As per usual, I read two books for the prompt. I’m not including Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll as part of the review though. I read it, went “huh,” and decided it would take some serious literary digging to write a review for it. Also, I didn’t want to discuss the meaning of “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” So, it was cool, absurd, and way too short.
After I shot through The Looking Glass in two hours, I grabbed Reckless. I enjoyed Inkheart and figured Ms. Funke would deliver again. She did. And in such a clever way.
Reckless is a fantasy book about two brothers who travel through a mirror in their father’s study into an alternate universe, the world of fairytales. We never run into Rapunzel or Cinderella, but the story has their iconic items as artifacts. One hair from Rapunzel can become a climbing rope of any size and is very strong. The author throws items like that at the reader constantly. It’s fun, but she also builds her own folklore and magic.
Our hero, Jacob Reckless (yes, that’s his last name, a little on the nose but okay), and his brother, Will, have entered the mirror world. Jacob has traveled many times, but Will, not so much. And Will is struck down by a fairy’s curse that is turning him into living stone. He will become a Goyle, a violent stone person and part of a faction taking over the land in the Mirrorworld. (Yes, read gargoyle there for Goyle. Love that.) Jacob must save him, but the evil fairy wants him, too. The novel is one great big adventure, dealing with fairytale lore, true love, and brotherly devotion.
I don’t want to spoil, but the book is a great start on an adventure. It has enough fairytale retelling to keep it familiar, but a ton of new ideas that make it super interesting. I love a good fairy story and reading that the group (the brothers, a werefox, and the brother’s girlfriend) stayed in a gingerbread house was wonderful.
I also love how she blends our world with theirs. We discover their father has given the Mirrorworld tons of technology from our side of the mirror. These fairytale creatures have guns, elevators, and electricity, but not all the sharing has gone well. The guns have allowed the world to change completely—a thought-provoking statement on how one culture can affect another.
It is a series, so some conflict is resolved in the first book, but not everything. It’s not a kid’s story either. There’s death, violence, murder, and a hint of sexuality. I’d say this tale was for teens and adults, rather than the youngers.
I give Reckless by Cornelia Funke Four Pieces of Pure Jade (and one Black Moth).
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