Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Description: One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from Inkheart, and an evil ruler named Capricorn escapes the boundaries of the book, landing in their living room. suddenly, Meggie's in the middle of the kind of adventure she thought only took place in fairy tales. Somehow she must master the magic that has conjured up this nightmare. Can she change the course of the story that has changed her life forever?

This book had such potential, but I really felt like it was all over the place. I expected to just devour this book. Instead it took me 3 days to read once I finally got started. I never felt really afraid of the villain Capricorn, at least as not as much as I felt I should be. I know its a children's book, but it felt like the author didn't want to you to feel much of anything for the characters. The characters I felt were developed the most were the secondary characters Basta and Dustfinger. The plot was an excellent idea, but if felt like the author wondered how to make the book longer with very little in the way of substance. The best part was the last 100 pages or so. There is finally felt like something was being accomplished. It was there the book redeemed itself. I will probably continue to read the series, but only because I want to know what happens next, not because it was a fantastic read.