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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Loved it! A bit different than what I was expecting, based on having read the Shadow of the Wind (which was masterful but more grounded in "reality"). I wasn't expecting such a supernatural overtone, but once realising what I had gotten into, I enjoyed the story. This happens to me from time to time, and I have to sometimes mentally flip a switch that toggles between reading a novel about the natural world and one based on a supernatural world.
Ruiz Zafón is a great story teller and I look forward to whatever's next in the third installment.
Spoiler
It wasn't immediately obvious on first read, but the Faustian bargain comes into play pretty quickly. I had initially thought maybe Martín had dreamt of his encounter with Chloé, but when I realised the novel was of a different sort than SotW, things made more sense. I do wish Martín could've been kinder to Isabella, but I do appreciate how Isabella was so pure and without fault that she accepted and befriended him with all of his complications, whilst at the same time appreciating that Isabella would become an important link in the continuation of the saga of the Sampere and Sons booksellers.Ruiz Zafón is a great story teller and I look forward to whatever's next in the third installment.
Spoiler
I hope it involves David Martín and his second chance at life with Cristina. That's a story I'd read in a heartbeat.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly, idk what's real and what's not anymore. Idk who to trust anymore. I gotta admit, i was confused by the ending of this book. And all i can think of is why did i trust the narrator? I shouldn't have done that. Also, the idea of writing a new religion held me captive. I couldn't move on. I've heard the stories about religion claimed to be written by normal people, but never in my life i read about someone trying to write a new religion. I can't get over how brilliant the idea is. I've read many books and i've never encountered such idea.
Moving to the narrator, David Martin definitely has split-personalities. There is no more convincing reason to what was happening in the book. He clearly from the very beginning was suffering from delusions until the last pages.
Although many things doesn't make sense, and the epilogue raised more questions instead of answering them, nothing makes sense and that's what i believe the author wanted us to achieve. Some questions are better unanswered. I didn't get to know why did the woman stole Martin's book from Sempere-The father? Did she stole it at all? Was Marlasca, and Salvador real? Was that woman from the store his mother? If Marlasca is Salvador, how did his wife didn't recognize him?... etc. and there's only one answer to all those question. We don't know bcz simply we can't trust what David told us. And i find this rather so smart and brilliant representation of split-personalities disorder.
I've read some of the reviews here in goodreads where some people have seen the book from a religious pov in which some characters are religious representations to some christian symbols, and i can't say that i can relate bcz again David and his narration can NOT be trusted. All i'm sure of is the existence of the Inspector Grandes, Vidal, Christina, Sempere and his sons, Isabella (and her family), and her son Daniel whom we encounter in The Shadow of The Wind. All other characters may as they may not be from David's imagination. I'm still confused, and as much as i think of it, it got more confusing.. but i can't deny that this work is a masterpiece.
Plus, Isabella took a book from The cemetery, and i guess the story of the next book will about that book specifically.
Imagine having it all figured out by the labyrinth of spirits? Hopefully will be.
I so much enjoyed this book, it was a page-turner, beautifully written, captivating, and ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING.
I LOVED. This is the 1st book in 2021 i give 5 stars to.
I invite to read Katja Cehovin' review about it. It was everything i wanted to say.
What the author said about the book:
The Angel's Game has many games inside, one of them with the reader. It is a book designed to make you step into the storytelling process and become a part of it. In other words, the wicked, gothic chick wants your blood. Beware. Maybe, without realizing, I ended up writing a monster book after all...Don't say I didn't warn you, courageous reader. I'll see you on the other side.
Moving to the narrator, David Martin definitely has split-personalities. There is no more convincing reason to what was happening in the book. He clearly from the very beginning was suffering from delusions until the last pages.
Although many things doesn't make sense, and the epilogue raised more questions instead of answering them, nothing makes sense and that's what i believe the author wanted us to achieve. Some questions are better unanswered. I didn't get to know why did the woman stole Martin's book from Sempere-The father? Did she stole it at all? Was Marlasca, and Salvador real? Was that woman from the store his mother? If Marlasca is Salvador, how did his wife didn't recognize him?... etc. and there's only one answer to all those question. We don't know bcz simply we can't trust what David told us. And i find this rather so smart and brilliant representation of split-personalities disorder.
I've read some of the reviews here in goodreads where some people have seen the book from a religious pov in which some characters are religious representations to some christian symbols, and i can't say that i can relate bcz again David and his narration can NOT be trusted. All i'm sure of is the existence of the Inspector Grandes, Vidal, Christina, Sempere and his sons, Isabella (and her family), and her son Daniel whom we encounter in The Shadow of The Wind. All other characters may as they may not be from David's imagination. I'm still confused, and as much as i think of it, it got more confusing.. but i can't deny that this work is a masterpiece.
Plus, Isabella took a book from The cemetery, and i guess the story of the next book will about that book specifically.
