Helpful Score: 1
I got a copy an advanced reading copy of this book through bookitforwardtours. I have previously read Funke's Dragon Rider (liked it a lot) and Thief Lord (thought it was okay). I have her Inkheart series to read but haven't read it yet. So I was eager to read something new from her. This was a good book, I think it was darker than her other books and meant for a more mature audience (young adult vs. children). Those who like books dealing with fairy tales will love this one.
When Jacob Reckless was a boy he found a mirror that could take him to another world; a world he grew to prefer to his own. Now he is older and this time, his brother Will follows him through the mirror. But something horrible happens and Will is injured in an awful way. Jacob starts on a relentless search through this fairy world to find a way to make his brother Will better and to keep Will from becoming the very enemy Jacob fights.
This book is darker than the previous Funke books I have read. More at a young adult level than a children's level. The other world that Jacob enters through the mirror is a world at war and is the embodiment of many dark fairy tales. There are many dangers in this other world, and the characters are forced to face many of them.
Funke does an excellent job describing and creating this world based on fairy tales. She does a good job making it realistic and keeping the pace of the book fast. There is a lot of adventure and fighting in here, as well as some politics to be dealt with. I love fairy tale retellings and enjoyed all the references throughout the book to various fairy tales.
Where I thought the book was lacking was in characterization. Jacob you can understand, but he is not a likable character at all. I never really felt like I sympathized with him and the hard decisions he had to make; but he was interesting. Fox, Jacob's companion, was a much better character. I really felt for her and liked her the best of all of the characters in this book. My biggest problem characters were Will and Clara (Will's girlfriend); neither of these character ever seemed to gain life in the story, they are pretty two dimensional...almost like paper cutouts moving through the plot.
The main point of the story is wrapped up well, but there are a lot of little threads left dangling...I am guessing we can expect a sequel to this book.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I think people who like dark fairy tale retellings will enjoy the mish-mash of fairy tale references throughout. The book is darker than the previous Funke novels I have read. The world is wonderful and the adventure non-stop. The characters are a bit weak though, you never really are drawn to them all that much. I liked it enough that if a sequel is written I will probably get it and read it.
When Jacob Reckless was a boy he found a mirror that could take him to another world; a world he grew to prefer to his own. Now he is older and this time, his brother Will follows him through the mirror. But something horrible happens and Will is injured in an awful way. Jacob starts on a relentless search through this fairy world to find a way to make his brother Will better and to keep Will from becoming the very enemy Jacob fights.
This book is darker than the previous Funke books I have read. More at a young adult level than a children's level. The other world that Jacob enters through the mirror is a world at war and is the embodiment of many dark fairy tales. There are many dangers in this other world, and the characters are forced to face many of them.
Funke does an excellent job describing and creating this world based on fairy tales. She does a good job making it realistic and keeping the pace of the book fast. There is a lot of adventure and fighting in here, as well as some politics to be dealt with. I love fairy tale retellings and enjoyed all the references throughout the book to various fairy tales.
Where I thought the book was lacking was in characterization. Jacob you can understand, but he is not a likable character at all. I never really felt like I sympathized with him and the hard decisions he had to make; but he was interesting. Fox, Jacob's companion, was a much better character. I really felt for her and liked her the best of all of the characters in this book. My biggest problem characters were Will and Clara (Will's girlfriend); neither of these character ever seemed to gain life in the story, they are pretty two dimensional...almost like paper cutouts moving through the plot.
The main point of the story is wrapped up well, but there are a lot of little threads left dangling...I am guessing we can expect a sequel to this book.
Overall I enjoyed the story. I think people who like dark fairy tale retellings will enjoy the mish-mash of fairy tale references throughout. The book is darker than the previous Funke novels I have read. The world is wonderful and the adventure non-stop. The characters are a bit weak though, you never really are drawn to them all that much. I liked it enough that if a sequel is written I will probably get it and read it.
Helpful Score: 1
I was excited to read this as I liked Funke's other books. Alas, this one really dropped the ball for me!
For one thing, the main protagonist makes ALL the decisions - for everyone. He also lies to everyone so that they'll go along and do it his way. The female characters in these books don't show any independence or any power in their own right. Often, they're either manhandled by the main protagonist or the main protagonist has someone else "keep an eye" on them or force them (using physical force) to stay where he wants them. Add to that the sexist comments made by the dwarf who accompanies Jacob (main protagonist) everywhere.
