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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I actually read the English translation of this novel, Midnight Palace. Didn't love it but it kept me interested most of the way through. Was a good page turner up until about three-quarters of the way through but the final section of the book was a bit convoluted and it was hard to work out exactly what was going on. Not a bad read, and quite possibly some of the book's true magic was lost in translation.
Young Adult novel, second in a series. Interesting, and a bit spooky but a nice rainy day read.
Meeeh, pierwszy tom zdecydowanie bardziej mi się podobał, tutaj raczej bardzo przeciętnie. Jedynie zakończenie dobiło do trzech gwiazdek. Może to nie mój czas na tę książkę, a może po prostu nie była tak dobra, ale jak dla mnie to trochę rozczarowanie. Mam nadzieję, że trzeci tom nadrobi to, co tutaj nie poszło.
this frightened the hell out of me but it was incredible! just about one of my favourite scary books ever! i definitely preferred this to the prince of mist.
Beautifully written. Set in Calcutta in the early 1900's. The tale of twins separated at birth, orphans, trains of fire... Very evocative writing and intriguing characters and plot twists. Highly recommend.
I am extremely conflicted about this book. On one hand, I found the story really original and unique, blessed with a great setting and Ruiz Zafón's usual breathtaking prose. On the other hand, however, I just could not shake the feeling that the whole thing was just a bit too rushed to satisfy me.
The suspense and mystery were constructed very well, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The way it was delivered, however, really disappointed me, mainly because the solution to every enigma came from very long scenes of character speech rather than action. To me, this just seemed a bit too convenient and really not as engaging as it could have been. For the rest, I had the same problem with this novel as with The Prince of Mist: sometimes, I just could not understand why certain things were happening, and I was left slightly confused and wondering just what the characters' reasoning behind some of their choices was.
As for the characters, I really liked the kids. The members of the Chowbar Society were everything I would expect from children of their age, each with their own set of talents and peculiarities that made them unique. The only thing is I would have liked to see them more developed, both as individual characters and in relation to each other as a group. The adults in this book, instead, were markedly absent, coming in only to provide the explanations necessary to keep the story going, which would really bother me if this weren't a YA novel where children are typically the main focus of the story. As for the villan, he was creepy in all the right moments and, although he too lacked some depth and the story of his origin left me with more questions than it answered, he performed his role incredibly well.
Overall, this was a rather enjoyable read. It's a good story, with enough mystery and suspense to keep you going until the end. If, unlike me, you're not too bothered by the fact that not everything is explained, you'll probably love it. If not, I think it's still worth reading, if only for the author's beautiful writing style.
You can read this review and more on my blog.
The suspense and mystery were constructed very well, with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The way it was delivered, however, really disappointed me, mainly because the solution to every enigma came from very long scenes of character speech rather than action. To me, this just seemed a bit too convenient and really not as engaging as it could have been. For the rest, I had the same problem with this novel as with The Prince of Mist: sometimes, I just could not understand why certain things were happening, and I was left slightly confused and wondering just what the characters' reasoning behind some of their choices was.
As for the characters, I really liked the kids. The members of the Chowbar Society were everything I would expect from children of their age, each with their own set of talents and peculiarities that made them unique. The only thing is I would have liked to see them more developed, both as individual characters and in relation to each other as a group. The adults in this book, instead, were markedly absent, coming in only to provide the explanations necessary to keep the story going, which would really bother me if this weren't a YA novel where children are typically the main focus of the story. As for the villan, he was creepy in all the right moments and, although he too lacked some depth and the story of his origin left me with more questions than it answered, he performed his role incredibly well.
Overall, this was a rather enjoyable read. It's a good story, with enough mystery and suspense to keep you going until the end. If, unlike me, you're not too bothered by the fact that not everything is explained, you'll probably love it. If not, I think it's still worth reading, if only for the author's beautiful writing style.
You can read this review and more on my blog.
Definitely my favorite of Zafón's YA books. I really loved the Chowbar Society and it's members, and Calcutta is a great setting for his sprawling stories and beautiful language.
That said... boy does the man have a puppet trauma :D The way he tells his stories is so gorgeous that I don't mind, but he does seem to tell variations of the same ones in all his books.
That said... boy does the man have a puppet trauma :D The way he tells his stories is so gorgeous that I don't mind, but he does seem to tell variations of the same ones in all his books.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
It has become pretty clear to me that I will enjoy pretty much everything Zafon writes. Whilst occasionally his plots do appear to go a little bit 'everything and the kitchen sink' towards the end, I generally always enjoy myself reading his work.
The Midnight Palace is one of Zafon's early works, originally written for teenagers and is part of a companion trilogy alongside The Prince of the Mist and the recently translated The Watcher in the Shadows. This novel is set in 1930s India, and focuses on the separated at birth twins Ben and Sheere upon whose 16th birthdays a mysterious murderous figure lays claim to them.
As with much of Zafon's work the pacing throughout The Midnight Palace is good, with the plot gripping from the very beginning. Zafon crafts really excellent and creepy antagonists in all his work, and Jawahal is no exception. His characterisation of Ben and Sheere was great, especially when the characters are delivered such a surprise about their history. I also liked the way in which Ben's friends were all given unique perspectives and voices; I was especially a fan of Isobel.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon is definitely one of my favourite authors, and I'm really excited to get my hands on The Watcher in the Shadows and the soon to be released Marina.
The Midnight Palace is one of Zafon's early works, originally written for teenagers and is part of a companion trilogy alongside The Prince of the Mist and the recently translated The Watcher in the Shadows. This novel is set in 1930s India, and focuses on the separated at birth twins Ben and Sheere upon whose 16th birthdays a mysterious murderous figure lays claim to them.
As with much of Zafon's work the pacing throughout The Midnight Palace is good, with the plot gripping from the very beginning. Zafon crafts really excellent and creepy antagonists in all his work, and Jawahal is no exception. His characterisation of Ben and Sheere was great, especially when the characters are delivered such a surprise about their history. I also liked the way in which Ben's friends were all given unique perspectives and voices; I was especially a fan of Isobel.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon is definitely one of my favourite authors, and I'm really excited to get my hands on The Watcher in the Shadows and the soon to be released Marina.