Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

MG Fantasy. 699 Pages. 6 Stars

Synopsis:

The masterful conclusion to the epic, award-winning, bestselling INKHEART trilogy by internationally acclaimed author Cornelia Funke.

The Adderhead–his immortality bound in a book by Meggie’s father, Mo–has ordered his henchmen to plunder the villages. The peasants’ only defense is a band of outlaws led by the Bluejay–Mo’s fictitious double, whose identity he has reluctantly adopted. But the Book of Immortality is unraveling, and the Adderhead again fears the White Women of Death. To bring the renegade Bluejay back to repair the book, the Adderhead kidnaps all the children in the kingdom, dooming them to slavery in his silver mines unless Mo surrends. First Dustfinger, now Mo: Can anyone save this cursed story?

My Review:

I waited over a decade to finish this story and now, it is done. And wow! What an ending!

I’ve loved Inkheart since I was a middle school girl whose brother swapped her for Eragon. It’s a captivating, enchanting story with characters that are so tangible and real it feels they might leap off the page at any moment. The world is beautiful and real, the plot twisty and turny. And the conclusion, I must report, satisfying.

By the end of Inkspell, I wasn’t sure what on earth would happen in Inkdeath. But I’ll say my favorite characters did me right and some new ones came along that surprised me, too. This link in the story felt the deepest dive into the Inkworld and really brought life to the fantasy of it all. The creatures were fun, the world expanded, and the stakes as high as ever!

It was so neat to see the glimpse into Death’s world, to see characters become who they were meant to be all along, fulfilling their potential, and to see the hope of good vs. evil restored. Finoglio and Orpheus continued their word war, Meggie and Mo stretched and grew and had to learn what it meant to be a family of three again, Eleanor and Daris brought such a smile, and Farid. Ah Farid. I was sad to see the path he chose. I had hoped more for him. But it made sense. Some characters made decisions that made you want to rail at them and others restored your faith. The epicness of being swept into a tale of the Black Prince, the Bluejay, the Adderhead, and all the side characters that fill out the story. It was just such a delight.

I loved how the pieces wove together. Not only did the world blossom, but the plot grew like a vine from a magic bean. The commentary on writing was on point and hilarious, though I wasn’t sure why we just forgot that Meggie had wanted to become a writer. But Funke brought all the lose ends into a satisfying conclusion with surprises, twists, and gut-wrenching turns. The relationships, the character dynamics, the climactic resolution. All of it made the read so worthwhile.

Man, it’s hard to review this one without spoiling. I feel like I’m being so vague. But suffice it to say, it was an epic adventure, a fantastical story, and one filled with heart and oomph. Thematically, the book explores purpose, bitterness, grief, loyalty, death, life, honor, power, and so much more.

Content: there’s some mild swearing, but only a brief kiss here or there and some thoughts on crushes and matters of the heart. There is some fantasy violence, though nothing super graphic. Thematically, this one is darker than the other two, but again not terribly graphic or gory. It explores characters who have no qualms about morality and happens in a world of murder and slavery and growing up. Oh, there is one very brief scene that alludes to a potential assault, but nothing happens and it’s over very quickly. I’d probably recommend this one for 14/15+

More:

Book 1 in the Inkworld Trilogy is Inkheart (5 Stars)

Book 2 is Inkspell (4 Stars)

I’ve read and reviewed the above on Goodreads. See the links for more info. This trilogy does need to be read in order.

On GraceBought

If you missed it, check out my thoughts on the first book in the trilogy.

Inkheart and Inkspell