luna545's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
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
3.75
benedetto21's review against another edition
4.0
Scrivendo questo romanzo nel '95 Zafon mi ha dato la sensazione di aver fatto le prove generali per il capolavoro insuperabile che è L'Ombra del Vento. Ha tutte le caratteristiche di un romanzo dell'autore spagnolo, il background paradisiaco, un'attenta descrizione del paesaggio, il tipico protagonista "giovane di belle speranze", e poi una storia che non ti aspetti che nasce dall'immensa fantasia di questo genio della Letteratura. Non è ai livelli de "L'ombra del vento" o de "Il gioco dell'angelo", ma è pur sempre un gran bel libro.
book_love001's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
geeniebean29's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
3.75
alliem's review against another edition
4.0
Zafon's 'The Shadow of the Wind' is one of my all time favourites so reading this book for YA was quite a treat. Similar to his other YA work I've read 'Marina', the atmosphere was just perfect for me and the romantic, gothic elements very reminiscent of Guillermo del Toro's films - what a pair these two would have made! A good time had all round.
fragwai's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic book could not put it down. Brilliantly written and the story just made me feel such a range of emotions.
erin_oriordan_is_reading_again's review against another edition
4.0
I love this alternative history world Chris Moriarty has created, a version of early 1900s New York City where magic is commonplace, but under the control of the police department's Inquisitor division. It's a world where tenement-dwellers clash with upper-crust families of ultrarich wizards, where Old World traditions collide with Industrial Age realities. In this second installation, 13-year-old apprentice Sacha Kessler doesn't simply follow Inquisitor Max Wolf on the investigation of a mysterious death in full view of a packed theater. Sacha has some very adult decisions to make, including how much to trust Wolf and whether or not he wants to learn magic. Sacha's supernatural doppelganger is still on the loose, and the danger has never been greater. Fans of [b:The Invention of Hugo Cabret|9673436|The Invention of Hugo Cabret|Brian Selznick|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327879761s/9673436.jpg|527941] should appreciate this sophisticated magical tale.
levitatingnumeral's review against another edition
3.0
I expected much more from this book, considering it's Zafón's third and El Príncipe de la Niebla was really pleasant in spite of his not yet so developed writing, but El Palacio de Medianoche... Well, it was okay.
I would probably have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't known Carlos' other writings, for I noticed so many persistent patterns in this story: women are always the object of love, the little boy is always the hero (in the Niebla trilogy), the answer to one's questions will always come when two people have a serious conversation that will also reveal that some of the information we already knew was a lie...
But not only that: his writing style was not spectacular as it usually is, the story didn't develop at all in the first 150 pages, the mystery was so not mysterious and the characters were rather shallow.
Although he didn't manage to master the entrelacement technique in this book, for sometimes there seemed to be enormous time gaps in some of the storylines, this isn't in itself a bad book. It's average.
If one likes reading okay books, this is a good read, but if one is more selective and expects a lot from Zafón (as I do, knowing La Sombra del Viento), then I don't recommend this.
I would probably have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't known Carlos' other writings, for I noticed so many persistent patterns in this story: women are always the object of love, the little boy is always the hero (in the Niebla trilogy), the answer to one's questions will always come when two people have a serious conversation that will also reveal that some of the information we already knew was a lie...
But not only that: his writing style was not spectacular as it usually is, the story didn't develop at all in the first 150 pages, the mystery was so not mysterious and the characters were rather shallow.
Although he didn't manage to master the entrelacement technique in this book, for sometimes there seemed to be enormous time gaps in some of the storylines, this isn't in itself a bad book. It's average.
If one likes reading okay books, this is a good read, but if one is more selective and expects a lot from Zafón (as I do, knowing La Sombra del Viento), then I don't recommend this.