Book: Inkspell

Not as good as Inkheart, but makes you want to read the end of the trilogy

I listened to the audio version of this book, which is narrated by Brendan Fraser. Unexpectedly, I didn’t think his narration of this book was as good as when he read Dragon Rider, but I think that’s just because Dragon Rider had more non-human characters that gave him a greater opportunity for sound effects and voices. This is still a very good narration. I felt that the first book in this series, Inkheart, was actually a better story. It was also much more self-contained, written in a way that makes me think a trilogy wasn’t originally planned (though the door was open). On contrast, Inkspell is clearly part of a series. You could probably ready it without reading Inkheart first, but at the end you are primed and ready for book 3 (which is not yet out). The end of Inkspell is more a pause than an ending. Despite my complaints and comparisons, this is still a worthwhile read and I am hopeful that the final book in the trilogy will be a good one when it comes out.