My disappointment in this book can be described in three words:

Insufficiently explained superpowers.

3.5

Ruiz Zafon seems to have an issue with his sophomore efforts. The Angel's Game wasn't as good as Shadow of the Wind, and this isn't as good as The Prince of Mist. It takes too long to get to the reason I read him - the magic and the sparkling language. In fact the language was pretty mediocre - no imagery that really blew me away. I sort of had it figured out from the beginning, and the twist wasn't even all that...twisty. I think the next in his YA series will be more in line with the Ruiz Zafon I love, but this was just something to pass the time. It's nothing to rave about.

Más como un 3.5
Después de leerme todo el libro aún no puedo decidir si el estilo narrativo me gustó o lo odié. Me parecía en partes demasiado cargado y en otras totalmente precioso y cautivador.
Tuve un problema importante con los personajes. Aunque los principales si son bastante reconocibles, con los secundarios (los miembros masculinos de la Chowbar Society que no eran ni Ben ni Ian) no recordaba claramente quien era quien. Incluso con los demás tampoco logre simpatizar demasiado. Sin embargo su amistad si que me pareció preciosa, con decir que me dio más pena leer la separación de los miembros y como dejan de tener contacto entre sí que la muerte de Sheere.
Una cosa buena que tiene es el giro argumental del final y como el autor juega con los cambios de escena para que los lectores saquen conclusiones precipitadas. El ambiente de la estación abandonada también es bastante creepy y consigue sacar algunos escalofríos.
adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Lo cierto es que me ha dejado un poco fría.
Estoy acostumbrada a algo más espectacular por parte de Ruiz Zafón. El primer capítulo me pareció sumamente aburrido, así como muchos otros. La figura detrás de todo era muy muy evidente, algo que hasta mi gato habría descubierto. Quizá se debe simplemente a que estoy acostumbrada a leer libros con muy muy buenas críticas y ver las mejores series, y la barra que dicta el límite entre lo que es bueno y lo que no (a mis ojos) ha subido considerablemente a lo largo de los meses.

Pese a todo, seguiré leyendo a Ruiz Zafón. A este libro se aplica aquello que dicen de "no hay autores, sino obras"; y ésta a mi parecer es de las más flojas.

As always, Zafon is a masterful storyteller and from the very first sentence I was entranced. His lyric prose alone is reason enough to read his works but, in this particular story, he seems to shine with a youth orientated plot of mystery, adventure and suspense all rolled together. Zafon has this ability to capture the world around him with such unique and realistic descriptions that it makes you feel like you have dropped into the middle of this world he has created – both the good parts of his world and the darker, more sinister ones. Although it’s been on my TBR shelf for ages, I had not yet read the first in this series but when I received the galley proof, I jumped at the chance to read it and had no problem following the story and characters. The book although listed in some places as juvenile really is for the YA audience. The word choices, grammar usage and content are not for the younger set and most would get discouraged and give up just a few pages in. Older and advanced readers might want to give it a try but I think the book would be better aimed at the high school set.

3.5
adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Não tão bom quanto os livros da saga "O Cemitério dos Livros"...