ronald_schoedel 's review for:

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

5.0

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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.

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.