I checked repeatedly to confirm that I had not missed previous stories, but this is simply the way the book is written. However, unlike the Inkheart trilogy, Funke throws you into the story with very little backstory building. Reckless is like the Inkheart trilogy in that it is dark, with few happy endings. She is the author who first got me, as a child, into dark fairytales. “Once upon a time, there was a boy who set out to learn the meaning of fear.”Ĭornelia Funke is a master at writing dark, fantastical tales. Jacob is prepared to fight to save his brother, but in a land built on trickery and lies, Jacob will need all the wit, courage, and reckless spirit he can summon to reverse the dark spell - before it’s too late. Brutally attacked, Will is infected with a curse that is quickly transforming him into a Goyl - a ruthless killing machine, with skin made of stone. Tragedy strikes when Jacob’s younger brother, Will, follows him through the portal. But life in this other world is about to change.

He’s also made many enemies and allies - most important, Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting vixen whom Jacob cares for more than he lets on. Over the years, he has made a name for himself as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. While all quotes are from an advanced reader copy, this is a re-release and thus they may be similar to the published edition.įrom Goodreads: Ever since Jacob Reckless was a child, he has been escaping to a hidden world through a portal in his father’s abandoned study.

The petrified flesh