Book Review: The Golden Yarn (MirrorWorld #3)

Release Date: December 22, 2015
Author: Cornelia Funke
Publisher: Breathing Books
Length: 464 pages
Source: ARC from Author

Jacob Reckless continues to travel the portal in his father's abandoned study. His name has continued to be famous on the other side of the mirror, as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. His family and friends, from his brother, Will to the shape-shifting vixen, Fox, are on a collision course as the two worlds become connected. Who is driving these two worlds together and why is he always a step ahead?

This new force isn't limiting its influence to just Jacob’s efforts – it has broadened the horizon within MirrorWorld. Jacob, Will and Fox travel east and into the Russian folklore, to the land of the Baba Yaga, pursued by a new type of being that knows our world all to well.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Jacob Reckless is back after nearly dying for the umpteenth time. This adventure is a bit different from the previous two, mainly because if I told you what it is I'd feel like I was spoiling it, let's just say that Jacob and Fox follow Will to the east of the Mirrorworld where folktales from the Middle-East and Russia roam. This book really gets a good chance to expand on Will's character a lot, he's confused since his time behind the Mirror and in this book he really tries to find a sense of self. However, while there is quite a bit of character development with Will, there is still much of himself for him to explore by the end of the book. Jacob and Fox, who are both fierce, loyal, and independent, but tied together by more than just fate, do have development in this book, but that's more something for the romance section.

Romance: So just as Jacob and Fox's romance seems prime to launch there's a giant wrench thrown in it. The drama that ensues is torturous and sometimes painful to watch. Two people who want nothing more than to be together, but can't due to unfortunate circumstances. Because of aforementioned wrench there is a bit of a love triangle in this book, and because of Funke's non-formulaic writing style I had next to no choice but to take it seriously. This is a series where anything can happen, and because of that a lot of emotions were stirred up because of this love triangle, though it's something that I felt kind of needed to happen.

World-Building: There is a lot of information thrown into this book, something that I at times find very annoying, but there was a minimum of info-dumping in this book, but there were still a few moments that were hard t fully absorb. In this book we get another, quite different look at the Mirrorworld, traveling east we leave most of the places we've known from this series and new ones steeped in different folklore and traditions. This world seems to be ever growing and I was happy to discover new and unexpected places. There is also a great deal revealed in this book, scenes that I'm sure fans have waited years to see and while not everything goes the way I'm sure people would want, it is real and very entertaining, and we have two more books left in this series so much more left to explore.

Predictability: I've said this before and I'll say it again, since Cornelia Funke writes in such a non-formulaic way, it's very hard to see where things are going. In fact, I don't think there was a single thing, other than the very basic formulaic things that I called and even they were at times tenuous. Every twist and every turn felt not only real, but very well planned and executed.

Ending: So I have to say that I really didn't expect this book to end the way it did, I expected something a bit more enclosed like the previous two books were, even though I know they weren't, like, standalone level enclosed, they did have this weird sense of accomplishment to them, an adventure gone on and completed that leads into something else, this time however things feel very unfinished. The very end of the book isn't a huge cliffhanger, while I do want to continue this series, I'm not chomping at the bit to continue.

Rating:

So this is the book that truly redeems this series for me, I mean the previous installment laid a lot of the groundwork, but this is where I really got invested in the world, the characters, and what's going to happen next. I can't wait to continue!

Book Review: Fearless (MirrorWorld #2)

Release Date: April 2, 2013
Author: Cornelia Funke
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Length: 432 pages
Source: Finished Copy from Author

Jacob Reckless returns once again to the Mirrorworld--filled with profound characters, extraordinary creatures, and epic life-or-death treasure hunts that could only come from the mind of the master storyteller of our generation, Cornelia Funke.

Jacob Reckless has only a few months left to live. He's tried everything to shake the Fairy curse that traded his life for his brother's--legends such as the All-Healing Apple, the Well of Eternal Youth, the blood of a northern Djinn. And yet hope after hope is extinguished. After months of fruitless searching, Jacob journeys through his father's mirror one final time to deliver the bad news to Fox.

But there they hear of one last possibility--an item so legendary that not even Mirrorworlders believe it exists: a crossbow that can kill thousands, or heal one, when shot through the heart. But a Goyl treasure hunter is also searching for the prized crossbow. Jacob must find it first--and somehow convince Fox to do whatever it takes to save him.

    

Review:

Protagonists: Jacob Reckless is back and now he's on the hunt for an item that can help him cheat his immanent death. He and Fox journey through the MirrorWorld encountering foes at nearly every turn So first off I have to say that this time our protagonists are just Jacob and Fox, Will and Clara do make a small appearance towards the beginning, but they aren't a part of this MirrorWorld journey. Fox really gets to sort of come into her own and it was easier to see her as an individual character rather than part of a team with Jacob, or just his sidekick. Jacob gets character development as well, though not as much as Fox.

Romance: So you know how I said Cornelia Funke's not that great at romance, well, I take that back, because she does a spectacular job in this book. First off, the romance isn't a main or even secondary plotline in this book, but it's there nonetheless. It's really more about the emotions Fox and Jacob feel for each other, there wasn't really any start of a romantic relationship or big tension filled romantic moments, yet I undoubtedly root for these two to be together and I hope we'll get to see more romance between these two in future installments.

