opinion. That would have made it much easier. Or at least, she should have made it much shorter! There are many unnecessary scenes, and the ones that are necessary go on for forever.
I didn't like how Meggie's ambition to be a writer just kind of dropped after the first book. What happened to her wanting to be like Fenoglio and write her own words that she can read aloud? In Inkdeath, she doesn't even think of that ambition again! It's like someone totally erased it in her mind, or Funke didn't think it was important anymore ...which really frustrates me. I thought it was really cool that Meggie wanted to be a writer, so why did that have to spill out the window?!?
Also, I think the whole Brianna/Cosimo thing is weird. First of all, I thought it was kind of gross when they were in love in Inkspell, because he's like, way older than her (it never actually says how old Cosimo is, but I've always thought of him as being, like, 20, while Brianna is 15. Pedophile, anyone?) plus he was MARRIED to Violante, so he was cheating on his wife with her own maid! Plus, what I really didn't get was that Violante knew about it, and she wasn't doing anything. What the hell?!? (I mean, Brianna was spending her nights with Cosimo, for crying out loud! What does that tell you?) So I don't get at all why Violante forgives Brianna for cheating on her with her husband and why she lets Brianna come back to her. I would have punched her for even asking to come back! Ugh.
Sometimes I feel like there's too much going on in the story. There are too many subplots (so many that sometimes I forget what the main plot is), too many back stories, and definitely too many villains. There's way too many conflicts to keep track of them all, and with all these different villains with all their different agents, and all these different heroes with all their different agendas, I found myself getting many headaches as I was struggling to keep up with the crazy tangle going on in Inkdeath. And not all the villains are even that great, either. I mean, the Piper and Orpheus and Mortola are great villains, but the Milksop is a boring, flat one ... and the Adderhead is such a lame villain in Inkdeath. Sure, in Inkspell he was a great villain, but he loses all his magic in Inkdeath, and just turns into an annoying old man. I kind of feel the same about Mortola – she was a great villain before, but in Inkdeath she just becomes really annoying, and there isn't really any point to her in this book. She doesn't do much, and she just ends up dying anyway before she can cause any harm or anything.
Okay, enough of the things I didn't like about it...
I really love the theme of Inkdeath: the message that it is not the author who controls the story, but the characters and the story itself. This is basically the theme of the whole trilogy. The story and characters will do what they want, whether the author likes it or not, and it is in fact the story and characters that control the author, not the other way around. This is so true; every writer learns that the hard way (I'm talking from experience. Erp. ><) I think this is the coolest theme a book has ever portrayed.
All in all, this is an amazing ending to the trilogy, and I'm glad that Cornelia Funke finished it this way; it's perfect. I love this series so much, and it's now one of my top favorites. It's a great story not only for book lovers, but for writers, too. I'm definitely going to keep these three books and take them with me wherever I go. I'll definitely go on re-reading and re-reading them, and I know this is one of those series's that I'll be reading even when I'm an adult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2020
I loved the first book and enjoyed the second, the third fell a little flat.
Maggie - who played such a central role in the first and shared the spotlight in the second - is thrown to the side. Her biggest task seemed to be to choose her boyfriend. A far cry from the self-empowering themes from the first couple of books.
Instead we follow her father, the Bluejay, as he crusades against corruption and fate. He fights against his own story and to keep his family together despite Maggie's moodiness and his wife's willfulness. Quite a different feel from the lighthearted words-come-alive feel in the first book.
While the story was still interesting, I was not interested in the deep politics of the Inkworld. Part of me wishes that I just stopped after the first book.
Audiobook Comments
Allan Corduner read this one and while he wasn't a bad narrator, he also didn't make the audio particularly memorable.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Maggie - who played such a central role in the first and shared the spotlight in the second - is thrown to the side. Her biggest task seemed to be to choose her boyfriend. A far cry from the self-empowering themes from the first couple of books.
Instead we follow her father, the Bluejay, as he crusades against corruption and fate. He fights against his own story and to keep his family together despite Maggie's moodiness and his wife's willfulness. Quite a different feel from the lighthearted words-come-alive feel in the first book.
While the story was still interesting, I was not interested in the deep politics of the Inkworld. Part of me wishes that I just stopped after the first book.
Audiobook Comments
Allan Corduner read this one and while he wasn't a bad narrator, he also didn't make the audio particularly memorable.
YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
September 23, 2021
After finishing the third Inkworld book, I found myself caught between two thoughts.
I was satisfied with the complexities of the plot, the gushiness of its characters, and the fundamentals of the premise, but I was also annoyed with how it flipped away from its main female characters and suddenly became all about Mo, Fenoglio, and Orpheus.
Am I somewhat happy that writers and bookish people get so much page-time, becoming quasi swashbucklers and magicians? Yes, of course. But on the other hand, I really did enjoy the girls more. Meggie especially.
It just happened to be my mindset as I started the series and I wanted more of it.
That being said, there were a good number of twists, if not surprises, and the whole book just screamed "REVISION" to me, as a writer, so I had a few queasy moments and a rather ambivalent enjoyment for a wide section of the novel.
I don't know. From what I understand, the original novel in German is something tight, fresh, and wordily spectacular. What I read here, in English, was fairly busy, sometimes silly, and competent -- if not brilliant.
I suppose I had slightly higher expectations and I'm now suffering because of it.
Don't get me wrong, however. It wasn't bad. It was pretty average.
I was satisfied with the complexities of the plot, the gushiness of its characters, and the fundamentals of the premise, but I was also annoyed with how it flipped away from its main female characters and suddenly became all about Mo, Fenoglio, and Orpheus.
Am I somewhat happy that writers and bookish people get so much page-time, becoming quasi swashbucklers and magicians? Yes, of course. But on the other hand, I really did enjoy the girls more. Meggie especially.
It just happened to be my mindset as I started the series and I wanted more of it.
That being said, there were a good number of twists, if not surprises, and the whole book just screamed "REVISION" to me, as a writer, so I had a few queasy moments and a rather ambivalent enjoyment for a wide section of the novel.
I don't know. From what I understand, the original novel in German is something tight, fresh, and wordily spectacular. What I read here, in English, was fairly busy, sometimes silly, and competent -- if not brilliant.
I suppose I had slightly higher expectations and I'm now suffering because of it.
Don't get me wrong, however. It wasn't bad. It was pretty average.
October 24, 2023
Düsterer, abwechslungsreicher und spannender Abschluss!!!
ACHTUNG! Spoiler zu den Vorgängern!
Ja, es geht düster weiter, denn die Ereignisse haben viele unerwartete Wendungen genommen, die die Charaktere nachhaltig beeinflussen. Auch wenn immer wieder Hoffnungen geweckt werden, ist schnell jemand zur Stelle, der sie mit Füßen tritt und jede der Figuren wird vor neue Herausforderungen gestellt, die ihnen alles abverlangen.
Die Kapitel werden wieder mit speziell passenden Zitaten aus anderen Büchern eingeleitet und jedes im Wechsel aus einer anderen Perpektive erzählt. So kann man der Handlung wunderbar folgen und die Hintergründe sowie Beweggründe der Charaktere verstehen und nachvollziehen. Egal welche Motivation dahinter steckt, es fügt sich alles perfekt in das Gesamtbild: Dabei muss man sich auf einige Überraschungen gefasst machen, denn auch wenn man weiß worauf es hinauslaufen wird, gibt es einige Veränderungen. Und die kann nicht mal Fenoglio, der Tintenweber voraussehen:
"Ich habe diese Geschichte nur gepflanzt, aber sie wächst, wie sie will, und alle verlangen, dass ich voraussehe, welche Blüten sie treiben wird!" S. 521
Nicht jeder von ihnen gewöhnt sich an diese aus Worten geschaffene Welt und doch scheinen sie heimisch zu werden, ob sie wollen oder nicht, fast so, als müssten sie sich anpassen, die Rolle besetzen, die die Geschichte für sie vorgesehen hat - und dabei verstricken sie sich immer tiefer in die Macht der Buchstaben.
Während Mo und der schwarze Prinz alles versuchen, um dem Natternkopf doch noch ein sterbliches Ende zu setzen, verändern sich die Beziehungen untereinander. Manche lösen sich, andere werden neu geknüpft, denn die Angst, die Hoffnungslosigkeit, aber auch die Wut färbt auf jeden von ihnen ab und schafft ganz neue Wesenszüge.
