Emily Godwin's Blog, page 2

Day 19. R is for Rose. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

R is for Rose
Magic comes disguised in many forms behind the mirror. Things that we wouldn't think twice about here could hold something dangerous or it could hold something miraculous. Not far from the Fairies Island, is a Unicorn Graveyard. Growing among the corpses of the majestic animals are roses that are a very special kind of magic. The Thorn Curse. It's the same kind of curse that was put on Sleeping Beauty. It makes you fall into a sleep that only true love can wake you from. If true love doesn't find you, however, your body will stay young, but your soul will wither away and turn to dust beneath your skin. You know what all is going on around you, but you are powerless to move, to speak, or "live" in any way. So, you may want to stay away from roses behind the Mirror.



Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter Page The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 18. Q is for Quotes. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

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Q is for Quotes

So, there are some very beautiful lines in TPF. Not surprising, though. Cornelia Funke has one of the prettiest writing voices in the world. While the Reckless series is a bit darker and grittier than some of her other books, the words are still magical and just gorgeous. So, here are some of my favorites from The Petrified Flesh (some of them are really random, but whatever.)

"What kind of world is this? If fur turns to skin, and skin to stone, what remains?"

"Clara looked at the dust-covered lamp above her. The white porcelain looked so normal. It's ordinariness made the terror of the house even more palpable for Clara."

"The pale green stone ran through his skin like a promise."
"...he had learned that the world made no sense and their were no happy endings."
"She had indeed dreamed the truth. Or spun the truth from a dream."

"Where did love come from? What was it made of? Stone, like Kami'en? Water, like her and her sisters?"




Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageThe Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 17. P is for Petrified Flesh and Page 81. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

P is for Petrified Flesh and Page 81

Like all fairies, the Dark Fairy can not have children, so to give Kami'en "children", she placed a curse on all of his soldiers' claws that whenever they strike a human with them, the human will begin to grow a skin of stone like the Goyl. In TPF, Hentzau states that there are already thousands of them. You can find Man-Goyl in many different colors behind the Mirror, but until now, there has never been a Goyl or Man-Goyl with a Jade skin. The legend of the Jade Goyl is that he will make the king he serves invincible - even to death. So, it is very important for Hentzau to find the Jade Goyl for his king, but he doesn't realize that the Jade Goyl has a brother (Jacob) who is just as stubborn fighting his hardest to purge the Jade from his brother Will.
As a bonus guys, I want to talk about Page 81 in the original US version of the book. There was a certain paragraph (that I can quote from memory...) that made this book my all time favorite. I was going through a rough patch the first time I read this book, and I felt like no one in the entire world knew how I felt.... But then on Page 81 there was this quote - "...he had learned that the world made no sense and that there were no happy endings."
And that line alone is what made me so attached to this book and the Jasper Goyl who thought it.


Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: the Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 16. O is for Ogre. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

O is for Ogre
One of the many inhabitants behind the Mirror is the Ogre. There are many different breeds of Ogres lurking and hunting for human prey, so if you find yourself behind the Mirror, please do be careful. If you do happen to get snatched by one, pray they're the kind that kill you quickly. Not only will you be their meal, but your bones may be turned into a coat rack or even a bowl.

Also, if you happen to be visiting Schwanstein, stop by Albert Chanute's tavern - The Ogre. If Chanute is in a good mood, he may even tell you the tale of how he lost his arm to an Ogre. However, I have a feeling his story would be rather different from the truth. Also, if you look closely, you'll find that very Ogre's right arm hanging on the tavern's wall.

Also, if you go to the Reckless Series Twitter Page, they have a lot more MirrorWorld inhabitants and the different kind of plants you should keep and eye out for,


Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 15. N is for Nesser. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

N is for Nesser
Nesser is, if I'm remembering correctly, the only She-Goyl we've met in the Reckless Series (though, obviously there are many others LOL.) She is a Jasper Goyl like Hentzau and is the only female in his search squad (who are out looking for the Jade Goyl). In the Petrified Flesh, she is only thirteen, but Goyl are considered to be adults at the age of nine. She basically despises all humans because it was humans who murdered her sister, and I'm sure that played a large role in her joining the army. I can't say I blame her. I'd take up arms to avenge my sister's death. Speaking of my sister, Nesser happens to be Nikki's favorite Reckless character! I must say, Nesser's grown on me a lot since re-reading TPF and the Golden Yarn.
Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 14. M is for MirrorWorld. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

M is for MirrorWorld
Image discovering a doorway to another world that was similar but also very different to our own. A world where fairy-tales come true - even if they don't end how we've been told they do. That's what the MirrorWorld is. It's this insanely beautiful place where you can find adventure pretty much anywhere. It's a little bit farther behind on technology than we are, and its women haven't banded together for their rights yet, but I assure you it'll happen. There are too many strong-willed women behind the mirror for it not to. 
The MirrorWorld is a place for new beginnings where you can be whoever you want to be. It's a place where a 12-year-old boy went looking for his father and ended up becoming the best treasure hunter alive. It's a place where a Carnelian Goyl decided he wanted to be a King, and he fought to become one. It's a place where fur turns to skin and skin turns to stone. 
And it's all just magically beautiful and I want to live there! Anyone want to go looking for the Mirror with me ? ;)


Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 13. L is for Lark's Water. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

L is for Lark's Water
Lark's water is the MirrorWorld's version of a love potion. It's not a clear cut as that, though. If you drink Lark's Water, you suddenly lust after the first living thing you see. It can make the ugliest person look as beautiful as a fairy. You can't bottle it and use it on who you want because it doesn't keep. Let's hope if any of you stumble upon Lark's Water, you're with someone you like!


Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website  Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 12. K is for King Kami'en. RECKLESS: the Petrified Flesh

K is for King Kami'en
If I hadn't taken such a liking to Hentzau in book one, King Kami'en would be my favorite in the MirrorWorld series. He's mentioned and seen a few times throughout the Petrified Flesh, but he really shined in The Golden Yarn. He is seriously the most charming character in the series in my opinion. He and the Dark Fairy are my OTP foreeeeever. I love them. He, like Jacob, makes some not so great decisions, and I want to smack him in the head really, really hard. I do think he had good intentions with his bad decisions, though he also had very selfish motives as well. 
He's just great. 


Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS; The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

Day 11. J is for Jacob Reckless. RECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh

J is for Jacob Reckless
Jacob Reckless is the main character in the Reckless Series, and he definitely lives up to his last name. If you ask anyone behind the mirror who the best treasure hunter is, they'll all tell you the same thing - Jacob Reckless. He is stubborn and driven by emotion most of the time. The only place he feels at home is wherever Fox is. 
He's more complex than most MCs I've read lately, and even though I want to knock him in the head sometimes, I still worry about him and hope that everything works out in a good way for him. He's already been through a lot of hell in the first three books, and I know he's going to have to go through a lot more. I think he'd be quite disappointed if he had it easy, though!

Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website   Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh on Amazon

I is for Island.There are two islands talked about behind...

I is for Island.
There are two islands talked about behind the Mirror, but we're going to talk about my favorite one. The fairies island. Unicorns are the fierce protectors of the fairies and their island and very few people know how to get past them to see the fairies (if you're trying to get past the unicorns, get a dwarf on your side. It's rumored they know the secret.) Surrounding the island is a lake covered with white lilies that are known to make the most unattractive woman (by social standards. Because aren't all women beautiful queens in their own way?) to be stunningly beautiful. One known person to have gained her beauty from a fairy lily is the Princess of Austry, Amalie.
The fairy island doesn't know death. It's always alive and beautiful - like its residents. Willows line the shore and dark nets pun from the fairies moth's make tents for the fairies to sleep in. It is rumored by mortals that the Fairy Island is actually the realm of the dead. The only mortal to ever leave the Fairy Island with his life and without permission is Jacob Reckless.  


Breathing Books Website   Cornelia Funke's Website  Reckless Series Twitter PageRECKLESS: The Petrified Flesh on Amazon