Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

Angela and me are doing a quick read of the Reckless Series here :)

Can you link to titles?

I already linked the first book with this thread, but it's this one Reckless :)

K, thx!

Thanks for making the thread, anni :)
Finished the book already.
(view spoiler)[i really enjoyed the story - 4 stars from me! For some reason i thought this was going to be a middle grade book, not young adult lol.
I was pleasantly surprised how dark the story turned out to be!
Fox was an interesting character. I don't think I've ever seen a shape shifting protagonist quite like her.
I'm very curious how the story's going to continue! (hide spoiler)]

Wow... Great Buddy Read...

Oh no sorry :( i meant i only finished the first book, not all of them! It was too good to stop listening :)

I figured as much, it's just not how a Buddy Read works for me...

It's not about the reading speed even, by all means, everyone reads at his or her own pace, but I think if you agree to read a book together one should at least put a little bit effort into it and write a few comments while reading... Things you like, things you don't, crazy theories... All that stuff, otherwise it's nothing else than to read a review

You guys (briefly) discussing this brought the book/series onto my radar...

Is the BR cancelled, or did the mods just archive the thread because they saw Angela finished the first book?

I listened to the book at work this morning... it was super short, under 4hrs...

I was intrigued by the world, and the sheer number of fairytale elements touched on in such a short period of time, but didn't really feel connected to the characters...

You're barely introduced, and then they're rushing off on a quest, things happen, it's over, and I'm not even sure anyone but (view spoiler)[Jacob Reckless & Fox/Vixen (hide spoiler)] is going to be in the followups, which is weird considering the Love Dodecahedron going on here...

I moved it to not clutter the Unofficial Book Club Thread, because I thought we were done...

I really enjoyed the world as well, It wasn't exactly detailed but I think Funke did really well creating a dark and whimsical atmosphere. I really like the fairy-tale elements and how many of them reminded one of the original fairytales, but were still different.

As much as I liked the world, the characters fell a little flat, but I guess that's due to the lenght as well (>4h? But that's speed up time, isn't it? My audiobook was 8h...) I still liked the idea of Goyls as a folk and I like Fox :) The Love_Triangle Thingy was a bit unnecessary, but (view spoiler)[ I think it's rather clear that Will and Clara belong together and that Jacob/Clara was just an episode due to this strange birdwater... if Clara really would have loved Jacob instead of Will, she couldn't have woken him up from his sleeping Beauty sleep, right? (hide spoiler)]

I already started the second book, both sequels are a little longer. I'm really curious to find out more about (view spoiler)[ Jacob's father, I think he's still alive somewhere (hide spoiler)]

I'll start the 2nd book later today/tomorrow then...

Definitely agree about the love triangle situation. (view spoiler)[it was a bit unnecessary. Will and clara seem made for each other! (hide spoiler)]

Re writing style and atmosphere:
I really love the inkworls trilogy by funke; it's a childhood favourite. Still loved the books upon rereading as an adult, so i might be a bit biased lol.
In both series, she does atmosphere and weaving in fairytale or myth elements really really well.

Re the end:
(view spoiler)[also got the impression that Jacob's dad is still alive. When they found his work things, i almost expected him to pop out any minute. I hope they end up finding him (and I'm sure there'll be a rescue involved) in the sequels. (hide spoiler)]

I'd definitely be up for continuing the series if that's ok with you, but have to check if i can get a hold of the audios first!

Book 2:

Chapter 3 @Iain (view spoiler)[ Well, Will and Clara at least made a small appearance here ;) (hide spoiler)]

I'm wondering if everyone can cross world via the mirror and in both directions... Also I'm really curious about (Chapter 15) (view spoiler)[ Erlking and his card! He seems to be friendly but his name... I'm not sure how popular "The Erlking" by Goethe is elsewhere, but as the author is german too and it's something you analyze in school here, I'm sure she made this connection willingly. Here's the translated poem in case you don't know it:

http://www.online-literature.com/goet...

Not a good sign to hear from the Erlking if you're dying already,I guess... (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 21 (view spoiler)[ Hmm... Are we sure this wasn't his father? He later himself said that he was really young the last time he saw him, but that he isn't sure he remembers how exactly he looked like... Plus, he said his accent was off and that the eyes would fit (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 44 (view spoiler)[ Oh no! I hope Fox is going to be alright! (hide spoiler)]

I forgot I was supposed to start this... started Arkadian Skies, which I was supposed to read last week... so be a little longer before I catch up...

I'm around 40% already... I still seem to be struggling to connect with the book, I dunno about you... but I am interested with Fox, and seeing how Jacob will survive...

The Erlking's name sounded familiar when I heard it, altho I don't think from the poem...

Dedication: do you know what she meant about finding the story?... 'cause after Karen Marie Moning, I'm kinda biased against people that insist their characters have a will of their own that the author can't control, or that some authors find entire books in their dreams, and are just transcribing them for publication...

I finished Fearless... I don't think I'm going to continue with Golden Yarn/etc... this book just didn't really grab me... I had similar problems connecting with the characters, and it lacked the cool merging of fairytale elements that was so prevalent in the first book, and I just found myself forgetting what I'd read shortly after listening to a segment... not a good recipe, really...

Oh, I'm sorry to hear... I liked the book, I agree that it lacks depth, but for a YA book I found it quite creative and I'm curious about (view spoiler)[ the whole Erl-elf part and what really happend to Jacob's father (hide spoiler)]

Sir Anni wrote: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear... I liked the book, I agree that it lacks depth, but for a YA book I found it quite creative and I'm curious about [spoilers removed]"

Looking at the series page and the author website, it looks like 6 books are planned...

I might try the Inkheart series sometime... people seem to love it more as her first-ish work...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Sir Anni wrote: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear... I liked the book, I agree that it lacks depth, but for a YA book I found it quite creative and I'm curious about [spoilers removed]"

Looking at the series..."

I think those two series are somewhat similar, this one being a bit more mature and darker... I really liked Inkheart, the world is really cool, but sadly I don't liked the sequels as much...

I read this and its sequel a few years back. It really missed the mark for me, unfortunately. I found the story flat because we were rushed into it... no time to meet the characters and fall in love with them. I loved the first chapter because the voice was so rich, but after that, I found that not having met the characters really well made the story itself unmemorable.

BUT I LOVE Inkheart and its sequels! One of my all-time favourite series, for sure.

Timelord Iain wrote: "Dedication..."

From what I've heard from the author, she really never planned to write this book. As she started mapping out the history, she realized she really just was expanding the Inkworld (from Inkheart). This "world" is actually the "Inkworld" hundreds of years earlier. If you read some interviews from her, she clears this up, but she really does insist that the story "just came to her." And if you haven't read Inkheart, I suggest that you do, because it elaborates a lot on the theme of "are characters real people, and we are telling their story, or is the author essentially their master manipulator, able to do whatever he/she wants to their creations?".

Sorry for the silence; I've been sick for a few days.
Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to DNF this at chapter 49...
(view spoiler)[i loved the first book, but like iain i can't really connect to the second book :( i think this might be a problem with the translation, since i switched from german to english.
Anyway, while i am curious whether they'll ever find Jacob's dad and it was interesting to read about fox's family and see where she came from (poor girl), I'm just not curious enough to continue unfortunately, sorry anni! (hide spoiler)]

I still have a bit of a cough and throat wheeze while reclining, and I haven't been sick-sick for close to 2 weeks now, after that freezer work gave me a cold...

Too bad, both of you don't like it, but I will continue on my own then :) I already started chapter 2 and it's from (view spoiler)[ Jacob's Fathers POV (hide spoiler)] This will be interesting :)