Ich hab ja jeden von ihnen ganz besonders ins Herz geschlossen, denn jeder für sich
Elinor ist ja eher eine Randfigur, aber gerade sie mit ihrer Entschlossenheit und ihrem Glauben an ein "gutes Ende" frischen die düstere Atmosphäre immer wieder so schön auf!
Übrigens hab ich hier ein perfektes Zitat gefunden, denn oft wird unter Lesern darüber gesprochen, wie die Figuren aussehen, wie sie sie sich vorstellen und dass sie ein genaues Bild vor Augen haben: mir ging das noch nie so, ich kann mir meist gerade mal die Haarfarbe merken ...
"Ein Leser sieht die Figuren einer Geschichte nicht wirklich. Er fühlt sie.
Orpheus hatte das zum ersten Mal festgestellt, als er mit kaum 11 Jahren versucht hatte, die Figuren aus seinen Lieblingsbüchern zu beschreiben oder gar zu zeichnen." S. 425
Die Ideen scheinen der Autorin einfach nicht auszugehen, denn in der Tintenwelt gibt es wieder neues zu entdecken, gleich ob es sich um die magischen Wesen handelt, ausgefallene Zauber oder neue Schauplätze, es warten hier viele originelle Motive, die der Handlung eine fühlbare Tiefe geben und mich beim Lesen komplett in die Tintenwelt eintauchen ließen.
"Nymphen, die Haut schuppig, in blütenbedeckten Tümpeln, Fußspuren längst verschwundener Riesen, Blüten, die flüsterten, wenn man sie berührte, Bäume, die in den Himmel wuchsen,
Moosweibchen, die zwischen ihren Wurzeln auftauchten, als hätten sie sich aus der Rinde geschält ..." S. 19
Erwähnen möchte ich dabei noch, dass die Buchtitel hier eine ganz besondere Bedeutung haben, die am Ende zum Tragen kommt und die die ganze Reihe perfekt abrunden. Es war ein wunderbarer zweiter Ausflug in diese außergewöhnliche Geschichte, die mir alles an Unterhaltung, Spannung und Magie geboten hat, perfekt durchdacht in allen Details und für mich immer einen besonderen Platz in meinem Herzen einnehmen wird!
Es gibt auch hier wieder stimmige Zeichnungen der Autorin und am Ende eine Karte der Tintenwelt wie auch eine Auflistung aller wichtigen Personen und Orte zur Orientierung.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Die Tinten Trilogie
1 - Tintenherz
2 - Tintenblut
3 - Tintentod
ACHTUNG! Spoiler zu den Vorgängern!
Ja, es geht düster weiter, denn die Ereignisse haben viele unerwartete Wendungen genommen, die die Charaktere nachhaltig beeinflussen. Auch wenn immer wieder Hoffnungen geweckt werden, ist schnell jemand zur Stelle, der sie mit Füßen tritt und jede der Figuren wird vor neue Herausforderungen gestellt, die ihnen alles abverlangen.
Die Kapitel werden wieder mit speziell passenden Zitaten aus anderen Büchern eingeleitet und jedes im Wechsel aus einer anderen Perpektive erzählt. So kann man der Handlung wunderbar folgen und die Hintergründe sowie Beweggründe der Charaktere verstehen und nachvollziehen. Egal welche Motivation dahinter steckt, es fügt sich alles perfekt in das Gesamtbild: Dabei muss man sich auf einige Überraschungen gefasst machen, denn auch wenn man weiß worauf es hinauslaufen wird, gibt es einige Veränderungen. Und die kann nicht mal Fenoglio, der Tintenweber voraussehen:
"Ich habe diese Geschichte nur gepflanzt, aber sie wächst, wie sie will, und alle verlangen, dass ich voraussehe, welche Blüten sie treiben wird!" S. 521
Nicht jeder von ihnen gewöhnt sich an diese aus Worten geschaffene Welt und doch scheinen sie heimisch zu werden, ob sie wollen oder nicht, fast so, als müssten sie sich anpassen, die Rolle besetzen, die die Geschichte für sie vorgesehen hat - und dabei verstricken sie sich immer tiefer in die Macht der Buchstaben.
Während Mo und der schwarze Prinz alles versuchen, um dem Natternkopf doch noch ein sterbliches Ende zu setzen, verändern sich die Beziehungen untereinander. Manche lösen sich, andere werden neu geknüpft, denn die Angst, die Hoffnungslosigkeit, aber auch die Wut färbt auf jeden von ihnen ab und schafft ganz neue Wesenszüge.
Ich hab ja jeden von ihnen ganz besonders ins Herz geschlossen, denn jeder für sich
Elinor ist ja eher eine Randfigur, aber gerade sie mit ihrer Entschlossenheit und ihrem Glauben an ein "gutes Ende" frischen die düstere Atmosphäre immer wieder so schön auf!
Übrigens hab ich hier ein perfektes Zitat gefunden, denn oft wird unter Lesern darüber gesprochen, wie die Figuren aussehen, wie sie sie sich vorstellen und dass sie ein genaues Bild vor Augen haben: mir ging das noch nie so, ich kann mir meist gerade mal die Haarfarbe merken ...
"Ein Leser sieht die Figuren einer Geschichte nicht wirklich. Er fühlt sie.
Orpheus hatte das zum ersten Mal festgestellt, als er mit kaum 11 Jahren versucht hatte, die Figuren aus seinen Lieblingsbüchern zu beschreiben oder gar zu zeichnen." S. 425
Die Ideen scheinen der Autorin einfach nicht auszugehen, denn in der Tintenwelt gibt es wieder neues zu entdecken, gleich ob es sich um die magischen Wesen handelt, ausgefallene Zauber oder neue Schauplätze, es warten hier viele originelle Motive, die der Handlung eine fühlbare Tiefe geben und mich beim Lesen komplett in die Tintenwelt eintauchen ließen.
"Nymphen, die Haut schuppig, in blütenbedeckten Tümpeln, Fußspuren längst verschwundener Riesen, Blüten, die flüsterten, wenn man sie berührte, Bäume, die in den Himmel wuchsen,
Moosweibchen, die zwischen ihren Wurzeln auftauchten, als hätten sie sich aus der Rinde geschält ..." S. 19
Erwähnen möchte ich dabei noch, dass die Buchtitel hier eine ganz besondere Bedeutung haben, die am Ende zum Tragen kommt und die die ganze Reihe perfekt abrunden. Es war ein wunderbarer zweiter Ausflug in diese außergewöhnliche Geschichte, die mir alles an Unterhaltung, Spannung und Magie geboten hat, perfekt durchdacht in allen Details und für mich immer einen besonderen Platz in meinem Herzen einnehmen wird!
Es gibt auch hier wieder stimmige Zeichnungen der Autorin und am Ende eine Karte der Tintenwelt wie auch eine Auflistung aller wichtigen Personen und Orte zur Orientierung.
© Aleshanee
Weltenwanderer
Die Tinten Trilogie
1 - Tintenherz
2 - Tintenblut
3 - Tintentod
June 22, 2019
I finally finished re-reading this as an adult.
I only have praise for it, and I think this remains a masterpiece in the category of Harry Potter. And if you've been born after 1990 you know what this means.
This is a book for both adults and children and it has a wonderful plot, developed characters who are not only deeply layered and humanly as possible, but also grow from page one to the last page of this trilogy. And this world, this beautiful world of Inkworld will always have a special place in my heart.
If you're looking for a fantasy to call home, go read this.
I only have praise for it, and I think this remains a masterpiece in the category of Harry Potter. And if you've been born after 1990 you know what this means.
This is a book for both adults and children and it has a wonderful plot, developed characters who are not only deeply layered and humanly as possible, but also grow from page one to the last page of this trilogy. And this world, this beautiful world of Inkworld will always have a special place in my heart.
If you're looking for a fantasy to call home, go read this.
April 10, 2021
And the White Women disappeared, as if Death had called them to another place.
Τέλοςςςς!
Και τι ταιριαστό τέλος και με τι ταιριαστό τίτλο! Είναι ένα βιβλίο που το διακατέχει ο θάνατος με τις πολλές μορφές του. Ένας αδίστακτος άρχοντας που φοβάται όσο τίποτε άλλο τις Λευκές Κυρίες, τις κόρες του θανάτου, και που θα κάνει τα πάντα για να μην ψιθυρίσουν ποτέ το όνομά του, ένας πυροφάγος που ορκίστηκε να γυρίσει στον κόσμο των ζωντανών, ένα βιβλίο με άγραφες σελίδες που κρατά τον θάνατο μακριά και ο ληστής που είναι και ο βιβλιοδέτης του βιβλίου αυτού και που εξαιτίας του κλείνει μια συμφωνία με τον θάνατο.
