Every time I read a book by Cornelia Funke I’m taken to a magical place filled with all sorts of wonderful creatures and characters. While her worlds are strange and very different from ours there is also something really comforting about stepping in to them. With Cornelia Funke you know that you’re going to read a story that will enchant you and I find myself instantly transported there from the first page. I can still remember the first time I read Inkheart (my favourite children’s book) and feeling like Cornelia had written the book just for me. Her latest series, starting with Reckless and now Fearless, is aimed at an older audience but filled with all the things I love about her writing.
After saving his brother, Jacob Reckless faces death from the fairy’s curse burning in his heart. In search of a cure he returns to the Mirrorworld, where he is reunited with Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting girl. He has one more chance: a golden crossbow, with the power to both save and destroy life, buried in a dead king’s tomb beneath an invisible palace. Jacob must cross continents, face monsters and men – including a dangerous rival – and learn what it means to stay alive.
Fearless picks up where Reckless left off and takes us back in to the Mirrorworld. We join Jacob and Fox on a kind of ‘Amazing Race’ through the Mirrorworld to find the head, hand and heart of Guismond the Witch Slayer, which will lead them to the crossbow. On the opposing team is Nerron the Goyl, a treasure hunter like Jacob, prince Louis and his entourage. Each wants the crossbow for their own means and they’re incredibly determined to get to it first.
Cornelia’s remarkable characters and creatures fill the pages of this book, from the stone-skinned Goyl and the slimy Waterman, to the mysterious Mr Earlking and the sinister Bluebeard. Some of the creatures are all her own creation, whereas others, like the Trolls, Giants and Dijin you will have met before in other stories. I love the way that Cornelia weaves fairy tales in to the story too. As Jacob is a treasure hunter he often gets sent to retrieve magical items for important people, like Cinderella’s glass slipper or the goose that lays the golden eggs. You never follow Jacob on any of these quests though, you only hear about them in passing when he’s recounting the tales with his mentor Chanute or Valiant the Dwarf. The character in Fearless that I found most intriguing was the Bluebeard, a sinister character who appears charming, but hides his true nature behind his clean-shaven face. Watch out for this guy because he’s really creepy.
Fearless (and Reckless) are certainly darker and grittier than Cornelia’s Inkheart series, but fans of that series will love this one. It’s like Cornelia has instilled the essence of the original fairy tales into her stories. I really hope that there are more books to come in the Mirrorworld series, as it feels like Cornelia has just scratched the surface of this world and has plenty more to reveal about her characters.
5 0ut of 5 stars
Win a copy of Reckless and Fearless
I have a copy of both Fearless and the first book in the series, Reckless to give away. To get in the draw all you have to do is enter your name and email address in the form below. Competition closes Tuesday 9 April (NZ only).
Scholastic New Zealand are publishing some wonderful new picture books in July, including books about birds, dinosaur dads, and a retelling of a piggy tale. The best part is that they’re all by New Zealand authors and illustrators! I’ll be reviewing them here on the blog throughout the month, but here’s your chance to get your hands on them.
Rachael King’s Red Rocks was my favourite for the 2013 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards. Although it didn’t win the award, it’s a winning book in my opinion. As part of the New Zealand Post Children’s Book Festival in Canterbury we gave away copies of Red Rocks to children at every school we visited.
My Best Friends Are Books 