I had been wanting to read Carlos's book Shadows of the wind for some time but couldn't source it so I settled for these in stead, Sadly both books left me disappointed...
1916, Calcutta. A man pauses for breath outside the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station knowing he has only hours to live. Pursued by assassins, he must ensure the safety of two new born twins, before disappearing into the night to meet his fate.
1932. Ben and his friends are due to leave the orphanage which has been their home for sixteen years. Tonight will be the final meeting of their secret club, in the old ruin they christened The Midnight Palace. Then Ben discovers he has a sister - and together they learn the tragic story of their past, as a shadowy figures lures them to a terrifying showdown in the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station.
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Sadly I was a disappointed with this book. I was so looking forward to reading it and saved it to read when on holiday. My expectations were high as I had heard so many good reviews about Carlos's work. I didn't find myself drawn to any of the characters mostly as all the characters lacked depth. It wasn't a bad book but I wouldn't recommend it, I didn't find it easy to read and found it hard to visualise the surroundings and kept finding holes in the story.
1943. As war sweeps across Europe, Max Carver's father moves his family away
from the city, to an old wooden house on the coast. But as soon as they arrive,
strange things begin to happen: Max discovers a garden filled with eerie
statues; his sisters are plagued by unsettling dreams and voices; a box of old
films opens a window to the past.
Most unsettling of all are rumours about the previous owners and the mysterious disappearance of their son. As Max delves into the past, he encounters the terrifying story of the Prince of Mist, a sinister shadow who emerges from the night to settle old scores, then disappears with the first mists of dawn
The cover of this book does indicate that this is young adult fiction, it has been put into a binding that appears more of an adult book, and is clearly labelled as being also suitable for adult readers, it's not! Sadly, this is very misleading. Whilst there are still elements of Zafón's magical way with words, it is far too simple and uninvolved a read for the average adult reader.
I felt that book lacked description, personality and visual stimulants, the ending felt rust thus making the book feel incomplete.
Several strands of plot that are started are never wound up such as the story of the black cat, the true nature of the statues and the significance of Max's new watch and the clocks running backwards. The ending on a whole is hugely unsatisfying because the book had so much potential.
Most unsettling of all are rumours about the previous owners and the mysterious disappearance of their son. As Max delves into the past, he encounters the terrifying story of the Prince of Mist, a sinister shadow who emerges from the night to settle old scores, then disappears with the first mists of dawn
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The cover of this book does indicate that this is young adult fiction, it has been put into a binding that appears more of an adult book, and is clearly labelled as being also suitable for adult readers, it's not! Sadly, this is very misleading. Whilst there are still elements of Zafón's magical way with words, it is far too simple and uninvolved a read for the average adult reader.
I felt that book lacked description, personality and visual stimulants, the ending felt rust thus making the book feel incomplete.
Several strands of plot that are started are never wound up such as the story of the black cat, the true nature of the statues and the significance of Max's new watch and the clocks running backwards. The ending on a whole is hugely unsatisfying because the book had so much potential.
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