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catbrigand's review
3.0
Incredibly rushed. I understand that it's marketed toward a slightly younger crowd than the other Ruiz Zafon works I'd read. But there was so much unexplained, as if the reader is supposed to inherently understand what's not being said.
m_bbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
marlisphillips's review
3.0
zafón's writing is excellent as always. This just wasn't my kind of book. There were supernatural things going on that I just can't get into.
liaishiding's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
logolepsy_e's review against another edition
3.0
Gli elementi tipici di Zafòn ci sono già tutti in questo libro, solo che si presentano ancora un modo molto grezzo e abbozzato.
La storia è impregnata di mistero, si sentono sottilmente angoscia e paura, e la narrazione serrata trascina il lettore nell'avventura.
Il romanzo rimane però di poco spessore, diciamo che risulta un racconto piacevole ma povero. I personaggi sono poco approfonditi, la narrazione si trascina senza intoppi ma fin troppo velocemente, il mistero non è abbastanza e la risoluzione finale è fin troppo semplicisticamente lasciata andare.
Se avessi letto questo romanzo prima de "L'Ombra del vento", dubito che avrei continuato ad esplorare le opere di questo autore.
Però il racconto non è da cestinare: regala comunque una lettura scorrevolissima e piacevole.
La storia è impregnata di mistero, si sentono sottilmente angoscia e paura, e la narrazione serrata trascina il lettore nell'avventura.
Il romanzo rimane però di poco spessore, diciamo che risulta un racconto piacevole ma povero. I personaggi sono poco approfonditi, la narrazione si trascina senza intoppi ma fin troppo velocemente, il mistero non è abbastanza e la risoluzione finale è fin troppo semplicisticamente lasciata andare.
Se avessi letto questo romanzo prima de "L'Ombra del vento", dubito che avrei continuato ad esplorare le opere di questo autore.
Però il racconto non è da cestinare: regala comunque una lettura scorrevolissima e piacevole.
12dejamoo's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Disappointing because I normally love Zafón so much. Maybe his adult books are just where it’s at and the young adult fall a bit flat. Anyway it does have that signature maziness and magical realism which I do love. I liked the setting but I missed the Barcelona of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books a lot more.
I didn’t really like any of the characters that much. Well maybe apart from Michael. I think it was really Ben that I didn’t like. It’s not always a necessity that readers love characters but I couldn’t tell if the book wanted us to like Ben or not. Ian insists they’re best friends but he actually seems aloof and too wrapped up in his own intelligence to actually be a good friend. Perhaps also there are too many characters introduced all at once to the point that you don’t feel you really know any of them.
The plot seemed classic Zafón and I did enjoy it. If it had been an adult book it would have had more depth but there was definitely something there. It was a bit frustrating that we acted for so long on one assumption and then things changed abruptly. I think the discovery and research could have been more natural.
Whilst I didn’t enjoy this all that much, it has had the effect of making me want to read another adult Zafón, so maybe it’s not all bad.
Also final note this book is weirdly similar to The Sibius Knot, which I don’t recommend but I wonder if that author was inspired by Zafón.
I didn’t really like any of the characters that much. Well maybe apart from Michael. I think it was really Ben that I didn’t like. It’s not always a necessity that readers love characters but I couldn’t tell if the book wanted us to like Ben or not. Ian insists they’re best friends but he actually seems aloof and too wrapped up in his own intelligence to actually be a good friend. Perhaps also there are too many characters introduced all at once to the point that you don’t feel you really know any of them.
The plot seemed classic Zafón and I did enjoy it. If it had been an adult book it would have had more depth but there was definitely something there. It was a bit frustrating that we acted for so long on one assumption and then things changed abruptly. I think the discovery and research could have been more natural.
Whilst I didn’t enjoy this all that much, it has had the effect of making me want to read another adult Zafón, so maybe it’s not all bad.
