I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!!

Ive posted a full review on Goodreads and I look forward to reading more from this author!

DNF. Unfortunately just didn't end up being the book for. Apologies for not being able to deliver a proper review.

I requested this book expecting it to be a revised edition of the first Reckless book which I'd already read when it first came out with its original publisher, but it's basically the same as the original publication text with only some added description, and if that book needed more of anything, it wasn't description.

DNF. Just couldn't get into it. Not really my thing.

Didn't help that it was in a locked format that couldn't be sent to Kindle and was only readable on a laptop. Very frustrating decision by the publisher.

I enjoyed the magic in this book, and the whole idea, but annoyingly I didn't feel much for Jacob and that more than anything let me down.

Engaging, addictive and amazingly written, Reckless had me glued to its pages! I’ve read Inkheart a few times and I can’t help but simply fall in love all over again with the writings of Cornelia Funke.
Once upon a time, a young boy named Jacob discovers this alternative world where he may escape his troubled past. For years he jumps back and forth between worlds becoming a master in finding lost enchanted objects until that faithful day, the day his little brother Will follows him into this magic world. But appearances are deceiving: this world is a very dark and dangerous place where happy endings aren’t waiting in the end of the story. When Will is viciously attacked, Jacob races to save his brother life before he becomes a blood-thirsty monster with skin made of stone.

I can’t get enough of the dark-fairytale world, Mirrorworld. It’s scary, creepy and it is really the worse that can happen in the stories that are supposed to end with “and they lived happily ever after”. It reveals the true meaning of the stories that we all know so well, in my opinion. There are new characters, new monsters but at the same time there are also those beloved characters from Grimm Fairytales, so it creates some familiarity.

The style of writing is amazing. I would have read it in German if I knew the language better, but with the English translation I still got to understand and really feel the story.

About the characters, Jacob is definitely the type of character that I enjoy reading about. He demonstrates his love and worry through actions and not words and although sometimes it seems like he doesn’t care at all, his actions show the bravery one needs to have while facing adversity. He is a great anti-hero with all the qualities and flaws that come with the title. However, Will is the opposite of his brother, and I think the intention was to have on one side the boy that suffered through hard times and tries not to grow attached to people, whereas on the other side, the young, innocent, untainted boy that just wants his brother’s attention. They complete each other perfectly and together they have this amazing brotherly bond that I couldn’t get enough of.

An amazing book that I will definitely re-read soon and that I recommend to all the fans of a dark world of tales!​

What I love about Cornelia Funke, is that she reads just as well in the translated English Versions of her books as she does in her mother tongue German. She's a very versatile author, which I generally find is something that is missing in the german YA world, as so many books in that genre get translated from english, that many german authors seem to get crushed, slightly. Not this author though, she's in fact one of THE exceptions in german literature that get translated into english and it works for her.


The first book of hers that I read was "Drachenreiter", back when that was new and I a child. Then I quickly devoured the "Ink Heart" trilogy in German and still go back to it when I'm needing a bit of magic in my life. After that, I was always on the lookout for something that would capture and keep my interest just the way "Ink Heart" did. Until these books appeared, however, I was never satisfied with any german book I touched. I love how the Brothers Grimm are brought to life in their own world and how real it all seems. Hats off to Cornelia Funke for creating such a wondrous world of Fairy Tales, the way they were meant to be, interesting and a little scary at times.


If you are interested in being swept away to a world full of the creatures of Fairy Tales and a world where the Grimm Brothers are around again, enter here and go on an epic journey of fantastic beasts and great adventures.
What I love about Cornelia Funke, is that she reads just as well in the translated English Versions of her books as she does in her mother tongue German. She's a very versatile author, which I generally find is something that is missing in the german YA world, as so many books in that genre get translated from english, that many german authors seem to get crushed, slightly. Not this author though, she's in fact one of THE exceptions in german literature that get translated into english and it works for her.


The first book of hers that I read was "Drachenreiter", back when that was new and I a child. Then I quickly devoured the "Ink Heart" trilogy in German and still go back to it when I'm needing a bit of magic in my life. After that, I was always on the lookout for something that would capture and keep my interest just the way "Ink Heart" did. Until these books appeared, however, I was never satisfied with any german book I touched. I love how the Brothers Grimm are brought to life in their own world and how real it all seems. Hats off to Cornelia Funke for creating such a wondrous world of Fairy Tales, the way they were meant to be, interesting and a little scary at times.


If you are interested in being swept away to a world full of the creatures of Fairy Tales and a world where the Grimm Brothers are around again, enter here and go on an epic journey of fantastic beasts and great adventures.

When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Cornelia Funke's Inkworld series. It was magical, and whimsical. This series however, I have not enjoyed as much. I didn't not like it though...it had a lot of things that I really love - fairy tale elements, especially dark creepy ones (and oh man this was DARK), and the Mirrorworld was very cool and sinister - but I just had a hard time involving myself with the characters, and I think I was a little jarred at the start when it felt like we were plonked right into the middle of the story.
However, I did enjoy it enough to be curious about what happens in the following books!

