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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Enjoyable gothic horror. Easy read but avoid if you find puppets creepy !
Creo que es uno de mis libros favoritos de este autor.
This was so beautiful and magical. The story was so captivating that when I finished reading it, it made me feel nostalgic for all the good books I've read as this is definitely the kind of story that I will remember forever and would long to read again and again for the rest of my life.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book was not what I expected at all. Well... to be honest I didn't know what to expect. I figured it would be a dark, gloomy mystery. But this was closer to the macabre. A horror story, laced with heartbreak, that honestly made me a bit scared at time and in the end made me cry.
One day on a walk, Oscar trespasses in a strange house and consequently makes acquaintance of a heartbroken painter who still pines for his wife and his daughter, Marina. Oscar is a bit of a loner who is stuck in a boarding school with a distant family, but he is taken in by German and Marina and they become sort of like a family to him. Of course, Oscar is instantly in love with Marina -- she read a lot like a manic pixie dream girl. Or a distant unattainable perfect girl who Oscar was a too scared to admit his feelings to, and Marina purposely kept him at a distance.
But as friends, they stumble upon an old mystery, one day following an old woman who places flower on an unmarked grave from a cemetery. They mystery quickly becomes dark, twisted and terrifying. As Oscar and Marina uncover more and more details about a strange Doctor who once lived in Barcelona, his wife who was tragically scarred on their wedding day, their friends and enemies. How the Doctor's life fell apart and he descended into madness and obsession with life, death, and fighting nature and creation itself.
I gotta say I was a bit in denial about the fates of German and Marina. I don't think I wanted to see it. But I suppose all dreams must die or lose their magic.
One day on a walk, Oscar trespasses in a strange house and consequently makes acquaintance of a heartbroken painter who still pines for his wife and his daughter, Marina. Oscar is a bit of a loner who is stuck in a boarding school with a distant family, but he is taken in by German and Marina and they become sort of like a family to him. Of course, Oscar is instantly in love with Marina -- she read a lot like a manic pixie dream girl. Or a distant unattainable perfect girl who Oscar was a too scared to admit his feelings to, and Marina purposely kept him at a distance.
But as friends, they stumble upon an old mystery, one day following an old woman who places flower on an unmarked grave from a cemetery. They mystery quickly becomes dark, twisted and terrifying. As Oscar and Marina uncover more and more details about a strange Doctor who once lived in Barcelona, his wife who was tragically scarred on their wedding day, their friends and enemies. How the Doctor's life fell apart and he descended into madness and obsession with life, death, and fighting nature and creation itself.
I gotta say I was a bit in denial about the fates of German and Marina. I don't think I wanted to see it. But I suppose all dreams must die or lose their magic.
This... this was not what I expected. You'll have to excuse me, I'd write a decent review but I'm still ugly crying.
Such a dark but strangely beautiful story - in all its ugly gory glory.
Such a dark but strangely beautiful story - in all its ugly gory glory.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Written for a YA audience, the late and great Zafon claimed this book gave him the inspiration to write his beloved ‘Cemetery or Forgotten Books’ series and indeed the stylistic and thematic parallels are clear.
However, though ‘Cemetery’ is Gothic in style and atmosphere only, ‘Marina’ is undeniably Gothic: there are monstrous creations, underground tunnels, decrepit mansions and graveyards and more mist than an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It is a completely enthralling page-turner and showcases much of what Zafon would come to master in his later series.
However, though ‘Cemetery’ is Gothic in style and atmosphere only, ‘Marina’ is undeniably Gothic: there are monstrous creations, underground tunnels, decrepit mansions and graveyards and more mist than an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. It is a completely enthralling page-turner and showcases much of what Zafon would come to master in his later series.