I wouldn't recommend this to the younger crowd. Simply because of the treatment of women in this book.
In terms of plot ... well, this kind of fell apart for me. The plot had the potential to be really fantastic, but, in the end, Jacob seemed to just drop the ball and mess everyone's lives up in the process.
I wasn't a fan of Jacob, so towards the end, I was kind of hoping someone would kill him already. It's not a good book when you want the main protagonist to die.
If there is a sequel, I won't be reading it.
For one thing, the main protagonist makes ALL the decisions - for everyone. He also lies to everyone so that they'll go along and do it his way. The female characters in these books don't show any independence or any power in their own right. Often, they're either manhandled by the main protagonist or the main protagonist has someone else "keep an eye" on them or force them (using physical force) to stay where he wants them. Add to that the sexist comments made by the dwarf who accompanies Jacob (main protagonist) everywhere.
I wouldn't recommend this to the younger crowd. Simply because of the treatment of women in this book.
In terms of plot ... well, this kind of fell apart for me. The plot had the potential to be really fantastic, but, in the end, Jacob seemed to just drop the ball and mess everyone's lives up in the process.
I wasn't a fan of Jacob, so towards the end, I was kind of hoping someone would kill him already. It's not a good book when you want the main protagonist to die.
If there is a sequel, I won't be reading it.
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
Two brothers, a magic mirror, an enchanted world, and dark magic determined to destroy everything.
Mirrorworld's treasures and secrets have always been a welcome escape for Jacob Reckless. When his younger brother follows him through the mirror and is cursed by dark magic, Jacob has to save him. But saving his brother might cost him everything.
This gripping tale of sacrifice and love is sure to become a favorite for many readers. Funke does an excellent job of creating life-like characters and an amazing world full of magic and danger. You never know what you'll get when you turn the page.
As a lover of Grimm's fairy tales, I couldn't help but fall in love with Jacob and Will Reckless. Finding references to characters and settings from Grimm tales only made me love it more. I hope this isn't the last I get to read of Jacob Reckless.
Two brothers, a magic mirror, an enchanted world, and dark magic determined to destroy everything.
Mirrorworld's treasures and secrets have always been a welcome escape for Jacob Reckless. When his younger brother follows him through the mirror and is cursed by dark magic, Jacob has to save him. But saving his brother might cost him everything.
This gripping tale of sacrifice and love is sure to become a favorite for many readers. Funke does an excellent job of creating life-like characters and an amazing world full of magic and danger. You never know what you'll get when you turn the page.
As a lover of Grimm's fairy tales, I couldn't help but fall in love with Jacob and Will Reckless. Finding references to characters and settings from Grimm tales only made me love it more. I hope this isn't the last I get to read of Jacob Reckless.
I absolutely adore Cornelia Funke and everything she's written. That being said, this is the darkest and possibly the worst book that I've ever read by her. The premise was dark and the entire book had not a shred of hope in it, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In a horrible twist of fate (and horrible translating), it also included characters who were never fleshed out. In fact, Funke barely grazed the surface of any of these characters, including Jacob, the main character. I didn't care for ANY of them.
Her world was a fascinating blend of classic fairy tales with a slightly modern twist. However, I entered the world feeling like an outcast, and just felt more and more ostracized the more I got into the book. I usually devour Funke books in a matter of a few days. This one took me WEEKS to actually finish, and I only did so just to say I did. The chapters were stilted and panned to different character's views, all in third person, and it was so confusing. That and the fact that the book started in the middle of a dilemma where you were lost from the start. And instead of cleverly giving us hints on what happened before the book started, Funke ignored that route and went full throttle against the story when readers didn't even fully know what that story was!
It might be partly because this is intended for young adults and not children/teenagers as in her other books. Somehow writing for an older audience = darker. And that's okay, but it does NOT mean that you neglect every other part of the story. Funke was clearly out of her element in this story, and it showed page after page. I am not even sure I want to even set eyes on the sequel to this book, it was that bad. I give it two stars as a sympathy to Funke, who I am sure tried her best.
The illustrations in this book, however, get four to five stars. All done originally by her, they added an element to the book. I did not, however, appreciate how every chapter started on the right facing page, no matter if the previous chapter didn't end on the opposite page, leaving a blank side opposite the beginning of the next chapter and its illustration. I found that was in very bad taste for the publisher to do. It just made the book look cheap.
Even if you are a die hard fan of Funke, I wouldn't pick up this book. It would just make you irritated at her for executing her talent for story telling so poorly. I recommend this book to no one.
Her world was a fascinating blend of classic fairy tales with a slightly modern twist. However, I entered the world feeling like an outcast, and just felt more and more ostracized the more I got into the book. I usually devour Funke books in a matter of a few days. This one took me WEEKS to actually finish, and I only did so just to say I did. The chapters were stilted and panned to different character's views, all in third person, and it was so confusing. That and the fact that the book started in the middle of a dilemma where you were lost from the start. And instead of cleverly giving us hints on what happened before the book started, Funke ignored that route and went full throttle against the story when readers didn't even fully know what that story was!
It might be partly because this is intended for young adults and not children/teenagers as in her other books. Somehow writing for an older audience = darker. And that's okay, but it does NOT mean that you neglect every other part of the story. Funke was clearly out of her element in this story, and it showed page after page. I am not even sure I want to even set eyes on the sequel to this book, it was that bad. I give it two stars as a sympathy to Funke, who I am sure tried her best.
The illustrations in this book, however, get four to five stars. All done originally by her, they added an element to the book. I did not, however, appreciate how every chapter started on the right facing page, no matter if the previous chapter didn't end on the opposite page, leaving a blank side opposite the beginning of the next chapter and its illustration. I found that was in very bad taste for the publisher to do. It just made the book look cheap.
Even if you are a die hard fan of Funke, I wouldn't pick up this book. It would just make you irritated at her for executing her talent for story telling so poorly. I recommend this book to no one.
This was a good book. I'm a fan of Funke's work and have read all of her books. I enjoyed this read even though it was a little darker than previous writing. And, like her Ink Series, this book does have a few cuss works. I would recommend this book for kids of at least thirteen. It's slightly aggravating too because Jacob(main protagonist) lies to everyone and never regrets it. Also, there is NO strong female character. Even the main female antagonist is controlled by a male. But besides these flaws, it is still a good read and a nice adventure. Definitely for any fantasy fan.
Reckless is another wonderful world from Conelia Funke with new characters that invite you in to a reading experience. Reckless begins slowly, but builds as you get to know the characters and understand what is happening.
Reckless is a bit more grown-up fare than her other books that I've read. It's the story of Jacob and Will Reckless, brothers who end up in another world courtesy of a mirror in their father's study. The younger brother, Willi, who followed his well-traveled brother was infected by a curse and it's up to Jacob to save him. The story was well-paced, though the characters could've used a little more development/depth. Will and Clara came off a little one-sided. But the story overall was great, as was the writing. I anticipate a sequel to this, which I will definitely read.
I enjoyed this book but it definitely not one of Funke's best. Unfortunately when you have an author who wrote fantastic books, you will expect the same every time. Even though this book wasn't bad it was by no comparison anything like Inkheart.
The story is about a boy named Jacob who has been in search for his father for a long time. At one point he enters his father's forbidden study where he finds a mirror that transports him to another world. As time goes by he visits this world more often than not at the same time leaving his little brother Will behind. But one day Will follows and it can be the biggest mistake that Will makes.
The things I liked about this book was the world in which they enter through the mirror. Funke tells this side of the story well. I totally enjoyed all the details and could picture every piece of it in my mind. I also liked the characters to an extent. The were likable but not given enough depth. While I liked them, I still didn't find myself chewing on my fingernails when they were put in a dangerous situation. I just wasn't so wrapped up in them that I really cared what happened. Other than that, it was a good book and I look forward to more from Funke.
The story is about a boy named Jacob who has been in search for his father for a long time. At one point he enters his father's forbidden study where he finds a mirror that transports him to another world. As time goes by he visits this world more often than not at the same time leaving his little brother Will behind. But one day Will follows and it can be the biggest mistake that Will makes.
The things I liked about this book was the world in which they enter through the mirror. Funke tells this side of the story well. I totally enjoyed all the details and could picture every piece of it in my mind. I also liked the characters to an extent. The were likable but not given enough depth. While I liked them, I still didn't find myself chewing on my fingernails when they were put in a dangerous situation. I just wasn't so wrapped up in them that I really cared what happened. Other than that, it was a good book and I look forward to more from Funke.
