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A review by kathoulhu
The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
1.0
This book (in translation) drove me crazy. I was on a train, so didn't have much choice but to finish it. I really liked the premise, but several things seemed off to me.
First, the characters. The way the children related to one another didn't seem realistic in the slightest. The words they used and the phrases seemed completely foreign to a 12 year old -- I don't know if this is because children from Zafon's native Spain talk like 40 year olds, but American children never would, so it was jarring for them to be saying things that seemed so out of character.
I also didn't like the villain. Sure, clowns are creepy, but I felt like there wasn't enough buildup... there were spooky parts that I couldn't create a visual for in my head because I didn't have enough information about what I was supposed to be spooked about. In a movie, you can get away with not having as much description, because you have visuals... I felt like several "scary" scenes suffered from a lack of crucial details.
I also really disliked the ending. I'm not going to spoil it, in case anyone else makes it, but it was wholly unsatisfying for me as a reader. So many things left unresolved, so many things lost... it was just brutal to finish. I felt like I'd taking nothing away with me, except a dislike for the narrator.
First, the characters. The way the children related to one another didn't seem realistic in the slightest. The words they used and the phrases seemed completely foreign to a 12 year old -- I don't know if this is because children from Zafon's native Spain talk like 40 year olds, but American children never would, so it was jarring for them to be saying things that seemed so out of character.
I also didn't like the villain. Sure, clowns are creepy, but I felt like there wasn't enough buildup... there were spooky parts that I couldn't create a visual for in my head because I didn't have enough information about what I was supposed to be spooked about. In a movie, you can get away with not having as much description, because you have visuals... I felt like several "scary" scenes suffered from a lack of crucial details.
I also really disliked the ending. I'm not going to spoil it, in case anyone else makes it, but it was wholly unsatisfying for me as a reader. So many things left unresolved, so many things lost... it was just brutal to finish. I felt like I'd taking nothing away with me, except a dislike for the narrator.