Reckless by Cornelia Funke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know what I expected with this novel — perhaps a YA adventure with some cool ties to mythology and an alternate universe, but what I got was a lot more than this.

There’s no time wasted in introducing the characters. We get them thrown into some massive worldbuilding that is tied to all kinds of myths but none of them are heavy-handed. Indeed, but I expected a one-of-the-kind fantasy that has more in common with epic-grimdark than a middle-grade lightweight. Indeed, it was all rather serious and steadily dark.

And when it came to the two brothers, I really enjoyed their story. I’ve always been a fan of cursed conditions and brotherly love, of living through war, of longing, and of sacrifice. This had all of that and more. Of course, it’s the more where this novel really shines. The kind of world that coexists next to ours is not a lightweight. It’s fully fleshed, has a complicated relationship to hours, and best of all, I love the awareness between the two.

I have to say this is one of the better fantasies out there, rich in story, drilled-down exploitation of classic myths, and epic sensibility… all while being, officially, a YA title. It’s not a lightweight.

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