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4.45 AVERAGE
4.45 AVERAGE
I needed to come back to it at a better time when I was in a better head space. It had nothing to do with the book.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The last 50 pages of this novel made it miss out on four stars.
The first two books of this series were masterpieces, beautiful, artfully written pieces, the third was a bit of an information dump and quite disappointing and now this book.
The main story of the Labyrinth of the Spirits is good, the new characters and their mystery quite interesting, but there are several elements hidden within this new tale trying to spin the story of the Sempere family which did not make sense and somewhat broke part of the story. I was incredibly disappointed in the lack of care put into David Martin's death. overall the story was quite good, however, but the last instalment was from the perspective of Julian and somewhat ruined the book.
I can see what Zafón is trying to do, I know how he's trying to weave the tale, but the pages from Julian become boring, he starts to go on and on when really it should have been a small part, and the way he is portrayed is hard to like. I ended up skimming paragraphs to get past his part.
Zafón tried way too hard to make the storyline up perfectly, ending with Julian bringing his daughter to the cemetery, however, we barely know the daughter, she is created purely for this purpose and it is hard to emotionally connect when the audience doesn't know her.
Personally, I would recommend the first two books, but I'm not sure if reading the next two will just disappoint anyone who enjoyed the first two.
The first two books of this series were masterpieces, beautiful, artfully written pieces, the third was a bit of an information dump and quite disappointing and now this book.
The main story of the Labyrinth of the Spirits is good, the new characters and their mystery quite interesting, but there are several elements hidden within this new tale trying to spin the story of the Sempere family which did not make sense and somewhat broke part of the story. I was incredibly disappointed in the lack of care put into David Martin's death. overall the story was quite good, however, but the last instalment was from the perspective of Julian and somewhat ruined the book.
I can see what Zafón is trying to do, I know how he's trying to weave the tale, but the pages from Julian become boring, he starts to go on and on when really it should have been a small part, and the way he is portrayed is hard to like. I ended up skimming paragraphs to get past his part.
Zafón tried way too hard to make the storyline up perfectly, ending with Julian bringing his daughter to the cemetery, however, we barely know the daughter, she is created purely for this purpose and it is hard to emotionally connect when the audience doesn't know her.
Personally, I would recommend the first two books, but I'm not sure if reading the next two will just disappoint anyone who enjoyed the first two.
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes
The Labyrinth of the Spirits is one of the best books I've ever read.
“Stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them.
A story is an endless labyrinth of words, images, and spirits, conjured up to show us the invisible truth about ourselves. A story is, after all, a conversation between the narrator and the reader, and just as narrators can only relate as far as their ability will permit, so too readers can only read as far as what is already written in their souls.
This is the golden rule that sustains every artifice of paper and ink. Because when the lights go out, when the music ends and the stalls are empty again, the only thing that matters is the mirage that has been engraved in the theater of the imagination all readers hold in their mind. This, and the hope every maker of tales carries within: that readers will open their hearts to these little creatures made of ink and paper, and give them a part of themselves so they can be immortal, even if only for a few minutes.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón need not worry: Alicia Gris, the Sempere family, and the whole host of characters he meticulously crafted throughout this series will live on in eternity. This book and the series depicts a looming gothic Barcelona, a vision of Spain in its postwar days, where every street, apartment, house, bakery, and bookshop feels bursting with such sincere life. Evocative prose immerses you fully until you feel like you are walking those dimly lit streets or exploring those dark cathedrals.
“Every paragraph, every sentence, seemed written in a musical key. The narrative drew her eyes through a cadence of timbres and colors that sketched a theater of shadows in her mind."
This story acts as a time capsule of Spain, an extremely dark noir mystery, the lineage of a family, and an expertly crafted labyrinth of words. The title refers to a book within the universe, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland in which a character named Ariadna descends into a ghastly version of Barcelona filled with monsters and a despicable mastermind named the Scarlet Prince. Alicia Gris plays out a similar role in her journey, trying to uncover why a public official has disappeared, only to slowly sink into a pit of horrors. This book is hard to stomach at times, and it is punctuated with violence. It is also brimming with poignant moments illustrating the resilience of people, the beauty of literature, and the ability for good people to rise above their circumstances, even when it feels like bad things only happen to good people.
“Sometimes, when the gods aren’t looking and destiny loses its way, even good people get a taste of good luck in their lives.”
In my mind, Alicia Gris is right up there with the greatest femme fatales in fiction. While she may resemble characters like Lisabeth Salander, Zafón is able to infuse her with so much vulnerability without smoothing out her sharper edges. She has such a distinctive presence on the page, and whether it was her piecing different pieces of a puzzle together or her dealing with the crippling pain and limp that had plagued her from a childhood accident during the bombing of Barcelona or even her wistful longing of an idylic life she knew she cannot have, I was completely enthralled by her. There are a lot of characters beyond Alicia, but she is the beating heart of this book.
“Stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them.”