Μιλάει για πατεράδες και κόρες και μανάδες και γιους. Για μια κόρη που αγαπάει τον πατέρα της όσο τίποτε άλλο και μια άλλη που μισεί τον δικό της θανάσιμα και ένας πατέρας που φοβάται να μιλήσει στην κόρη του και που εκείνη τον αγαπάει μα δεν του το δείχνει. Για μια μάνα με έναν γιο νεκρό που τον θέλει πίσω, μια με έναν γιο αγέννητο και μια μάνα που δεν ξέρει πώς να είναι μαμά. Και για πολλούς πολλούς άλλους.
Κυρίως όμως για άλλη μια φορά μιλάει για την δύναμη των λέξεων και των ανθρώπων που διαβάζουν.
Νομίζω πως γι'αυτό εξαρχής μου άρεσε αυτή η σειρά, γιατί ήταν γεμάτη με αγάπη για τα βιβλία και είχε για πρωταγωνίστρια μια αναγνώστρια.
I think we should sometimes read stories where everything’s different from our world, don’t you agree? There’s nothing’s like it for teaching us to wonder why trees are green and not red, and why we have five fingers rather than six.
Και όλα αυτά αποδοσμένα με μια παραμυθένια διάθεση σε έναν κόσμο φτιαγμένο από μελάνι (ή τελικά μπορεί και όχι) με κάστρα, ανελέητους άρχοντες, συγγραφείς που το παίζουν θεοί, περιπλανόμενους καλλιτέχνες, πριγκίπισσες και ληστές, γίγαντες νεράιδες και ξωτικά, ένας κόσμος που μέσα στην απλότητα του μπορεί να γίνει απίστευτα πολύπλοκος.
Ένας πολύ ταιριαστός επίλογος γραμμένος με τη βοήθεια του θανάτου, κάτι που δεν σημαίνει απαραίτητα τέλος αλλά ίσως μια αρχή.
Πολύ χαίρομαι που κατάφερα, έστω και μετά από τόσα χρόνια, να το διαβάσω!
“All stories end with me, Bluejay,” Death said. “You will find me everywhere.”
Τέλοςςςς!
Και τι ταιριαστό τέλος και με τι ταιριαστό τίτλο! Είναι ένα βιβλίο που το διακατέχει ο θάνατος με τις πολλές μορφές του. Ένας αδίστακτος άρχοντας που φοβάται όσο τίποτε άλλο τις Λευκές Κυρίες, τις κόρες του θανάτου, και που θα κάνει τα πάντα για να μην ψιθυρίσουν ποτέ το όνομά του, ένας πυροφάγος που ορκίστηκε να γυρίσει στον κόσμο των ζωντανών, ένα βιβλίο με άγραφες σελίδες που κρατά τον θάνατο μακριά και ο ληστής που είναι και ο βιβλιοδέτης του βιβλίου αυτού και που εξαιτίας του κλείνει μια συμφωνία με τον θάνατο.
Μιλάει για πατεράδες και κόρες και μανάδες και γιους. Για μια κόρη που αγαπάει τον πατέρα της όσο τίποτε άλλο και μια άλλη που μισεί τον δικό της θανάσιμα και ένας πατέρας που φοβάται να μιλήσει στην κόρη του και που εκείνη τον αγαπάει μα δεν του το δείχνει. Για μια μάνα με έναν γιο νεκρό που τον θέλει πίσω, μια με έναν γιο αγέννητο και μια μάνα που δεν ξέρει πώς να είναι μαμά. Και για πολλούς πολλούς άλλους.
Κυρίως όμως για άλλη μια φορά μιλάει για την δύναμη των λέξεων και των ανθρώπων που διαβάζουν.
Νομίζω πως γι'αυτό εξαρχής μου άρεσε αυτή η σειρά, γιατί ήταν γεμάτη με αγάπη για τα βιβλία και είχε για πρωταγωνίστρια μια αναγνώστρια.
I think we should sometimes read stories where everything’s different from our world, don’t you agree? There’s nothing’s like it for teaching us to wonder why trees are green and not red, and why we have five fingers rather than six.
Και όλα αυτά αποδοσμένα με μια παραμυθένια διάθεση σε έναν κόσμο φτιαγμένο από μελάνι (ή τελικά μπορεί και όχι) με κάστρα, ανελέητους άρχοντες, συγγραφείς που το παίζουν θεοί, περιπλανόμενους καλλιτέχνες, πριγκίπισσες και ληστές, γίγαντες νεράιδες και ξωτικά, ένας κόσμος που μέσα στην απλότητα του μπορεί να γίνει απίστευτα πολύπλοκος.
Ένας πολύ ταιριαστός επίλογος γραμμένος με τη βοήθεια του θανάτου, κάτι που δεν σημαίνει απαραίτητα τέλος αλλά ίσως μια αρχή.
Πολύ χαίρομαι που κατάφερα, έστω και μετά από τόσα χρόνια, να το διαβάσω!
“All stories end with me, Bluejay,” Death said. “You will find me everywhere.”
June 12, 2018
Inkdeath is the final installment of the Inkworld series. I haven't decided, yet, if it was better than the first book, Inkheart, but it was a lot better than Inkspell, which was the second book.
Warning: Review will probably contain spoilers and I'm kind of lazy to hide them this morning.
To start off, Dustfinger is dead. Farid is practically torn up about this and doesn't know what to do with his life. Oh, and Mo is forever keeping secrets to himself, which is a terrible decision made by himself. Of course there's Meggie, Resa, and Elinor too.
Now Meggie, I love her so much. I really like how her character has grown throughout the series. I kind of thought her and Farid were cute in the second book - but the guy straight up annoyed me the entire time in Inkdeath. I just wanted to slap him silly every god damn time he whined about Dustfinger and why no one has brought him back. I didn't feel bad when they weren't together anymore because she honestly deserved someone so much better. Enter Doria, who was SO MUCH BETTER. I absolutely loved Doria's character and instantly forgot about Farid.
Then there's Mo and Resa. Okay, so she's pregnant and Mo seems to be acting strange in this book. Well, stranger than before. However, I didn't buy into that blue jay crap. He was just being a selfish jerk and was annoying he shit out of me as well. Then of course there's Resa, who again is still pregnant, and she's off going into sort of dangerous situations. I know she knows she's pregnant.. but what gives? I just didn't see the point.
Besides all of that nonsense, there's Dustfinger. Who's alive, dead, and then alive. Nothing really happens there but it was kind of annoying to go through all of that crap too. I still ended up loving the shit out of the character.
In the end, the book was a bit darker and did give some good twists. I did, however, end up getting bored here and there while listening to the audio book. It could've been the narrator or I just could've been bored at work while listening to this. I have no idea - I just was.
Warning: Review will probably contain spoilers and I'm kind of lazy to hide them this morning.
To start off, Dustfinger is dead. Farid is practically torn up about this and doesn't know what to do with his life. Oh, and Mo is forever keeping secrets to himself, which is a terrible decision made by himself. Of course there's Meggie, Resa, and Elinor too.
Now Meggie, I love her so much. I really like how her character has grown throughout the series. I kind of thought her and Farid were cute in the second book - but the guy straight up annoyed me the entire time in Inkdeath. I just wanted to slap him silly every god damn time he whined about Dustfinger and why no one has brought him back. I didn't feel bad when they weren't together anymore because she honestly deserved someone so much better. Enter Doria, who was SO MUCH BETTER. I absolutely loved Doria's character and instantly forgot about Farid.
Then there's Mo and Resa. Okay, so she's pregnant and Mo seems to be acting strange in this book. Well, stranger than before. However, I didn't buy into that blue jay crap. He was just being a selfish jerk and was annoying he shit out of me as well. Then of course there's Resa, who again is still pregnant, and she's off going into sort of dangerous situations. I know she knows she's pregnant.. but what gives? I just didn't see the point.
Besides all of that nonsense, there's Dustfinger. Who's alive, dead, and then alive. Nothing really happens there but it was kind of annoying to go through all of that crap too. I still ended up loving the shit out of the character.
In the end, the book was a bit darker and did give some good twists. I did, however, end up getting bored here and there while listening to the audio book. It could've been the narrator or I just could've been bored at work while listening to this. I have no idea - I just was.
July 28, 2011
It has been a real pain to get to finish this book. The idea has always been original, but the writer doesn't know how to develop the story in an interesting way. Let's just say that the book only starts to get interesting in the last 100 pages or so, and it's 700 pages long! The characters are in a fantasy world that is barely explored. Nothing happens for a long time and, when something does happen, it's just too sudden, out of nowhere, and it finished quickly. Characters that could add some drama also appear out of nowhere after no mention since the very beginning only to die shortly after. So what's the point? Characters die, resurrect, die again, suddenly some can get out of their body to avoid really dying... some tricks up the sleeve based on nothing, really. Regarding time, there is no good references to guide you. Sometimes you feel a year has gone by only to discover it's been only a month. Sometimes characters remember something, some place that they cannot have been before (when did they have the time to do that if the action has been there all the time?) And the worst has been the constant reminiscing of the characters... all the time, even if they are in the most dangerous situations, they still have time to remember (for a few pages, mind you!) those sweet times when they did this and that. So I'm glad I've finally finished it. It's taken me way too long and I'm happy it was the last one of this trilogy. I don't think I'll read anything else from her. She still needs to polish too many things, like not knowing how to cope with a long story.
March 9, 2020
Lo malo de llegar al final de una saga, es que luego empezarás a extrañar sus personajes.
Leer la trilogía de Mundo de Tinta ha sido una experiencia agradable. Su lectura, era algo que había postergado mucho tiempo. Sin embargo, hace nueve meses, mi hermano vio la película “Corazón de Tinta” y me recomendó que la mirara. Cuando estaba a punto de ver la película recordé que existía esta trilogía, y ahora aquí estoy con los tres libros finalizados… y aún no veo la película. Es gratificante finalizar otra saga, y más cuando están llenas de fantasía y sobretodo de libros. Una saga que por la temática estimula mucho el amor por la lectura.
Sin embargo, a pesar de que la trilogía me gustó, debo aclarar que este último volumen ha quedado por debajo de mis expectativas. El resultado fue de insatisfacción. El primer y segundo volumen estuvieron increíbles, más que todo el segundo, pero en cambio “Muerte de Tinta” se queda como una historia “irregular”. Ya había leído que el tercer libro no era tan bueno, pero de todos modos es un paso obligatorio para quienes queremos terminar esta aventura, por lo que no había otra opción. Aclaro que tampoco es que sea malo, pero si opacado claramente por sus dos predecesores.
No es necesario que tras acabar un volumen, debamos leer el siguiente de forma consecutiva. Eso se debe a que en los primeros capítulos, Cornelia nos ayuda a recordar con su narración personajes y situaciones olvidadas. Personalmente hice una pausa de cinco meses y no tuve ningún inconveniente para retomar la historia.
En cuanto a su narración es excelente como siempre, y me atrapó párrafo tras párrafo todo el tiempo; y aunque en “Muerte de Tinta” quizás hay más reflexiones de lo habitual por parte de algunos personajes, es aceptable por la solidez de sus personajes. El libro pudo ser más corto, pero las reflexiones de los personajes eran necesarias y el resultado fue un volumen de más de 700 páginas.
Lo mejor del libro son los personajes. Son tan buenos que da la impresión de que ellos mismos escribieron el libro. Son personajes que alteran ese mundo, que sufren una gran transformación a lo largo de las tres libros y ese cambio se puede notar al verlos más maduros, atrevidos, diferentes… desde Dedo Polvoriento y Mo, hasta Meggie e incluso Elinor. Son personajes que no aburren nunca y les tomamos tanto cariño que no queremos que se mueran, ni dejar de leer sus aventuras. Por ellos es que siento tristeza de acabar la saga, porque los extrañaré.
En cuanto a la ambientación de la nóvela se desarrolla en un entorno más sombrío, con más problemas, estados críticos, muertes, trampas y batallas. Sin embargo, el final es exageradamente feliz, como un cuento de hadas, y para mi ese es el gran error del libro. En mi opinión, siento que le faltó algo de tragedia como encontramos por doquier en Sangre de Tinta. El desenlace concluye apresuradamente, acontecieron muchos momentos predecibles y algunos incidentes se aplazaron más de la cuenta. Me queda la duda de si la autora no descifró como finalizar la historia, o si ya lo tenía planeado hace mucho tiempo y necesito un cambio drástico para llegar a su final soñado.
Tampoco estoy de acuerdo con el protagonismo que perdieron y ganaron algunos personajes. Siendo más directo, no me gustó que Meggie se convirtiera en un personaje secundario, esperé todo el libro que hiciera algo clave y nunca pasó nada con ella. Tampoco estoy de acuerdo con el rol de Jacopo, el hijo de Violante.
En resumen, aspectos buenos pero también negativos que me dificultaron mucho hacer esta reseña. No lograba inclinarme para decir libremente “me encantó” o “no me gustó”. Por ello la calificación de tres estrellas me parece más que justa. Sin embargo, a pesar de ese disgusto por el final, es una saga muy recomendada para los amantes de libros que tratan justamente sobre libros.
Leer la trilogía de Mundo de Tinta ha sido una experiencia agradable. Su lectura, era algo que había postergado mucho tiempo. Sin embargo, hace nueve meses, mi hermano vio la película “Corazón de Tinta” y me recomendó que la mirara. Cuando estaba a punto de ver la película recordé que existía esta trilogía, y ahora aquí estoy con los tres libros finalizados… y aún no veo la película. Es gratificante finalizar otra saga, y más cuando están llenas de fantasía y sobretodo de libros. Una saga que por la temática estimula mucho el amor por la lectura.
Sin embargo, a pesar de que la trilogía me gustó, debo aclarar que este último volumen ha quedado por debajo de mis expectativas. El resultado fue de insatisfacción. El primer y segundo volumen estuvieron increíbles, más que todo el segundo, pero en cambio “Muerte de Tinta” se queda como una historia “irregular”. Ya había leído que el tercer libro no era tan bueno, pero de todos modos es un paso obligatorio para quienes queremos terminar esta aventura, por lo que no había otra opción. Aclaro que tampoco es que sea malo, pero si opacado claramente por sus dos predecesores.
No es necesario que tras acabar un volumen, debamos leer el siguiente de forma consecutiva. Eso se debe a que en los primeros capítulos, Cornelia nos ayuda a recordar con su narración personajes y situaciones olvidadas. Personalmente hice una pausa de cinco meses y no tuve ningún inconveniente para retomar la historia.
En cuanto a su narración es excelente como siempre, y me atrapó párrafo tras párrafo todo el tiempo; y aunque en “Muerte de Tinta” quizás hay más reflexiones de lo habitual por parte de algunos personajes, es aceptable por la solidez de sus personajes. El libro pudo ser más corto, pero las reflexiones de los personajes eran necesarias y el resultado fue un volumen de más de 700 páginas.
Lo mejor del libro son los personajes. Son tan buenos que da la impresión de que ellos mismos escribieron el libro. Son personajes que alteran ese mundo, que sufren una gran transformación a lo largo de las tres libros y ese cambio se puede notar al verlos más maduros, atrevidos, diferentes… desde Dedo Polvoriento y Mo, hasta Meggie e incluso Elinor. Son personajes que no aburren nunca y les tomamos tanto cariño que no queremos que se mueran, ni dejar de leer sus aventuras. Por ellos es que siento tristeza de acabar la saga, porque los extrañaré.
En cuanto a la ambientación de la nóvela se desarrolla en un entorno más sombrío, con más problemas, estados críticos, muertes, trampas y batallas. Sin embargo, el final es exageradamente feliz, como un cuento de hadas, y para mi ese es el gran error del libro. En mi opinión, siento que le faltó algo de tragedia como encontramos por doquier en Sangre de Tinta. El desenlace concluye apresuradamente, acontecieron muchos momentos predecibles y algunos incidentes se aplazaron más de la cuenta. Me queda la duda de si la autora no descifró como finalizar la historia, o si ya lo tenía planeado hace mucho tiempo y necesito un cambio drástico para llegar a su final soñado.
Tampoco estoy de acuerdo con el protagonismo que perdieron y ganaron algunos personajes. Siendo más directo, no me gustó que Meggie se convirtiera en un personaje secundario, esperé todo el libro que hiciera algo clave y nunca pasó nada con ella. Tampoco estoy de acuerdo con el rol de Jacopo, el hijo de Violante.
En resumen, aspectos buenos pero también negativos que me dificultaron mucho hacer esta reseña. No lograba inclinarme para decir libremente “me encantó” o “no me gustó”. Por ello la calificación de tres estrellas me parece más que justa. Sin embargo, a pesar de ese disgusto por el final, es una saga muy recomendada para los amantes de libros que tratan justamente sobre libros.
March 29, 2020
Holy fucking cow! It is rare for the last instalment in a trilogy to be the best one, but Inkdeath definitely got that job done. I am still shook! I had forgotten everything about its plot, since I last read it 10 years ago (…give me a break), and so I was living for every turn of events and plot twist that we got. Connie really knows how it’s done. I bow down to our German legend.
There are many plot devices in Inkdeath that are objectively bad and cheap but I could look past all of them since Cornelia had a firm grip on my curiosity and excitement for the outcome of this tale. I literally flew through this and had a blast reading it, that's why my rating (4.5 stars) is so high. Fight me!
Needless to say, I will still talk about the things that were a little cheap about this. First and foremost, I got super annoyed by the fatshaming in regards to the character of Elinor Loredan. Cornelia Funke seems to have trouble with writing fat characters (see my review for Die Wilden Hühner: Fuchsalarm) and the characterisation of Ms Loredan got on my damn nerves. Throughout the entire series her weight is constantly mentioned and that she is heavily breathing when she is walking and that she is looking ridiculous in all of her dresses etc.; it wasn't super awful but still soooo unnecessary since the weight and outward appearance of the other characters played no role at all.
Furthermore, I'm not really happy with the role of women in Cornelia's Ink trilogy; again, the representation of women is not awful but it could definitely be improved. Especially in the third instalment, Resa (Mo's wife, Meggie's mother) got on my damn nerves. She was constantly claiming to be a "strong woman" who doesn't need no man's help but whenever she tried to do something on her own, everything turned to shit and she made matters worse with her crude actions, and she started crying.
I think it's great that Cornelia tried to weave important subjects such as rape, sexual harassment and women at the mercy of insolent men into a story for young adults, but most of those scenes left a bitter taste in my mouth, since they had the undertone of "that's how it is in this world, women are treated inferiorly here, deal with it". I was especially disgusted with Orpheus sexually harassing his underage maids and that the characters, whom we know to be good in this tale, did nothing about it when they witnessed that.
Surprisingly, the love triangle between Meggie, Farid and Doria wasn't as annoying as I feared it would be. I thought it was realistic for Meggie to fall out of love with Farid and be unable to forgive him, since her father died (albeit temporarily) because of him. Nonetheless, I found Fenoglio's tale about how he invented Doria and foresaw that he would end up marrying Meggie and be happy with her until the end of his days quite cheesy and unnecessary. The girl is 14 years old, for fuck's sake, she shouldn't think about with whom she will end up for the rest of her life. Yikes.
And as in the previous instalments, there were some very cheap plot devices in this book. Farid being able to see what Dustfinger and Mo are up to through his fire probably takes the cake. This device made the grand finale a little less exciting because the characters who were left behind (Fenoglio, Meggie, Elinor, Farid, Roxane etc.) didn't have to fear as much about their loved ones because they knew they were doing fine. Moreover, Inkdeath has a loooooot of small conflicts, all of which got resolved too quickly. Sometimes I would have wished for Cornelia to keep the tension for a little longer.
Apart from that, it's a brilliant book. I know that it might seem weird to you that I listed so many negative things but just because I reaaaally enjoyed myself whilst reading it, doesn't mean that there aren't some problems in the text... but onto the good stuff: I really appreciate that Cornelia didn't shy away from giving her heroes flaws and make them dislikable, especially Mo (in his role of the "Eichelhäher") had his priorities all wrong throughout this entire book, so that I actually despised him for some parts, despite him being one of my favorite characters. Cornelia showed really well what happens when you lose yourself in a story. Fenoglio is another clear case of a dislikable character that still has a place in my heart. I found it very consistent that Cornelia made him become an alcoholic and lose his passion for life and his story; he truly turned into a bitter man once things stopped going his way.
Inkdeath also served as a great exploration of character dynamics; Cornelia excels at writing parent-child relationships. I already talked about the interesting dynamics surrounding Meggie, Mo and Resa in my review for Inkspell, but in the last book, I highly enjoyed Dustfinger's relationship to his daughter Brianna, who is somewhat torn between being mad at her father for leaving her for so long and still loving him like she did when she was little; and also the relationship between Violante and her son Jacopo, a relationship that on the surface oozes mutual antipathy, but deep down they both care and fear deeply for each other.
And since I didn't mention it in any other review, I need to give Cornelia some credit, since she chose the best and most fitting little excerpts to put before all of her chapters (I don't know the technical term for them... epigraph?), I am honestly shook at how well they all went with their consecutive chapter. A true queen! I was looking forward to getting to a new chapter, only so that I could read the little chosen excerpt.
I'm also a huge fan of the open ending that we got for Farid (I would love to read another series about him and his travels in the inkworld) and also for Orpheus (I wonder what he is up to in the north). I'm not the biggest fan of the actual epilogue that gave us a look into the future but alas! epilogues never work out for me.
All in all, I am soooo happy that I finally managed to reread this series. It's been 10 years since I have witnessed its magic and it was so good to be back. If Connie would actually publish the fourth book in the Reckless series, I would definitely reread the first three books in that series as well ... but I don't think that's happening anytime soon. *cries*
There are many plot devices in Inkdeath that are objectively bad and cheap but I could look past all of them since Cornelia had a firm grip on my curiosity and excitement for the outcome of this tale. I literally flew through this and had a blast reading it, that's why my rating (4.5 stars) is so high. Fight me!
Needless to say, I will still talk about the things that were a little cheap about this. First and foremost, I got super annoyed by the fatshaming in regards to the character of Elinor Loredan. Cornelia Funke seems to have trouble with writing fat characters (see my review for Die Wilden Hühner: Fuchsalarm) and the characterisation of Ms Loredan got on my damn nerves. Throughout the entire series her weight is constantly mentioned and that she is heavily breathing when she is walking and that she is looking ridiculous in all of her dresses etc.; it wasn't super awful but still soooo unnecessary since the weight and outward appearance of the other characters played no role at all.
Furthermore, I'm not really happy with the role of women in Cornelia's Ink trilogy; again, the representation of women is not awful but it could definitely be improved. Especially in the third instalment, Resa (Mo's wife, Meggie's mother) got on my damn nerves. She was constantly claiming to be a "strong woman" who doesn't need no man's help but whenever she tried to do something on her own, everything turned to shit and she made matters worse with her crude actions, and she started crying.
I think it's great that Cornelia tried to weave important subjects such as rape, sexual harassment and women at the mercy of insolent men into a story for young adults, but most of those scenes left a bitter taste in my mouth, since they had the undertone of "that's how it is in this world, women are treated inferiorly here, deal with it". I was especially disgusted with Orpheus sexually harassing his underage maids and that the characters, whom we know to be good in this tale, did nothing about it when they witnessed that.
Surprisingly, the love triangle between Meggie, Farid and Doria wasn't as annoying as I feared it would be. I thought it was realistic for Meggie to fall out of love with Farid and be unable to forgive him, since her father died (albeit temporarily) because of him. Nonetheless, I found Fenoglio's tale about how he invented Doria and foresaw that he would end up marrying Meggie and be happy with her until the end of his days quite cheesy and unnecessary. The girl is 14 years old, for fuck's sake, she shouldn't think about with whom she will end up for the rest of her life. Yikes.
And as in the previous instalments, there were some very cheap plot devices in this book. Farid being able to see what Dustfinger and Mo are up to through his fire probably takes the cake. This device made the grand finale a little less exciting because the characters who were left behind (Fenoglio, Meggie, Elinor, Farid, Roxane etc.) didn't have to fear as much about their loved ones because they knew they were doing fine. Moreover, Inkdeath has a loooooot of small conflicts, all of which got resolved too quickly. Sometimes I would have wished for Cornelia to keep the tension for a little longer.
