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.