Book Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Title: Inkheart
Author: Cornelia Funke
Series/Novel: Inkworld (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction
Pages: 534
Publisher: The Chicken House
Year Published: 2003
First Line: "Rain fell that night, a fine, whispering rain."

"Twelve year old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living can 'read' fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.
Characters from books literally leap off the pages in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This 'story within a story' will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters."

My Rating: 4/5

So to start this off I have read this book before. I know, so does this count as a first opinion. No! In my defence, I read these books when I was 13, so about 8 years ago. I did really enjoy this novel. It was thrilling to get back into a story about a story. It's a fantastic idea that is well portrayed through writing. The characters are deep and easy to love. They are complex characters who show many different sides throughout the book, but all in all there aren't many character twists. Which both makes me happy but also disappoints me a little. For example, I could predict how a character would react to another character without a problem. Cornelia Funke does this without making the plot boring. 
I also enjoyed two separate settings, the one we hear about second hand in the story Inkheart, and the setting throughout the country side with out main characters throughout. 
I would definitely recommend this story for younger teenagers anywhere from 14 and up, as there is no sexual content, just a few joking lines that may go over some heads.
I'm hoping to pick up the second and third book later this month to finish the trilogy.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny