The Colour of Revenge (Inkheart #4) by Cornelia Funke

Title: The Colour of Revenge (Inkheart #4)

Author: Cornelia Funke

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Chicken House

Published: 1^st October 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Price: $19.99

Synopsis: After five happy years, Meggie, her father Mo, and the fire-eater Dustfinger, along with a host of new friends feel safe and settled. But arch-villain Orpheus has found an unexpected way to wreak his revenge on the Inkworld! He has corrupted an artist to create bewitched portraits that will see the heroes fade to grey—Dustfinger, his brave stepson, Jehan and his enigmatic friend Lilia, must come together to find a way to save them all! This is the Colour of Revenge.

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Meggie, Mo, and our friends from Inkheart are back – sort of. For the past five years, they’ve been living peacefully in the Inkworld with Fenoglio and Dustfinger. But things are not as peaceful as they think. Orpheus, their archenemy from the first three books, is back. And he has enlisted someone very sinister to enact his revenge. He wants to destroy the Inkworld with portraits that have bewitched with dark magic. Dark magic that will see our beloved heroes fade to grey. But why? Who does he want revenge on? Mo? Meggie? Elinor? Farid? Or Dustfinger, who has been one of the main characters and heroes of this series since the beginning? Cornelia Funke’s new novel brings them back, but traps many in an enchanted book.

Once they’re trapped, Dustfinger and his stepson, Jehan, and Jehan’s friend, Lilia, must save them, without being trapped in the grey world that Orpheus has created themselves. Everyone who has been trapped cannot speak, just look out mournfully at whomever is looking at their letter. It’s been sixteen years since Inkdeath came out and we left our favourite characters living happily in the Inkworld, and now, danger is back.

Once Inkdeath finished, I thought the journey was over. Everything seemed settled at the end of that book, and there was no real threat to Meggie, Mo, Resa and everyone else. But when this one was announced, I was intrigued to see how the journey would continue. I wanted to see what came next, and what my favourite characters, particularly Meggie, would get up to. Danger lurks around every corner in this book. We never quite know what is going to happen, which makes this novel work well. However, we know who to trust. We know we can trust Dustfinger, because we have been getting to know him for around twenty years, ever since Inkheart came out. Dustfinger has been one of the main characters of all three novels, and it seems only fitting that his story and journey to save his friends and family is the central theme and plot of this book.

Throughout the book, we’re allowed to see what Orpheus is up to. As a villain, he is written well, and crafted to make us believe how evil he is. He is the character we don’t want to get behind, because his motivations are selfish, and they don’t leave space to grasp what he wants to do. To understand what he wants, it helps to have read the first three books, and this will also allow you to get to know the other characters. This return to the Inkworld fits in nicely with the rest of the series, revelling in the power of words and language, who uses them and how we use them. And what purposes we use them for.

The Colour of Revenge is about the dark power of words, and using them for evil or nefarious means. Orpheus turns to magic of words and books around on those who love them, much like politicians or people with an agenda will twist words and statements to create tensions or try to influence opinion. Anyone using words can do this, however it comes down to intent, and in this book, Orpheus’s intent is to harm those he feels have wronged him. He wants revenge, and sucking the colour from words and stories seems to be the way to do it. Imagine a world where the very life behind the words we read has been destroyed. Where the heart and soul of stories is sucked away to create a world devoid of stories. Or a world where the stories are bland or the same in many ways. For an avid reader like Meggie and Mo, a world of grey and no stories is something they can’t reconcile. Books are magic.

I loved returning to the Inkworld, and seeing what had happened since Inkdeath. It felt like it completed the series, but also, hinted that there might be more to come. I hope if it does continue that we get more of Meggie and Mo next time, because they have always been my favourite characters in this series. What a great addition to the series so many love.