The title of this book also refers to the structure of this book as well as that of the series as a whole. This book jumps between multiple different perspectives, delving into different dimensions of the story as it flows chronologically. On the other hand, in the series, ach book intersects each other, with a focus on different characters and unique styles. The idea was that you could read any of these books as a starting point, and in theory, that is true. This book gives you more than enough to understand the core story and the important character dynamics and moments. In some ways, it even reframes some of the characters from the second book. However, I do think this book also acts as the culmination of those that came before it, and I think some of that context might be lost if you haven't read the entire series up until this point. I would highlight that the second book is maybe the easiest to skip (and also the weakest), with the third book acting as important connective tissue between the first and this volume (and is very much a setup book). I think this book is significantly better than the rest of the books in this series though, and I do think it is worth reading if someone is intimidated by the investment of reading 3 books before this one. If I had to nitpick, I do have a slight criticism in the last section of this book. It introduces a new character that hasn't been a big part of the story, and it jumps through a lot of their life quickly without necessarily building a ton of attachment. I think it felt slightly self-congratulatory and anticlimactic, though I did find the very last two scenes to be beautiful.
“Tell our stories to the world, and never forget that we exist so long as someone remembers us.”
The Labyrinth of the Spirits is a modern classic, a staggering work that had me emotionally invested, filled with insightful quotes and vivid prose and lifelike characters. It feels like a part of me now, and I will remember it.
“Stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them.
A story is an endless labyrinth of words, images, and spirits, conjured up to show us the invisible truth about ourselves. A story is, after all, a conversation between the narrator and the reader, and just as narrators can only relate as far as their ability will permit, so too readers can only read as far as what is already written in their souls.
This is the golden rule that sustains every artifice of paper and ink. Because when the lights go out, when the music ends and the stalls are empty again, the only thing that matters is the mirage that has been engraved in the theater of the imagination all readers hold in their mind. This, and the hope every maker of tales carries within: that readers will open their hearts to these little creatures made of ink and paper, and give them a part of themselves so they can be immortal, even if only for a few minutes.”
Carlos Ruiz Zafón need not worry: Alicia Gris, the Sempere family, and the whole host of characters he meticulously crafted throughout this series will live on in eternity. This book and the series depicts a looming gothic Barcelona, a vision of Spain in its postwar days, where every street, apartment, house, bakery, and bookshop feels bursting with such sincere life. Evocative prose immerses you fully until you feel like you are walking those dimly lit streets or exploring those dark cathedrals.
“Every paragraph, every sentence, seemed written in a musical key. The narrative drew her eyes through a cadence of timbres and colors that sketched a theater of shadows in her mind."
This story acts as a time capsule of Spain, an extremely dark noir mystery, the lineage of a family, and an expertly crafted labyrinth of words. The title refers to a book within the universe, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland in which a character named Ariadna descends into a ghastly version of Barcelona filled with monsters and a despicable mastermind named the Scarlet Prince. Alicia Gris plays out a similar role in her journey, trying to uncover why a public official has disappeared, only to slowly sink into a pit of horrors. This book is hard to stomach at times, and it is punctuated with violence. It is also brimming with poignant moments illustrating the resilience of people, the beauty of literature, and the ability for good people to rise above their circumstances, even when it feels like bad things only happen to good people.
“Sometimes, when the gods aren’t looking and destiny loses its way, even good people get a taste of good luck in their lives.”
In my mind, Alicia Gris is right up there with the greatest femme fatales in fiction. While she may resemble characters like Lisabeth Salander, Zafón is able to infuse her with so much vulnerability without smoothing out her sharper edges. She has such a distinctive presence on the page, and whether it was her piecing different pieces of a puzzle together or her dealing with the crippling pain and limp that had plagued her from a childhood accident during the bombing of Barcelona or even her wistful longing of an idylic life she knew she cannot have, I was completely enthralled by her. There are a lot of characters beyond Alicia, but she is the beating heart of this book.
“Stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them.”
The title of this book also refers to the structure of this book as well as that of the series as a whole. This book jumps between multiple different perspectives, delving into different dimensions of the story as it flows chronologically. On the other hand, in the series, ach book intersects each other, with a focus on different characters and unique styles. The idea was that you could read any of these books as a starting point, and in theory, that is true. This book gives you more than enough to understand the core story and the important character dynamics and moments. In some ways, it even reframes some of the characters from the second book. However, I do think this book also acts as the culmination of those that came before it, and I think some of that context might be lost if you haven't read the entire series up until this point. I would highlight that the second book is maybe the easiest to skip (and also the weakest), with the third book acting as important connective tissue between the first and this volume (and is very much a setup book). I think this book is significantly better than the rest of the books in this series though, and I do think it is worth reading if someone is intimidated by the investment of reading 3 books before this one. If I had to nitpick, I do have a slight criticism in the last section of this book. It introduces a new character that hasn't been a big part of the story, and it jumps through a lot of their life quickly without necessarily building a ton of attachment. I think it felt slightly self-congratulatory and anticlimactic, though I did find the very last two scenes to be beautiful.
“Tell our stories to the world, and never forget that we exist so long as someone remembers us.”
The Labyrinth of the Spirits is a modern classic, a staggering work that had me emotionally invested, filled with insightful quotes and vivid prose and lifelike characters. It feels like a part of me now, and I will remember it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
ESTOS LIBROS!!!<3<3 Finalmente me terminé la saga 'El cementerio de los libros olvidados' y no me voy a cansar de recomendarlos!!!! Son 4 libros conectados entre si de alguna manera, pero 'autoconclusivos' (Recomiendo leerlos en orden de publicación igual). Me gustaron tanto que espero poder comprármelos para tenerlos en físico.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated