Inkspell (Book 2), by Cornelia Funke

After reviewing Inkheart it’s only right for me to tell everyone about the next book in the series, Inkspell.

Where that story took place mostly in the real-world, this one takes place almost entirely in the fantasy one.

Story overview:

A year after the happenings of Inkheart, Meggie can’t help but to think of the magical world she only had a small glimpse of.

Farid convinces Meggie that going to the ink world is the best thing for them both to do, and so, with a voice perhaps even greater than her father’s, Meggie reads them there. By one way or another, Dustfinger, Basta, Mortola, Mortimer (Mo), and Resa all find themselves in this fantasy world.

If they thought Capricorn was bad, then that’s only because they had yet to meet the dreaded Adderhead; tyrant of the ink world.

Among the people from the real-world is Fenoglio, the author of Inkheart, who finds that he is less in control than he would like, and so he vows to put an end to the Adderhead. With Meggie’s voice and Fenoglio’s words, they try to put things right, only to find that perhaps their attempts simply make matters worse.

My thoughts:

I liked this book better than Inkheart, and I did really like Inkheart. There are a few places where I found the story dragged on, but I wasn’t disappointed by trudging through them.

Things to consider:

Meggie is older, and she falls in love with Farid. Nothing inappropriate there, but they do find themselves romantically involved (nothing beyond kissing). I’d say the rating and age group is the same as Inkheart, which would be around the pre-teens.

Opportunities for discussion:

Like the first book, this one questions whether or not one should take a hand at “playing god”. Talk to your children about dating, and what you believe is appropriate. Another good discussion point is about sacrifice, though I don’t want to mention why without you first reading the book.

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