School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Cornelia Funke brings her popular fantasy trilogy to a close with this final story (Chicken House, 2008). Meggie, the heroine from the first two books, remains in the Inkworld with her mother and her father, Mo. The kingdom is in chaos: the immortal Adderhead sits on the throne, plunders villages, and steals children to work to death in the silver mines. Mo has appointed himself guardian of these innocents and assumes the identity of the Bluejay as he works to spite the Adderhead at every turn. Dustfinger returns from the dead and teams up with Mo to bring peace to the Inkworld. Narrator Allan Corduner impressively brings the story to life and keeps each of the dozens of characters recognizable. His transition from one voice to another is smooth, and the pacing is good. But at close to 20 hours, this novel is not for everyone. Fans of the series will be disappointed in Meggie's minor role, but will enjoy the series' satisfying conclusion. Library collections where the first two audiobooks are popular should consider this an essential purchase.-Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This concluding volume in Funke's bestselling trilogy picks up where Inkspell left off, but sputters for a hundred pages filling in backstory. (Even then, an addendum is needed to identify a cast of 114 characters.) The Inkworld, full of dark magic, is under siege; the savagery of the Adderhead and his minions now extends to taking all the peasants' children until somebody delivers, as ransom, the Bluejay, a Robin Hood-style character whose identity has been assumed by Mo, Meggie's father (it was Mo who started all the trouble by reading several villains right out of the book-within-a-book, Inkheart--don't even consider reading this series out of order). The Inkheart author, Fenoglio, now living in Inkworld himself, has turned to drink; the odious Orpheus, when he's not under a maid's skirt, rewrites Fenoglio's work (editors!) to benefit himself. The interesting metafictional questions--can we alter destiny? shape our own fate?--are overwhelmed by the breakneck action, yet the villains aren't fully realized. More disappointingly, the formerly feisty Meggie, barely into her teens, has little to do but choose between two suitors. Funke seems to have forgotten her original installment was published for children. Ages 9-up. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved