A review by booksandbongs
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

“People tend to complicate their own lives, as if living weren’t already complicated enough.”

📚REVIEW📚

In mid 1940’s Barcelona, an antiquarian book dealer's son comes across a book titled The Shadow of the Wind. When he goes to read the authors other works, he discovers that someone has been destroying them all. His quest to find the other books opens the door to one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets. 

The Shadow of the Wind is filled with suspense, mystery, and heartbreak. The gothic storytelling is mesmerizing and enchanting, I felt like I was on the rainy streets of Barcelona with Daniel. The story is meandering but you are slowly drawn in to the world as the mystery unfolds. The writing style is absolutely beautiful, and I think is a large part of why I enjoyed it as much as I did. 

The main characters are all complex and nuanced - I love how flawed and human they are. Daniel’s coming of age was interesting and at times very frustrating.

If I have one major critique, it’s that all of the women in the story come across as only an object of male desire. I know it’s set in 1940’s Spain but I definitely struggled with it.

If you enjoy gothic novels and complex mystery, check this one out! 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“…few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory…”