Details:
Reckless l: The Petrified Flesh
By: Cornelia Funke
352 Pages
✨Revised & Updated
Available June 1, 2021

“It was like a black cloak woven from freedom and danger, it’s darkness filling the rooms with the whisper of forgotten stories, of people who had lived in them long before…”

First and foremost, Cornelia Funke was one of my favorite childhood authors growing up. The Inkheart trilogy had my heart from such a young age.
Now, I am so happy to announce the new and updated Reckless l: The Petrified Flesh which is the first of another series!

The story is set in Germany and follows Jacob Reckless on his journey into the Mirrorworld. After their father disappears, Jacob finds access to this other world. For years he comes and goes, fearlessly seeking out treasure and adventures. But when a deadly curse has been spoken upon his brother, Will…Jacob must risk his life, or his brother will be turned to stone forever. For once, in his years of adventure he is afraid. With a shapeshifting Fox as his companion, and the unlikely companions he acquires along the way. This darker side of fantasy that Funke opens up to us will completely leave you spell bound!

This book made me feel so young again. It brought together so many different fairy-tale aspects – reminders of Stardust, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and so many more. I will admit I was so excited to read this, that I read it in one sitting. The stunning imagery sucks you into the heart of this fantasy and you just won’t be able to escape.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

For years, Jacob has been escaping through his father's mirror into the world on the other side. He's become a renowned treasure hunter and made a life for himself on the other side. But when his little brother follows him through and gets attacked, everything changes. How far will he go to save Will and make things right?

As soon as I saw that this story was being rewritten/republished, I knew I had to read it. If there's one book from my childhood that I will forever adore, it was Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. And let me start by saying that Mirrorworld captured me just as quickly and easily as anything that Cornelia Funke writes!

Mirrorworld is essentially a mashup of all the fairytales and lore, but with its own twist and a new species. I really enjoyed the twists that Mirrorworld had to offer, and it was so easy to become hooked into the story because of it. I also really enjoyed Jacob as a main character and I loved seeing him evolve throughout the story and sort of become a different kind of brother in the end.

I do have to say that at first, I was very confused by the story as it felt like we were thrown into it without any backstory or explanation. But maybe that's what entering Mirrorworld is supposed to be like! I do wish that we'd gotten more of a look inside the character's minds. I felt like I still didn't know them very well at the end of the story.

Overall, I adored this book and I can't wait to get back into the Mirrorworld series! If you like unique fantasy worlds with a lot of adventure, this world is for you!

Book Review for Reckless I: The Petrified Flesh
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

I would like to start off this review by mentioning that I grew up reading Cornelia Funke, especially the Inkheart trilogy. That being said, I put aside my love for Inkheart to be able to give Reckless an honest and unbiased review.

Jacob Reckless found access to the Mirrorworld using a mirror left behind in his fathers study when he left them, or disappeared. He spends months at a time in this world, becoming entranced with all its wonders. He manages to keep his two lives seperate, until one day his younger brother Will follows him through the mirror and suddenly everything changes. Will is cursed by the Dark Fairy and Jacob must do everything in his power to protect his brother.

For a multi-dimensional tale, it is complex, a world of fantasy much darker than the fairytales I grew up on. Magic and magical items conveniently solved problems as they appeared, with no apparent system to them, and with no explanation as to how the magic worked. I love the concept of magic, I just prefer magic with a little more reason. Despite this, I really enjoyed the story, and the characters had a good depth to them.

This book used several different tropes to engage my imagination. I really enjoyed the authors' use of stream of consciousness style writing and whimsical language. The way this book was written was extremely creative. There were various elements that reminded me of the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire and honestly while it echoed some of the best features of that series, it also did not feel fully complete. That is my reason for 3 stars. I enjoyed it and I understand it is the beginning of a multiple book series. For that reason, I am excited to see where it goes and if it continues on its' whimsical journey.