Also final note this book is weirdly similar to The Sibius Knot, which I don’t recommend but I wonder if that author was inspired by Zafón.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Colonisation and Confinement
christel_booksmart's review
3.0
Struggling between a three and a four. I guess my real rating is a 3.5 I cannot understand how this book is considered part of a series along with The Prince of Mist. Where The Prince of Mist was clearly a book aimed at young teens, The Midnight Palace utilised more sophisticated language and a more adult theme. The two books neither share similar characters or a similar storyline, so that's my first "beef" with this series. This story was very interesting, the characters were well-developed; it's easy to see the Zafon that wrote the incredible The Shadow of the Wind within the pages of this story. But unlike TSOTW, in which everything tied together at the end, this book had a few remaining loose ends. For example, what was the deal with the picture the character Michael drew of the 6 friends standing near a lake? Its significance is never established, yet its apparent importance is emphasised. I also did not understand the ending, which I won't mention explicitly because it will spoil the story. Unlike books like Harry Potter for example, in which the nemesis of the story is defeated in intricate detail, I feel The Midnight Palace (and, as a side note, The a Prince of Mist) had "fuzzy" endings- i.e. It wasn't clear exactly how the bad guy was destroyed. I feel like the story was sort of unfinished in many ways, and the details not properly explained in others.
I think if I had TPOM or TMP first, I probably never would have read The Shadow of the Wind, because I feel these two books pale in comparison to its brilliance. I'm very thankful I read TSOTW first, because that book is one that will stay with me forever, and it would be a tragedy to have never read it. Don't misunderstand me, these other two books by Zafon are good reads, with great stories and intriguing, well-developed characters, but there are few annoying little details that spoil what could easily be 5 star books. If you've read these two and were disappointed, don't let that deter you from reading the truly remarkable story that is The Shadow of the Wind.
I think if I had TPOM or TMP first, I probably never would have read The Shadow of the Wind, because I feel these two books pale in comparison to its brilliance. I'm very thankful I read TSOTW first, because that book is one that will stay with me forever, and it would be a tragedy to have never read it. Don't misunderstand me, these other two books by Zafon are good reads, with great stories and intriguing, well-developed characters, but there are few annoying little details that spoil what could easily be 5 star books. If you've read these two and were disappointed, don't let that deter you from reading the truly remarkable story that is The Shadow of the Wind.
cadmanreads's review
3.0
I don't want to write this review because I'm disappointed in the book or should I say the second half of the book.
Let's get this out of the way, I love the author's work and also the first book in this series ' The prince of mist'. The change of setting to Calcutta was jarring for me but after the initial shock, I was on board.
I liked the Chowbar society members, each with different but complementary personalities and was ready for the adventure. I was a little confused about the ethnicity of the characters due to their names.
The book has many great ideas, some may be well-used tropes but it was written well.
All was great until about 75% and then I seem to lose interest. I can't put my finger on what it was exactly, maybe it was Jawahal's intentions were not clear to me and all of a sudden it seemed to wrap up too quickly.
There is still a lot to like here but it isn't as good as Book 1 of the series.
I thought there would be a connection between the books but I missed it if there is. I'm hoping for Book3 won't disappoint.
Let's get this out of the way, I love the author's work and also the first book in this series ' The prince of mist'. The change of setting to Calcutta was jarring for me but after the initial shock, I was on board.
I liked the Chowbar society members, each with different but complementary personalities and was ready for the adventure. I was a little confused about the ethnicity of the characters due to their names.
The book has many great ideas, some may be well-used tropes but it was written well.
All was great until about 75% and then I seem to lose interest. I can't put my finger on what it was exactly, maybe it was Jawahal's intentions were not clear to me and all of a sudden it seemed to wrap up too quickly.
There is still a lot to like here but it isn't as good as Book 1 of the series.
I thought there would be a connection between the books but I missed it if there is. I'm hoping for Book3 won't disappoint.