A review by bamamelereads
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
What a perfect book to finish on Halloween and for spooky season!
I put off reading this book for years because I was so worried it couldn't live up to Shadow of the Wind (one of my favorite books). But I shouldn't have worried. CRZ's writing is just so hauntingly beautiful. I was drawn into the story immediately and couldn't put it down. It's almost hard to describe what happens. There is the immersive atmosphere of Barcelona, the spooky/creepy benefactor "Boss", the heartbreaking star crossed love story, the books (!), the mysteries upon mysteries, the supernatural elements, the intrigues and plots and greed, the feeling that maybe you're going insane, or maybe it's just our narrator...this book is so layered and complex. The relationships between the characters were so intricate and heart wrenching. This is not a happy book with good people and happy endings for them. It's dark and gritty and can be depressing. But it's so powerful in the way it explores the ways in which the characters are unhappy.
The end was an absolute crescendo of action and reveals. And the loose ends and threads were mostly tied up (I think I was overwhelmed by everything that happened and very likely didn't understand 100%, so that's why I say mostly). The epilogue however has me unsure. I didn't know if it was heartachingly sweet and beautiful (I think this was the author's intent), or if it gave me the ick. I'm maybe leaning toward the ick and that's where 1/2 star is coming off.
But overall, this tied in wonderfully with the first book as kind of a prequel-ish. I absolutely love the Sempere family and their bookstore, so I loved seeing them in this book. I want to go reread Shadow of the Wind now!
I put off reading this book for years because I was so worried it couldn't live up to Shadow of the Wind (one of my favorite books). But I shouldn't have worried. CRZ's writing is just so hauntingly beautiful. I was drawn into the story immediately and couldn't put it down. It's almost hard to describe what happens. There is the immersive atmosphere of Barcelona, the spooky/creepy benefactor "Boss", the heartbreaking star crossed love story, the books (!), the mysteries upon mysteries, the supernatural elements, the intrigues and plots and greed, the feeling that maybe you're going insane, or maybe it's just our narrator...this book is so layered and complex. The relationships between the characters were so intricate and heart wrenching. This is not a happy book with good people and happy endings for them. It's dark and gritty and can be depressing. But it's so powerful in the way it explores the ways in which the characters are unhappy.
The end was an absolute crescendo of action and reveals. And the loose ends and threads were mostly tied up (I think I was overwhelmed by everything that happened and very likely didn't understand 100%, so that's why I say mostly). The epilogue however has me unsure. I didn't know if it was heartachingly sweet and beautiful (I think this was the author's intent), or if it gave me the ick. I'm maybe leaning toward the ick and that's where 1/2 star is coming off.
But overall, this tied in wonderfully with the first book as kind of a prequel-ish. I absolutely love the Sempere family and their bookstore, so I loved seeing them in this book. I want to go reread Shadow of the Wind now!