Apart from that, it's a brilliant book. I know that it might seem weird to you that I listed so many negative things but just because I reaaaally enjoyed myself whilst reading it, doesn't mean that there aren't some problems in the text... but onto the good stuff: I really appreciate that Cornelia didn't shy away from giving her heroes flaws and make them dislikable, especially Mo (in his role of the "Eichelhäher") had his priorities all wrong throughout this entire book, so that I actually despised him for some parts, despite him being one of my favorite characters. Cornelia showed really well what happens when you lose yourself in a story. Fenoglio is another clear case of a dislikable character that still has a place in my heart. I found it very consistent that Cornelia made him become an alcoholic and lose his passion for life and his story; he truly turned into a bitter man once things stopped going his way.
Inkdeath also served as a great exploration of character dynamics; Cornelia excels at writing parent-child relationships. I already talked about the interesting dynamics surrounding Meggie, Mo and Resa in my review for Inkspell, but in the last book, I highly enjoyed Dustfinger's relationship to his daughter Brianna, who is somewhat torn between being mad at her father for leaving her for so long and still loving him like she did when she was little; and also the relationship between Violante and her son Jacopo, a relationship that on the surface oozes mutual antipathy, but deep down they both care and fear deeply for each other.
And since I didn't mention it in any other review, I need to give Cornelia some credit, since she chose the best and most fitting little excerpts to put before all of her chapters (I don't know the technical term for them... epigraph?), I am honestly shook at how well they all went with their consecutive chapter. A true queen! I was looking forward to getting to a new chapter, only so that I could read the little chosen excerpt.
I'm also a huge fan of the open ending that we got for Farid (I would love to read another series about him and his travels in the inkworld) and also for Orpheus (I wonder what he is up to in the north). I'm not the biggest fan of the actual epilogue that gave us a look into the future but alas! epilogues never work out for me.
All in all, I am soooo happy that I finally managed to reread this series. It's been 10 years since I have witnessed its magic and it was so good to be back. If Connie would actually publish the fourth book in the Reckless series, I would definitely reread the first three books in that series as well ... but I don't think that's happening anytime soon. *cries*
April 21, 2024
Отже, ця книжка вже набагато цікавіша ніж дві попередні разом узяті. Але Меґі все ще дратуючий персонаж і в кінці вона такою і залишилась. Фарід мені не сподобався в цій частині, ніби то йому подобається одна дівчина, а потім вже заглядається на іншу. Для мене неочікувано було побачити Мортолу, бо я думала її вже прихлопнули давно, але їх вбили тільки в середині цієї книжки. Я була рада коли в Чорнильному світі з'явилися Даріус та Елінор, бо їх не вистачало. Я думала, що Орфей помре, але ні, він і далі буде жити в якомусь селі, але це найпоширеніший персонаж, з яким хотілось зробити теж саме, що і він пророкував іншим, а особливо Мо, котрого в цій частині називали Сойка. Що до Якого, то я не можу сказати, що він якийсь негативний персонаж, бо він все ж таки дитина, яку виховували люди, які його не любили, і в наслідок така поведінка. Але я раділа, коли він допоміг Мо отримати ту саму книжку, через яку весь цей кіпіш. Що до Вогнерукого, було боляче читати в другій частині як він помер, але в цій він оживає. І тут навіть більше, бо він отримує щось схоже на безсмертя, але я в кінці не дуже зрозуміла, бо йому його дали на час поки знищать Змеєголова, чи назавжди, бо я щось цей момент пропустила.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2009
Eh, not my favorite of the series, but the writing was good. Honestly I'd hoped for better. Don't let this put you off though. I definitely recommend Inkheart and Inkspell. The next part of my review contains...
...................SPOILERS!!!!!.......................................
Ok, when it comes to Meggie's boy choices, I really like Doria. While Farid is awesome, Doria is effing amazing. Farid spent more time pining after Dustfinger than he did after Meggie, which says something about how he is. He also played the jealous boyfriend, more possessive than loving. Doria, on the other hand, is nice and actually cares about Meggie's feelings. He may seem like he's trying to steal Meggie away from Farid, but that's because he is trying to steal Meggie away from Farid.
Oh, and I was right about the baby. It was a boy. It was pretty obvious in the way that everyone wanted a girl. They didn't need another girl in that family anyway.
No, what I really didn't like about the book is the way it jumped around. Dustfinger is alive, now he's "dead", now he's alive again. Then there was the whole transforming into animals thing. What was that about? The ending was really rushed, and I kind of wish that the author had slowed down to explain some things and left out all of the unnecessary details that amounted to nothing in the end anyway. Mo...don't even get me started on Mo. I know she was trying to incorporate the whole "Bluejay taking over" thing, but it just made him into a selfish jerk.
Anyway, just wishing it was better. Right now, I like it mostly because it ended the series.
...................SPOILERS!!!!!.......................................
Ok, when it comes to Meggie's boy choices, I really like Doria. While Farid is awesome, Doria is effing amazing. Farid spent more time pining after Dustfinger than he did after Meggie, which says something about how he is. He also played the jealous boyfriend, more possessive than loving. Doria, on the other hand, is nice and actually cares about Meggie's feelings. He may seem like he's trying to steal Meggie away from Farid, but that's because he is trying to steal Meggie away from Farid.
Oh, and I was right about the baby. It was a boy. It was pretty obvious in the way that everyone wanted a girl. They didn't need another girl in that family anyway.
No, what I really didn't like about the book is the way it jumped around. Dustfinger is alive, now he's "dead", now he's alive again. Then there was the whole transforming into animals thing. What was that about? The ending was really rushed, and I kind of wish that the author had slowed down to explain some things and left out all of the unnecessary details that amounted to nothing in the end anyway. Mo...don't even get me started on Mo. I know she was trying to incorporate the whole "Bluejay taking over" thing, but it just made him into a selfish jerk.
Anyway, just wishing it was better. Right now, I like it mostly because it ended the series.
April 13, 2017
5/5 stars
Why did death make life taste so much sweeter? Why could the heart love only what it could also lose?
Open a book. Make yourself comfortable and breathe a little. Close your eyes and open them again. And start reading. You'll find yourself in another world. A world of tall trees, clear blue skies, the sound of horse hooves, the colliding of swords, the chirping of the birds and the aura of adventure. But you'll also feel other, more human feelings. You'll feel happiness, love and safety in the arms of your new family, your new friends or a new lover, all of them made of ink and words. But you'll also feel fear, and sadness and the darkest kind of despair. That and more is what the Folchart family went through while in the Inkworld.
And every possible feeling is what I felt while reading this amazing series. I do not think I am ready to leave it behind, since one of my most favorite people in the world introduced me to it, but I surely am ready to reread and relive all the amazing and terrible moments. Because reading is all memories, hidden between the pages, along with dreams, hopes and fears, all mixed together with the world, the plot and the characters.
At first I was worried. Τhe plot was moving kind of slow, and this literally is the last thing I want from a book in a series. After a while though, everything picked up, and it all started. The adventure. The battles. The heartbreak. The love. The friendship. The family. And the power of books and the words that lie in them.
The characters were as always amazing. New ones appeared, and new alliances and relationships formed, altering everything. . I will miss them all so much that my heart will hurt. Everyone taught me something wonderful. Meggie made me adventurous, Mo made me fearless, Resa made me caring, Farid made me long to search for the light in the world, Dustfinger showed me that everything ends, but also everything begins and so many other characters wrapped me up in their amazing world and personalities and gave me a memorable experience.
A reader doesn't really see the characters in a story; he feels them.
Another thing I very much liked is the way this book deals with loss and death. It showed me that we shouldn't fear the pain of it, but live for the memories, and the bittersweet feelings they carry. And that the lost ones will be proud of us, no matter what ♥
The quotes and poems from different books, as well as the tangling of the story and the plot between the real world and the Inkworld impressed me as always, and so did Cornelia Funke's imagination and treatment of the characters. The ending was amazing at at the same time heartbreaking but aren't they all?
Overall, I expected myself to adore it, and that's exactly I did.
Goodbye Inkworld ♥
But farewell, for I'll be back. After all, what good does a book do if you don't expect yourself to explore the deepest parts of your mind and live a mindblowing adventure and experience?
For words have the power to give us access between different worlds, people and feelings. And that's only one part of their magic.
you can not fully read a book without being alone. But through this very solitude you become intimately involved with people whom you might never have met otherwise, either because they have been dead for centuries or because they spoke languages you cannot understand. And, nonetheless, they have become your closest friends, your wisest advisors, the wizards that hypnotize you, the lovers you have always dreamed of.
-Antonio munoz molinas, "the power of the pen”
Why did death make life taste so much sweeter? Why could the heart love only what it could also lose?
Open a book. Make yourself comfortable and breathe a little. Close your eyes and open them again. And start reading. You'll find yourself in another world. A world of tall trees, clear blue skies, the sound of horse hooves, the colliding of swords, the chirping of the birds and the aura of adventure. But you'll also feel other, more human feelings. You'll feel happiness, love and safety in the arms of your new family, your new friends or a new lover, all of them made of ink and words. But you'll also feel fear, and sadness and the darkest kind of despair. That and more is what the Folchart family went through while in the Inkworld.
And every possible feeling is what I felt while reading this amazing series. I do not think I am ready to leave it behind, since one of my most favorite people in the world introduced me to it, but I surely am ready to reread and relive all the amazing and terrible moments. Because reading is all memories, hidden between the pages, along with dreams, hopes and fears, all mixed together with the world, the plot and the characters.
At first I was worried. Τhe plot was moving kind of slow, and this literally is the last thing I want from a book in a series. After a while though, everything picked up, and it all started. The adventure. The battles. The heartbreak. The love. The friendship. The family. And the power of books and the words that lie in them.
The characters were as always amazing. New ones appeared, and new alliances and relationships formed, altering everything. . I will miss them all so much that my heart will hurt. Everyone taught me something wonderful. Meggie made me adventurous, Mo made me fearless, Resa made me caring, Farid made me long to search for the light in the world, Dustfinger showed me that everything ends, but also everything begins and so many other characters wrapped me up in their amazing world and personalities and gave me a memorable experience.
A reader doesn't really see the characters in a story; he feels them.
Another thing I very much liked is the way this book deals with loss and death. It showed me that we shouldn't fear the pain of it, but live for the memories, and the bittersweet feelings they carry. And that the lost ones will be proud of us, no matter what ♥
The quotes and poems from different books, as well as the tangling of the story and the plot between the real world and the Inkworld impressed me as always, and so did Cornelia Funke's imagination and treatment of the characters. The ending was amazing at at the same time heartbreaking but aren't they all?
Overall, I expected myself to adore it, and that's exactly I did.
Goodbye Inkworld ♥
But farewell, for I'll be back. After all, what good does a book do if you don't expect yourself to explore the deepest parts of your mind and live a mindblowing adventure and experience?
For words have the power to give us access between different worlds, people and feelings. And that's only one part of their magic.
you can not fully read a book without being alone. But through this very solitude you become intimately involved with people whom you might never have met otherwise, either because they have been dead for centuries or because they spoke languages you cannot understand. And, nonetheless, they have become your closest friends, your wisest advisors, the wizards that hypnotize you, the lovers you have always dreamed of.
-Antonio munoz molinas, "the power of the pen”
Absolutely recommended ♥
~Mary
September 21, 2021
In this "final" volume of the "trilogy" (it's all changed now that we know a 4th volume is about to get published but this was what I knew when I first read the series), people clash.
We have Meggie and her parents who are trying to decide whether to live in the world of "Inkheart" or to go back to our world. And we have Fenoglio, the book's author and the plagiarist Orpheus who wants to change the world of the book to his heart's desires (and has done a pretty "good" job so far, being more successful that Fenoglio).
Since the events of the previous book, Mo has become "the Jay", a kind of Robin Hood thanks to him fighting the Natterhead and his soldiers.
Interestingly, there was an easy trick Mo used in the previous volume while binding the Natterhead's empty book (thus making him immortal) that means the baddie is now rotting. Bwahahahahahaha. Never underestimate a craftsman!
Meanwhile, Farid serves Orpheus in order to pay for him bringing back Dustfinger. Resa, too, is striking a deal with Orpheus and doesn't see the trap he is setting. I shan't spoiler too much but suffice it to say that death is a character here and not too pleased about someone having become immortal.
Things don't go quite as planned by Orpheus but it's for the good of us readers because ! Yay!
And not too soon either, because the Natterhead has kidnapped all the children to force Mo to undo the damage to the empty book. Mo goes to the castle but has a plan.
Naturally, there are complications, another kind of battle and even Fenoglio comes back / agrees to finally try to get his own story back under control.
As with the first book, my problem here, too, was the resolution of the conflict. Yes, it was in line with the possibility Funke had created in volume 1, but it just felt kinda weak. I mean, . Meh.
Nevertheless, the world was once again great, I had a moment when I cheered ( though that, too, could have been seen as too easy) and I still love the world with its inhabitants and magic system.
Moreover, now that I've re-read the series, I think I know what the title of the upcoming volume means. And have I mentioned how much I adore Funke's illustrations?! *lol*
So yeah, despite this not being as good as the Mirrorworld books, I still did enjoy this literary adventure and the author's prose so I'll definitely continue once #4 is released.
P.S.: Remember me saying that the title of the 2nd volume wasn't a faithful translation?
It turns out, they changed it to "I kworld spell death" which makes no sense at all. Consider me miffed.
We have Meggie and her parents who are trying to decide whether to live in the world of "Inkheart" or to go back to our world. And we have Fenoglio, the book's author and the plagiarist Orpheus who wants to change the world of the book to his heart's desires (and has done a pretty "good" job so far, being more successful that Fenoglio).
Since the events of the previous book, Mo has become "the Jay", a kind of Robin Hood thanks to him fighting the Natterhead and his soldiers.
Interestingly, there was an easy trick Mo used in the previous volume while binding the Natterhead's empty book (thus making him immortal) that means the baddie is now rotting. Bwahahahahahaha. Never underestimate a craftsman!
Meanwhile, Farid serves Orpheus in order to pay for him bringing back Dustfinger. Resa, too, is striking a deal with Orpheus and doesn't see the trap he is setting. I shan't spoiler too much but suffice it to say that death is a character here and not too pleased about someone having become immortal.
Things don't go quite as planned by Orpheus but it's for the good of us readers because ! Yay!
And not too soon either, because the Natterhead has kidnapped all the children to force Mo to undo the damage to the empty book. Mo goes to the castle but has a plan.
Naturally, there are complications, another kind of battle and even Fenoglio comes back / agrees to finally try to get his own story back under control.
As with the first book, my problem here, too, was the resolution of the conflict. Yes, it was in line with the possibility Funke had created in volume 1, but it just felt kinda weak. I mean, . Meh.
Nevertheless, the world was once again great, I had a moment when I cheered ( though that, too, could have been seen as too easy) and I still love the world with its inhabitants and magic system.
Moreover, now that I've re-read the series, I think I know what the title of the upcoming volume means. And have I mentioned how much I adore Funke's illustrations?! *lol*
So yeah, despite this not being as good as the Mirrorworld books, I still did enjoy this literary adventure and the author's prose so I'll definitely continue once #4 is released.
P.S.: Remember me saying that the title of the 2nd volume wasn't a faithful translation?
It turns out, they changed it to "I kworld spell death" which makes no sense at all. Consider me miffed.
October 20, 2008
I absolutely LOVED this one! This was everything I hoped it would be and more.
I thought the author did a great job of bringing this altogether and "ending" it.
Don't want to say too much as my friends haven't read it yet but there were some surprises and the story was left "sort of"open-- new series in the making? :)
This third installment was a bit darker than the last 2-- much more like the ending of InkSpell. For a while everything gets to a point where it all feels so hopeless. But the way the story is told, the events, the twisting and turning of the story-- just makes you almost HAVE to keep reading!
I admit to be a little confused at the beginning-- the number of characters and the switching of view points every few pages seemed a little overwhelming at first but that soon goes away and you just get absorbed.
I really enjoyed Doria's character and the little glass men, Rosenquartz and Jasper. I also liked the much better development of Resa's character.
I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it as much as I did! What a fantastic book!
I thought the author did a great job of bringing this altogether and "ending" it.
Don't want to say too much as my friends haven't read it yet but there were some surprises and the story was left "sort of"open-- new series in the making? :)
This third installment was a bit darker than the last 2-- much more like the ending of InkSpell. For a while everything gets to a point where it all feels so hopeless. But the way the story is told, the events, the twisting and turning of the story-- just makes you almost HAVE to keep reading!
I admit to be a little confused at the beginning-- the number of characters and the switching of view points every few pages seemed a little overwhelming at first but that soon goes away and you just get absorbed.
I really enjoyed Doria's character and the little glass men, Rosenquartz and Jasper. I also liked the much better development of Resa's character.
I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it as much as I did! What a fantastic book!