Imagine having it all figured out by the labyrinth of spirits? Hopefully will be.
I so much enjoyed this book, it was a page-turner, beautifully written, captivating, and ABSOLUTELY MESMERIZING.
I LOVED. This is the 1st book in 2021 i give 5 stars to.
I invite to read Katja Cehovin' review about it. It was everything i wanted to say.
What the author said about the book:
The Angel's Game has many games inside, one of them with the reader. It is a book designed to make you step into the storytelling process and become a part of it. In other words, the wicked, gothic chick wants your blood. Beware. Maybe, without realizing, I ended up writing a monster book after all...Don't say I didn't warn you, courageous reader. I'll see you on the other side.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent
It happens rarely that I come across two excellent books in succession, but that’s exactly what happened this August. I almost feel like I can stop reading for the year, because it’s unlikely I’ll find a third gem that can match, or surpass the craftiness of either Cutting For Stone or The Angel’s Game.
I am not the greatest fan of mysteries with a touch of paranormal, but Zafon wove his story so masterfully that, at the end, I’m not really sure if anything paranormal really happened, or it had all been the split-personality case. Except, of course, the epilog, which is as paranormal as it is sad, and a nice touch to crown the tale.
The main characters are drawn so vividly, you could almost feel them, as if they were three-dimensional. The dialogues are witty, sarcastic, funny, sad and with the concealed menace, depending of the situation. Zafon pulled me into the story from the first few lines, and held me fully immersed until the very end.
The audiobook I listened to was superbly read by Dan Stevens, who made all the characters and the city of Barcelona come alive.
I am not the greatest fan of mysteries with a touch of paranormal, but Zafon wove his story so masterfully that, at the end, I’m not really sure if anything paranormal really happened, or it had all been the split-personality case. Except, of course, the epilog, which is as paranormal as it is sad, and a nice touch to crown the tale.
The main characters are drawn so vividly, you could almost feel them, as if they were three-dimensional. The dialogues are witty, sarcastic, funny, sad and with the concealed menace, depending of the situation. Zafon pulled me into the story from the first few lines, and held me fully immersed until the very end.
The audiobook I listened to was superbly read by Dan Stevens, who made all the characters and the city of Barcelona come alive.
Where 'The Shadow of the Wind' intrigued me and made me want to keep going, 'The Angel's Game' just left me frustrated and annoyed. I guess it's understandable that Zafon couldn't quite achieve the same thing twice, but I was really quite disappointed with this book.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This story is a prelude of sorts to the first novel (The Shadow of the Wind), and follows David Martin, an aspiring author who writes penny dreadfuls for the newspaper that employs him. He has a dream of being a world renowned novelist and when one day he gets fired from the newspaper, he devotes himself to writing the novel of his dreams. Shortly after he moves into a decrepit (and believed haunted) house, he finds himself slowly wasting away and is concurrently told of a tumor growing in his brain. David reluctantly accepts his oncoming death and gives up his dreams of authorship until one day he is approached by a supposedly famous French publisher. This publisher promises David that he will grant his wishes and give him an unimaginable sum of money if only he will complete one project over the course of one year's time - a religious text that will impact Barcelona's culture for the rest of time. There is a lot more to this synopsis, but I would spend the next three days explaining it! Set in 1920/30's Barcelona, The Angel's Game is a mixture of historical fiction, dark academia, fantasy, and love story.
The Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books. It's enchanting, magical, and so beautiful in every way. The Angel's Game is just the same. From beginning to end, I was hooked to this story - I never wanted to put it down, and by the end, I was so emotionally attached to the world of David Martin that I really missed him after finishing this book. Martin's story is much darker than the story of Daniel Sempere in the first book, but still there were moments of love, warmth, and humor, although my heart was breaking all throughout this tale. Not only did I fall in love with David, but I fell in love all over again with the character of Sempere and his son Daniel. We also have an utterly amazing strong female supporting character in this novel and she is just wonderful and hilarious.
As can be expected from Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the lyricism, prose, imagery, and atmosphere of this novel is breathtaking and unlike any other. I will always recommend this series. It is pure magic and one of my forever favorites!
The Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books. It's enchanting, magical, and so beautiful in every way. The Angel's Game is just the same. From beginning to end, I was hooked to this story - I never wanted to put it down, and by the end, I was so emotionally attached to the world of David Martin that I really missed him after finishing this book. Martin's story is much darker than the story of Daniel Sempere in the first book, but still there were moments of love, warmth, and humor, although my heart was breaking all throughout this tale. Not only did I fall in love with David, but I fell in love all over again with the character of Sempere and his son Daniel. We also have an utterly amazing strong female supporting character in this novel and she is just wonderful and hilarious.
As can be expected from Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the lyricism, prose, imagery, and atmosphere of this novel is breathtaking and unlike any other. I will always recommend this series. It is pure magic and one of my forever favorites!