Although publication seems primarily aimed at the older child/YA market, there is no condescension to simpler tastes and the quality of the writing and plotting will appeal to all age groups . Something about the writing evokes Brandon Sanderson to me - I intend that as high praise. The world behind the mirror is a kind of supernatural Zenda where humans live side-by-side with magical creatures and races. Unlike the automatic "happily ever after" of today's sanitised fairy tales, there is a grim literary verisimilitude present. Sleeping Beauty is not rescued in time and, still asleep, slowly mummifies. Humans, Dwarfs, and the stone-skinned Goyls are both venal and admirable, loyal and traitorous. In their midst moves Jacob Reckless, adventurer and procurer of magical items, in but not of their world. His quest: to redeem his brother, Will, from the curse changing him slowly into a Goyl. His companions: his brother's lover, a shapechanging vixen, and a greedy dwarf. Emotions feel real, characters are believable, and the story never gets bogged down in the unnecessary, invented detail so many fantasists feel is required to flesh out their worlds. . An immensely readable quest story, with a hero whose curse will carry him into further sequels. Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved it read in one sitting,highly recommend this novel to anyone.

ISBN: 9781782691242. 29 Sep 2016. Pushkin Press. I received a copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Enter the magical world behind the Mirrors...
Jacob has uncovered the doorway to another world, hidden behind a mirror. It is a place of dark magic and enchanted objects, scheming dwarves and fearsome ogres, fairies born from water and men born from stone.
Here, he hunts for treasure and seeks adventure in the company of Fox - a beautiful, shape-shifting girl, who guides and guards him.
But now Jacob's younger brother has followed him into the mirrored world, and all that was freedom has turned to fear. Because a deadly curse has been spoken; and Jacob must risk his life to reverse it, before his brother is turned to stone forever...

As an avid Funke fan I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of this book. I had planned to put this review up ages ago, but put my notes down and they went missing whilst we were moving things around to decorate.

If you think this book sounds familiar, that's because it would be. This book is a re-release and slightly edited version of Reckless. So please keep that in mind if you're planning on buying and already have Reckless in your collection.

This book was everything I had hoped it would be. Cornelia is capable of writing worlds so clearly it's like you're actually in them as you read. It's a world you might long to return to in the future.

The characters are each beautifully unique yet complimentary. They are work so well with each other. They are each very very likeable in their own way. I particularly liked Fox though. She was so realistic I actually started to associate with her on occasion (which is pretty hard for me to do generally).

The plot itself is entirely worth reading the book for, even if it hadn't had such likable characters.

As I said before though, I might be slightly biased being a fan already.

I'm going to give this book a 4.5.

Summary

I thoroughly enjoyed Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy when I was younger, and so I jumped at the chance to read and review the first book in her Reckless series. This series was first released in 2010 with the book Reckless, but since then it has undergone a number of changes and Cornelia Funke, alongside Pushkin Press, has released an updated version of the trilogy, starting with the re-named The Petrified Flesh as the first book.

The series follows the adventurous Jacob Reckless as he discovers the Mirrorworld, reached by stepping through a mirror, where magic still exists alongside strange and wondrous creatures. Traces of his father, who stepped through the mirror before him, can still be found dotted around the world, while Jacob encounters a number of dangerous situations, and people.

Plot

The main story of The Petrified Flesh follows Jacob as he tries to find a cure for his brother, Will. Initially unaware of the Mirrorworld’s existence, Will followed his older brother through one day and found himself cursed with a spreading hand of stone. Other parties in this world are soon interested in Will’s curse and, together with Will’s girlfriend and a shape-shifting fox, Jacob struggles to protect him.

Everything about this plot worked for me. It allowed for the characters to be developed, it allowed for the world to be brought alive before my eyes and it kept me interested in the adventure throughout the entire novel. The dangers the characters faced were varied and came in different forms and the pacing allowed for plenty of action with enough breathing space for it not to be over-whelming. The fairy-tale-esque nature of the book was lovely to read, especially when it was subverted, as it allowed for a familiar, yet unpredictable story.

Characters

Each character in this book was unique and the main four complemented each other perfectly. I especially liked how Clara was treated in the book – despite being very new to the world, she was still a vital member of the team and contributed accordingly. The only one of the four who I struggled to get to know was Will which, while understandable given the circumstances, did make me struggle to appreciate the mission the other three were on. Fox, however, was a brilliant character and one I would be happy reading an entire novel about. While we don’t see much of her background, you do get the sense that there is plenty there and this gives her character plenty of depth and realism.

The secondary characters, and villains, also suited their roles and the world perfectly. No-one felt out of place and each was firmly rooted in their surroundings, which made the entire book seem more believable and enchanting. My main issue, however, was that while reading there felt like there was a glass wall between me and the events in the book – I could see everything perfectly, but I struggled to fully empathise with any of the characters, the sole exception being Fox, but then that took a while to occur.

World/Setting

That being said, the world I did see was phenomenal. Even now, after finishing the book, I can still picture it clearly in my mind’s eye. Everything was built up and felt real, from the magic to the political powers to the mystical beings that filled its pages. I really enjoyed the subtle ties to the fairy-tales in our world, for example the intertwining of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty into the history of the world. Although, I did find myself pulled out of the story a little when Snow White was mentioned by name – it was a not-so-subtle reference that did come across a little forced at the time. Everything else about the world-building was perfect, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of the combination of magic and technology that featured in The Petrified Flesh in the rest of the series.

Final thoughts

The Petrified Flesh is a captivating fairy-tale story that will delight all readers – from children to adults. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought the world to be utterly thrilling. Jacob makes for an intriguing, yet sympathetic lead, while Fox is just simply a great character. This is a brilliant first book in a trilogy and I am very excited to see where the story is headed.