World-Building: I have to say, right off the bat, that this book was so much easier to get into than the first. In this book, I already had a basic knowledge of the MirrorWorld, I knew what the main dilemma was and how it happened, and I already had a connection, albeit tenuous,  with the characters before the beginning, all of that made for a much more entertaining and far less confusing adventure. There were still those moments where something felt like it was introduced as though the reader should have some basic knowledge of what it was, but other than that we get a much more detailed look at this loosely fairy-tale inspired world and I was happy to find that I could form such a strong connection with it and this story.

Predictability: Since this book was far less confusing it made for some great moments that truly shocked me and some moments that I saw coming, but were no less awesome because of it. I do have to say though that the foreshadowing in this book is pretty scarce and it doesn't exactly follow a simple YA or MG formula, so in the end there was far more things that I couldn't see coming than things that I could. There were also moments that I believed would come that never did and things that felt like foreshadowing that were never utilized, at least not in this book.

Ending: So one of the most surprising moments of this book, or really a lot of surprising moments, happened at the end of this book. It definitely didn't end the way I was expecting it to, and while that definitely doesn't affect the way I'm going to rate this book, it was very surprising. The final climax was pretty awesome, and a tad bit confusing, and it all led into the very end, which did not have the cooling period I was expecting, and I'm not quite sure if there was a cliffhanger or not, I mean, it definitely left on a note of me wanting more, but it didn't have the shock of a typical cliffhanger.

Rating:

So, like I said before, I enjoyed this book much more than it's predecessor, the only thing I had to fault it on was that there were still moments that felt a bit too confusing and didn't quite make sense, but other than that it was a fun and entertaining adventure that makes the first book so worth it!

Book Review: Reckless (MirrorWorld #1)

Release Date: September 14, 2010
Author: Cornelia Funke
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Length: 391 pages
Source: Finished Copy from Author

Ever since Jacob Reckless was a child, he has been escaping to a hidden world through a portal in his father's abandoned study. Over the years, he has made a name for himself as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. He's also made many enemies and allies—most important, Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting vixen whom Jacob cares for more than he lets on.

But life in this other world is about to change. Tragedy strikes when Jacob's younger brother, Will, follows him through the portal. Brutally attacked, Will is infected with a curse that is quickly transforming him into a Goyl—a ruthless killing machine, with skin made of stone.

Jacob is prepared to fight to save his brother, but in a land built on trickery and lies, Jacob will need all the wit, courage, and reckless spirit he can summon to reverse the dark spell—before it's too late.

    

Review:

Protagonists: This book follows about four protagonists on the journey to cure William Reckless of the monstrous affliction he receives at the beginning of this tale. First we have our main protagonist, Jacob Reckless who has visited the MirrorWorld on and off for twelve years and knows more about it than most of our other protagonists. Jacob is fiercely loyal to his brother and would do anything to protect him. In a lot of ways Jacob and William Reckless reminded me of Dean and Sam Winchester, from Supernatural,  respectively. It was weird the amount of parallels to them I could make, even though their personalities are different, how they treat each other and their bond as brothers reminds me so much of the Winchesters. Then we have Clara, Will's girlfriend from the real world who finds her way into the MirrorWorld and into this adventure to save Will. Clara doesn't get all that much development which I was kind of bummed by, she was kind of just there as Will's girlfriend and I would have loved to see her be a much more multi-layered character. Finally we have Fox, Jacob's vixen companion who knows the MirrorWorld as well as he does. Fox is resourceful and independent and cares deeply for Jacob and by association the rest of their party. I really loved Fox and while I liked that she was more multi-layered than Clara I still would have liked to see her be more of her own character than a sidekick.

Romance: Cornelia Funke isn't the best at writing romance, and that's okay, it's just that I felt as though there was supposed to be more of that endless fairy-tale love in this book and if fell sort of flat. First off, Jacob doesn't really have a love interest, which is fine, I didn't need him to have one. But then there's William and Clara, an established romance that began before this book started. Because of that we never really got to see their love grow and develop it's just sort of a given fact that they're together and in love. Since their love is a semi-important plot point I wish I cared about it or connected to it more than I did.

World-Building: So one of my biggest problems with this book is how jarring it begins. The first chapter slowly leads the reader into the story, but then the second chapter just throws them into the middle of the story without a map and kind of expects them to understand what's going on. It takes a bit for the story to sink in and for it to feel like a more traditional novel. I have to say though that this world is very inventive and one of my favorite things is fairy tale adaptations. The fairy-tale theme, while very apparent as you move through this book, isn't as big of a plot point as I had expected, but more of a given to this fantasy world. I really enjoyed that as I could learn about this new fantasy world while learning about how famous fairy tales mic into it.

Predictability: Because this book is so hard to pin down, I never really got the time to speculate about what happens next or where the story is going from any given point. Instead I just kind of followed the story like a blind man being led, trying to trust my guide and not really trying to anticipate if I'm going to accidentally run into anything. Hopefully I'll be able to get into the next book a bit more so that I can speculate and try and predict where the story is going to end up.

Ending: So the ending really helps set up the next book in the series, at least I hope it does. The final climax itself is pretty epic as there is a lot at stake and what was once a very black and white issue becomes full of shades of gray. The final chapter feels very much like the end to one story, while later it begins to lead into another. I'm interested where this story will go and what familiar faces will make their way back into this story and this world.

Rating:

If it wasn't for the fact that I felt dropped into the story dazed and confused and the romance, which had an importance to the story, was already established when the story began, I probably would have liked if not loved this story more than I did. I will continue this series as I love the author, but I really hope that it can only get better from here.