The conclusion to an incredible trilogy. Will the Inkheart world finally have a happy ending, or will Death have the final laugh? With so many writers and readers in the story, anything is possible.

Book Title: Inkdeath
Book Author: Cornelia Funke
Book Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: July 1, 2010
Retail Price: $10.99
Buy it at: Various Outlets

To kick things off, Dustfinger has lit his last flame, having sacrificed himself for Farid. Farid in turn sacrifices his freedom in return for Orpheus writing Dustfinger back to life. Orpheus sacrifices what little humility and decency he had left upon entering Inkworld and promptly writes himself a more prominant role amidst whomever happens to have power at the moment. Mo/Silvertongue/The Bluejay sacrifices family, safety, and sanity as he's stretched across the plot by Death, the now-immortal but rotting Adderhead, and various minions like the Milksop and the Piper.

Yeah, this finale to the Inkheart plot is packed with several subplots that weave together incredibly well, leaving you with a satisfied sense of completion once you reach the final page. While reading through, though, there were plenty of times I wasn't sure just who would manage to stay alive or what form they'd show up in. The Magpie makes a surprise reappearance: a surprise in that she's able to turn into an actual magpie. Guess her name was accurate after all. Even Basta pops up again, in more than name, but not by much.

I greatly enjoyed watching the Mo/Bluejay dichotomy that stretched throughout the book. Meggie and Resa want Mo, but Inkworld needs the Bluejay. It takes him until the bitter end to find out just how to balance the various sides of his psyche. Whether Fenoglio created the Bluejay or Mo simply opened up a part of him that fit the role, like a strolling player...we may never know.

And I like that. Leaving bits open to interpretation allows for greater audience enjoyment of the story. But there's enough of a resolution when all is said and done that, regardless of which side you were rooting for, you'll be content. ...Unless you were rooting for the Silvertongue side, which plays less and less of a part as there are already enough speakers in the story as it is.

Granted, Darius doesn't speak much, beyond getting himself and Elinor into the Inkworld in the first place. Orpheus speaks enough for all of them, and then some. Meggie, though lacking an entertaining nickname, came across as the most powerful speaker. Why? Because she didn't go around mucking up the story with unicorns and fairies and buried treasure. She read bits of plot to life that helped bring the Inkworld to relative peace.

Have you read Inkdeath? Did you enjoy it? Leave a comment below to let me know.