Mixed Feelings for "Inkheart"

"Inkheart"
Cornelia Funke

3

After Meggie’s mother ran off when she was young, Meggie grows up with just her father, Mo, looking after her. One night while she is reading bed, a stranger with a haunting scar on his face comes to her house. Meggie knows that this man is bad news, but Mo knows the man and decides to let him stay the night anyway. Even though Meggie is supposed to be asleep, she sneaks downstairs and overhears some of her father’s conversation with the stranger named Dustfinger. The next morning Mo tells Meggie the real story of what happened to her mother, which involves him reading characters (including Dustfinger) out of “Inkheart” and Meggie’s mother into the book. He then tells her about Capricorn, one of the villains that he brought out, whom is the most evil being one could possibly imagine. Capricorn wants to get back to his world and needs Mo to help. Meggie, Mo, and Dustfinger decide to go to Meggie’s Great Aunt Elinor’s House in order to avoid Capricorn’s grasp. They are only there a few nights when someone breaks into Elinor’s house kidnapping Mo and a very mysterious book called “Inkheart”. Meggie and Elinor set out to find Mo with Dustfinger as their guide, but can they really trust Dustfinger? Will they be able to get Mo back from Capricorn’s clutches?

I really enjoyed the plot behind this book and the characters were really interesting; however, it was just way too slow for my taste. From start to finish it just kind of slugged along. At first I didn't mind the slow pace because I learned a lot about some AMAZING characters; however, when I got halfway through the book and it was still moving at the same pace, I was disappointed. Even the ending seemed anticlimactic. I enjoyed the ending, but it just didn't have much of a punch. If the book wasn't written so beautifully and the narrator's voice wasn't so captivating then I definitely would have given up on this one.

It was difficult to rate this review because it was a good book overall, I just feel like a reader needs patience while taking on this book. For me the characters and narrating voice outweighed the slow developments in the story. I know a lot of people really love this book and I can see why, it just wasn’t for me. I have heard a lot of really good things about the sequel to this book, but I’m not sure if it is something I would be interested in.