October 27, 2017
Re-writing this review because I was young when I last read it and I was angry. After all Inkheart was the first book I ever read. Haha sorry if I did offend someone. Not really my intention, I was just heartbroken over the book. Not going to write a long review, but I still dislike this book for many reason I guess all ranging from plot wise and like certain aspects of it. I'm still sad about how the ending of the book turned out. So in the end I like to pretend this book didn't exist and that the bittersweet but far more perfect ending for me in book 2 was the end of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2020
read somewhere at the end of
2007
December 27, 2011
I love it when people write reviews that are EX.AC.TLY. on par with how I felt about a book. This one in particular gets it spot on.
I was really disappointed by Inkdeath. Not gonna lie. I finished it several days ago and have sat around trying to think of positive things to say about it but I got nothin'. This is by far the weakest book in the trilogy and should have been much shorter and much less lame. Dangit.
This book is not quite a total departure from Inkheart and Inkspell but it's pretty close. None of the characters feel fleshed out in Inkdeath. Farid in particular - he never gets over his weird obsession with Dustfinger. Now, having weird obsessions with father figures of my own, I feel pretty confident in saying that Farid needs to seek some serious mental help. That whole part of the story just didn't ring true to me, honestly. I get being concerned for Dustfinger, but not obsessed to the point of stalkerishness with him. Creepy.
Meggie finds a new, completely random and weird, love interest. It actually ties into the story decently with Fenoglio remembering that he'd written a short story about that particular character but it was never published. But it's still random and weird. And the love interest character never feels like a part of the integral cast.
Mo's character was probably the least disappointing here. He went through a pretty awesomely harrowing torture sequence with Orpheus near the end. But even then, the ending felt odd and kind of disjointed. And totally not what I expected.
So, I'm glad I read Inkdeath because yay closure! But at the same time, I think I would have preferred a different ending like the one that was good in my head. I also would have liked to know the baby's name, just because I'm curious like that.
I was really disappointed by Inkdeath. Not gonna lie. I finished it several days ago and have sat around trying to think of positive things to say about it but I got nothin'. This is by far the weakest book in the trilogy and should have been much shorter and much less lame. Dangit.
This book is not quite a total departure from Inkheart and Inkspell but it's pretty close. None of the characters feel fleshed out in Inkdeath. Farid in particular - he never gets over his weird obsession with Dustfinger. Now, having weird obsessions with father figures of my own, I feel pretty confident in saying that Farid needs to seek some serious mental help. That whole part of the story just didn't ring true to me, honestly. I get being concerned for Dustfinger, but not obsessed to the point of stalkerishness with him. Creepy.
Meggie finds a new, completely random and weird, love interest. It actually ties into the story decently with Fenoglio remembering that he'd written a short story about that particular character but it was never published. But it's still random and weird. And the love interest character never feels like a part of the integral cast.
Mo's character was probably the least disappointing here. He went through a pretty awesomely harrowing torture sequence with Orpheus near the end. But even then, the ending felt odd and kind of disjointed. And totally not what I expected.
So, I'm glad I read Inkdeath because yay closure! But at the same time, I think I would have preferred a different ending like the one that was good in my head. I also would have liked to know the baby's name, just because I'm curious like that.
June 8, 2023
تا حدود صفحه ۶۵۰ کاملا غیرقابلپیشبینی بود و همینطوری با ذوق میخوندمش و واقعا نمیدونستم نویسنده با شخصیتهای محبوبمون میخواد چیکار کنه. ولی بعد یهو اوج گرفت و چیزی که باید تو یه جلد دیگه ادامه پیدا میکرد تو صد صفحه هم آورده شد و تموم شد کتابم. 😭
و لعنتی یه جوری هم تموم شد که دلت میخواست جلد چهار رو هم بخونی. ولی تا جایی که میدونم نخواهد داشت.
خلاصه که خیلی خیلی دوستش داشتم و شخصیتهای محبوب زیادی برام جا گذاشت. گردانگشت، مورتیمر و بلوطخورک، رزا، مگی، ویولانته، فنوگلیو و بقیه :)
و لعنتی یه جوری هم تموم شد که دلت میخواست جلد چهار رو هم بخونی. ولی تا جایی که میدونم نخواهد داشت.
خلاصه که خیلی خیلی دوستش داشتم و شخصیتهای محبوب زیادی برام جا گذاشت. گردانگشت، مورتیمر و بلوطخورک، رزا، مگی، ویولانته، فنوگلیو و بقیه :)
Read
September 8, 2023English version below
**************
Ich mochte schon den ersten Band der Tintenherz Trilogie nicht so sonderlich und den zweiten Band gar nicht. Da ich mir aber die komplette Trilogie im Schuber gekauft hatte wollte ich nun zumindest einen Versuch mit dem dritten Band machen.
Ich muss jedoch leider feststellen, dass ich die Charaktere und die Welt - auch bedingt durch die Vorgängerbände – so gar nicht leiden kann und es mich daher jedesmal Überwindung kostet zu diesem Buch zu greifen. Wenn ich es dann doch tue, quäle ich mich durch wenige Seiten, bevor ich es wieder weglege. Das ist keine Lesefreude und verdirbt mir nur den Spass an anderen Büchern.
Daher lasse ich es jetzt bleiben, verzichte aber auf eine Wertung.
-----------------
I didn't like the first volume of the Inkheart trilogy very much and the second volume not at all. But since I had bought the complete trilogy in a slipcase, I wanted to at least give the third volume a try.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I don't like the characters and the world at all - also due to the previous volumes - and it therefore costs me every time quite an effort to reach for this book. When I do pick it up, I struggle through a few pages before putting it down again. That is not a pleasure to read and only spoils my enjoyment of other books.
That's why I'm abandoning it now, but I won't give it a rating.
**************
Ich mochte schon den ersten Band der Tintenherz Trilogie nicht so sonderlich und den zweiten Band gar nicht. Da ich mir aber die komplette Trilogie im Schuber gekauft hatte wollte ich nun zumindest einen Versuch mit dem dritten Band machen.
Ich muss jedoch leider feststellen, dass ich die Charaktere und die Welt - auch bedingt durch die Vorgängerbände – so gar nicht leiden kann und es mich daher jedesmal Überwindung kostet zu diesem Buch zu greifen. Wenn ich es dann doch tue, quäle ich mich durch wenige Seiten, bevor ich es wieder weglege. Das ist keine Lesefreude und verdirbt mir nur den Spass an anderen Büchern.
Daher lasse ich es jetzt bleiben, verzichte aber auf eine Wertung.
-----------------
I didn't like the first volume of the Inkheart trilogy very much and the second volume not at all. But since I had bought the complete trilogy in a slipcase, I wanted to at least give the third volume a try.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I don't like the characters and the world at all - also due to the previous volumes - and it therefore costs me every time quite an effort to reach for this book. When I do pick it up, I struggle through a few pages before putting it down again. That is not a pleasure to read and only spoils my enjoyment of other books.
That's why I'm abandoning it now, but I won't give it a rating.
January 31, 2023
The Good:
The stakes, the action, the characters, the way Cornelia had every single subplot equally interesting and suspenseful and yet making sense—this was a masterpiece. Splendid, splendid, splendid. I especially loved how the characters continued to develop into a satisfactory ending, even when many times I feared the ending would be absolutely terrible.
The Bad:
Literally nothing to say here except I'm sad the series is over.
What the Reader Thought:
I am very glad I kept reading after the first book. This culmination of the trilogy was brilliant and I loved every anxious minute of it. The hangover is real... I only wish I could give this more than five stars, it was that good. Definitely will be getting copies of this eventually. Loved it!!! (Also, can we just appreciate Dustfinger and Mo a little extra?) Fenoglio is a total mood as well.
The stakes, the action, the characters, the way Cornelia had every single subplot equally interesting and suspenseful and yet making sense—this was a masterpiece. Splendid, splendid, splendid. I especially loved how the characters continued to develop into a satisfactory ending, even when many times I feared the ending would be absolutely terrible.
The Bad:
Literally nothing to say here except I'm sad the series is over.
What the Reader Thought:
I am very glad I kept reading after the first book. This culmination of the trilogy was brilliant and I loved every anxious minute of it. The hangover is real... I only wish I could give this more than five stars, it was that good. Definitely will be getting copies of this eventually. Loved it!!! (Also, can we just appreciate Dustfinger and Mo a little extra?) Fenoglio is a total mood as well.
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