Since the Harry Potter series hit the bookstores, there has been a surge in fantasy stories full of magic, mystery and mystical creatures. Gone are the days of science fiction and fantasy fiction seems all set to stay.

 Inkspell is the sequel to Cornelia Funke's much-liked Inkheart and so the story picks up some loose ends that were not wrapped up when the first book ended, and weaves a new tale. It starts off a year after the events of Inkheart, with a few characters from the book, of the same name, in the story still around in the modern world of Meggie. And while in the first book Meggie's mother Resa was rescued after being trapped for ten years inside the story of the book Inkheart, this time Meggie reads herself into the story of the book along with Farid, a boy who was brought to the modern world from the Tales of the Arabian Nights by Mo, Meggie's father.

They are off to search for Dustfinger, who is read back into the medieval world of Inkheart by a crooked storyteller, and Fenoglio, the writer of Inkheart. Mo has to find a way to save his daughter and what follows is a tale of suspense, emotions, tragedy, love and discoveries.

 While Inkspell is a great sequel, it can become confusing for those who have not read the first book, Inkheart, for it borrows heavily from it. The hand-drawn map of Inkworld and a “dictionary” of characters is a great help for the reader as you need to keep referring to it to get familiar with the background of the characters and even those who have read the first book will benefit by refreshing their memories.

 The book is recommended for avid readers as it is only after reading a few chapters that you really get settled down, and 635 pages need a bit of patience to finish off. Great for young adults over 12, especially if they like to discover a world full of fairies, queer creatures, characters with peculiar names and lots of twists and turns in the plot.

— Mohammad Bilal

Available at Liberty Books