I am quite pleased by the first book of 2014. I know it isn't new, but is definitely new to me. I spent most of my childhood reading fantasy novels that were not really meant for my age group, so I missed a large number of the very good books I would have read then and possibly would have still read while in college. I was too busy wading through Wheel of Time and basically any other sword & sorcery book I could get my hands on.
Once I was an adult, the concept of reading young adult novels seemed ridiculous. Thankfully, Eragon and Harry Potter cured me of the notion. I'm still selective in what I choose to read that is YA, since Twilight irritated me and anything similar (read: simpering, whiny "heroines" with a penchant for unhealthy relationships) does not appeal to me.
Inkheart is magical and whimsical without being silly. I love Mo and Meggie's relationship, mostly because it was similar to my mother and I and our love for books. All of the characters have depth and experience quite a bit of development, with the exception of Mo. I don't particularly feel like he needs anymore development, as he felt more like a tool to service the plot. And I think Funke used him exceptionally well. I especially enjoyed Elinor as well, with her attempts to stay stuffy and distant with Meggie. Losing her library humanized her ad brought out the best in her, since she lost the one thing in the world she had to hide behind.
It did drag a bit towards the middle, but I feel like it was part of setting up for the rest of the series. On the whole, I really did like it.
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