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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I was absolutely in love with 4/5ths of this book. I adored the gothic atmosphere of it, the richness and reality of Barcelona, the increasing tempo of the mystery surrounding David ... but the ending fell flat for me. It didn't feel like the ending was supernatural and unknowable; it just felt kind of tacked on without explanation or reason. I wish the epilogue wasn't part of this book - it ended the book on a sour note for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Truly excellent book, even though I had a few quibbles with the ending. Not so much that I thought that the ending arrived at a bad conclusion (I actually loved the way in which it ended,) but that I was confused on one or two points. It is also quiet possible that I missed something obvious in the last few pages however, since things moved very quickly towards the end.
Despite those issues, still an amazing book. Almost makes me want to go re-read his first book, Shadow of the Wind, which I remember likely greatly but don't remember it having a huge impact on me.
The book itself follows an author living in Barcelona during the early 20th century. David Martin, the protagonist, came from nothing and simply loves literature and writing books. As the story progresses he is made an offer to write a book that he is wary to take, but eventually does. He grapples with that choice and its impact on his life throughout the rest of the story. I would say more, but I don't want to give away too much as this story is in many ways an old horror tale with a number of surprises throughout.
Several things made this book a really enjoyable experience. Zafón did an excellent job of transporting the reader to that time and place without falling into the easy post-modern trap of winking at the reader for knowing what ideas of the time were archaic. Secondly, not only is the writing excellent, but I really got the sense that this book was written for people who love books in such a manner that it transports them to another world. Most of the characters in the story take books that seriously, and Zafón does a wonderful job capturing how important books can be to an individual.
I don't normally go for "horror," stories, but the way in which the dread of this story slowly builds was just really well done. The characters never acted stupidly or in an ignorant manner, in fact I can't say I'd choose too differently in many of the situations, which made the horrific parts that much more so.
Go read it.
Despite those issues, still an amazing book. Almost makes me want to go re-read his first book, Shadow of the Wind, which I remember likely greatly but don't remember it having a huge impact on me.
The book itself follows an author living in Barcelona during the early 20th century. David Martin, the protagonist, came from nothing and simply loves literature and writing books. As the story progresses he is made an offer to write a book that he is wary to take, but eventually does. He grapples with that choice and its impact on his life throughout the rest of the story. I would say more, but I don't want to give away too much as this story is in many ways an old horror tale with a number of surprises throughout.
Several things made this book a really enjoyable experience. Zafón did an excellent job of transporting the reader to that time and place without falling into the easy post-modern trap of winking at the reader for knowing what ideas of the time were archaic. Secondly, not only is the writing excellent, but I really got the sense that this book was written for people who love books in such a manner that it transports them to another world. Most of the characters in the story take books that seriously, and Zafón does a wonderful job capturing how important books can be to an individual.
I don't normally go for "horror," stories, but the way in which the dread of this story slowly builds was just really well done. The characters never acted stupidly or in an ignorant manner, in fact I can't say I'd choose too differently in many of the situations, which made the horrific parts that much more so.
Go read it.
WHAT.
WHAT.
WHAT.
Apparently this is a prequel to Shadow of the Wind which I adored. And I'm pretty sure The Boss is not an angel (or not one anymore). Pretty sure it's Satan.
Egads.
WHAT.
WHAT.
Apparently this is a prequel to Shadow of the Wind which I adored. And I'm pretty sure The Boss is not an angel (or not one anymore). Pretty sure it's Satan.
Egads.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Zafón really is a great writer, but this novel did not intrigue me as much as the other two in the series. The story was a bit confusing at times and it also took a long time for something to happen. Still, it was a great read!
Despite seeing so many reviews comparing this title unfavorably to its predecessor, I enjoyed The Angel's Game every bit as much as I did The Shadow of the Wind.
adventurous
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't understand the conondrum of the Andreas Corelli's secret. I'm not sure if he was a (fallen) angel like Marlasca wrote for him about in Lux Aeterna in which a passage of poet about The Death. David certainly could not time-travel, the photograph of Cristina clearly slipped off by Corelli to alarm David about his and her future.
Surprisingly, I was taken aback by Zafon preferences to make a spiritual creature appeared in one of his book. Though in "The Shadow of The Wind", the Horrifiying Julian Carax turned out to be a mere human with too much tragedy. But in this book, Andreas Corelli and David Martin himself turned out to be spiritual creatures. They could not age after they left Barcelona (or should we call it The City of The Damned) and I keep wondering about Cristina being reborn again just to make David Martin savored her presence.
Surprisingly, I was taken aback by Zafon preferences to make a spiritual creature appeared in one of his book. Though in "The Shadow of The Wind", the Horrifiying Julian Carax turned out to be a mere human with too much tragedy. But in this book, Andreas Corelli and David Martin himself turned out to be spiritual creatures. They could not age after they left Barcelona (or should we call it The City of The Damned) and I keep wondering about Cristina being reborn again just to make David Martin savored her presence.