Enjoyable young adult adventure book, part three of a trilogy that sees characters from the 'real world' read into a fictional adventure story, and interacting with the characters from that book, the writer of the original story, and other writers who now wish to shape events in this new world. The books have an additional dimension in that they're also about writing, and they use many of the genre cliches in a self-aware and sometimes even analytical way.

I found the story itself a little long and drawn out - and I'm never sure whether to attribute that to a book or the time and place in which I read it. But I did enjoy the premise and much of its execution.

The little quotes and excerpts from other books that open each chapter were, as with Inkheart, one of the highlights of these books for me. ( )

(Amy) I have often mused to myself about what it would be like to find myself in the world of some story or other. I've rarely carried the thought experiment out to its logical conclusions, however - daydreams are generally more satisfying if you don't have to sort out how you'd go about brewing lice repellent with medieval-era materials, or worry about any of those deliciously horrifying villains stumbling upon you when they're out villaining, and you without the protection of the Power of Plot.

Of course, as Inkdeath - and the two preceding volumes - are themselves stories, the protagonists do indeed have the Power of Plot on their side as they continue their journey through Fenoglio's world (initially depicted in Inkheart), but for quite a few of the dips and twists of the story contained herein, it is quite possible to forget that - not to mention, when one does remember it, one often does find oneself wondering if maybe it's actually that kind of story after all...

A gripping tale, all in all, and highly recommended to anyone who enjoys exploring the concept of story (including metafictional ideas), or indeed who enjoys good-quality storytelling for its own sake.
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ze... ) ( )

I always feel a little sad when a series comes to an end. And you just know this is going to be the end...with a title like Inkdeath...what else could you expect!?

Inkdeath is the third and final book in the Inkworld trilogy, and after the shocking conclusion to Inkspell, there was no way I was going to miss this one. Starting off immediately where Inkspell left off, which I can say no more about, as it will entirely ruin the ending of that book. Suffice to say, events are not particularly happy and the characters have to get themselves out of quite a mess in this book.

Inkspell really redeemed itself after the series got off to an iffy start in Inkheart. Characters were a little more fleshed out, plot developments were more intriguing and the Inkworld was very well described. Inkdeath had my attention throughout, not least because at least one of my favourite characters' life hung in the balance through most of the tale. However, the plot was a little disjointed, and the writing delved too often into quite deep metaphysical debates on whether or not we can shape our own destinies if everything is already written on the page. This is a concept that I am not sure many children would understand, nor would they want to give a great deal of thought to it. And to be quite frank, I lost interest in those parts of the story, and tended to skip the pages that concerned them, a habit I ususally try to avoid. Also, this book seemed a lot more violent than the previous instalments, which though it did not bother me, I can imagine being quite offputting for parents.

The ending was somewhat conclusive, though left the story open for further development...but I for one hope they leave it where it is. A somewhat unsatisfying conclusion for me personally, though it was not possible for me not to read it!

Loved this conclusion! Reviewed on my book blog. ( )

Volume three in the Inkspell series.