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Niebla #1
The Prince of Mist
A mysterious house harbors an unimaginable secret. . . .
It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they’ve recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house there still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning.
With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the suspicious circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called The Prince of Mist—a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden, which will change their lives forever.
It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they’ve recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house there still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning.
With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the suspicious circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called The Prince of Mist—a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden, which will change their lives forever.
218 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
38 books24k followersCarlos Ruiz Zafón was a Spanish novelist. Born in Barcelona in 1964, he lived in Los Ángeles, United States, since 1994, and worked as a scriptwriter aside from writing novels.
His first novel, El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist, 1993), earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. He is also the author of three more young-adult novels, El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995) and Marina (1999).
In 2001 he published the novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind), his first 'adult' novel, which has sold millions of copies worldwide. Since its publication, La sombra del viento has garnered critical acclaim around the world and has won numerous international awards. Ruiz Zafón's works have been published in more than 40 countries and have been translated into more than 30 languages.
His first novel, El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist, 1993), earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. He is also the author of three more young-adult novels, El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995) and Marina (1999).
In 2001 he published the novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind), his first 'adult' novel, which has sold millions of copies worldwide. Since its publication, La sombra del viento has garnered critical acclaim around the world and has won numerous international awards. Ruiz Zafón's works have been published in more than 40 countries and have been translated into more than 30 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,507 reviews
December 20, 2013
A big change of pace from my nonfiction reading about World War II, The Prince of Mist is a middle grade novel by acclaimed Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'd read Zafon's The Name of the Wind, a brilliant adult novel blending Gothic horror and magic realism, but I wasn't aware that Zafon actually began his career writing middle grade fantasies. The Prince of Mist was his first book, and it did not disappoint.
The war in Europe plays only a background role in the book, much as it does in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The Carver family decides to leave their urban home in Spain to escape the war. They move to a small beach town which has more than its share of secrets. Young Max discovers that their new family house was owned by a doctor and his wife, whose son drowned many years before. There is a strange walled garden behind the house, filled with creepy statues of circus performers. There is a shipwreck just off the coast, and a strange old man who runs the town lighthouse. The town clock runs backwards. Strange voices whisper in the house. Max and his sister Alicia soon meet a new friend named Roland, whose parents died in a tragic accident when he was small. Together, the three of them begin to unravel the mystery surrounding the town, which is entwined with an evil force from the past -- an entity known as the Prince of Mist.
If you like quick, creepy reads with mystery and menace, The Prince of Mist is for you. It will keep you turning the pages, and probably leaving your lights on, late into the night.
The war in Europe plays only a background role in the book, much as it does in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The Carver family decides to leave their urban home in Spain to escape the war. They move to a small beach town which has more than its share of secrets. Young Max discovers that their new family house was owned by a doctor and his wife, whose son drowned many years before. There is a strange walled garden behind the house, filled with creepy statues of circus performers. There is a shipwreck just off the coast, and a strange old man who runs the town lighthouse. The town clock runs backwards. Strange voices whisper in the house. Max and his sister Alicia soon meet a new friend named Roland, whose parents died in a tragic accident when he was small. Together, the three of them begin to unravel the mystery surrounding the town, which is entwined with an evil force from the past -- an entity known as the Prince of Mist.
If you like quick, creepy reads with mystery and menace, The Prince of Mist is for you. It will keep you turning the pages, and probably leaving your lights on, late into the night.
May 28, 2022
[Edited for typos, pictures added 5/28/22]
Who would have thought that Zafon, best known for The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, started his writing life as a young adult author? After he became famous his YA books were published in English translation, some of which had won YA awards in Spain. I picked it up without knowing it was a YA book.
The story is a spooky mystery based around the main character, a pre-teen boy, his older sister and the boy’s older friend. It is set in a coastal village in Spain just before WW II. So within the first few pages we have a railway station clock running backwards. And I thought – “I get it – Harry Potter!” And the story is Harry Potterish.
With the war pending, the boy’s father decides to move the family out of the big city to a coastal village. At first the family is unaware that the last boy who lived in that house drowned.
We have a sunken ship in shallow water that the kids dive to and pick up treasures; a cemetery of circus freak statues that move and change position; an evil cat that sends a little girl into a coma; an ancient mariner who built his own lighthouse; an old film projector in the basement and old films that start showing current events. Of course the boy’s sister and the older friend fall in love.
You don’t read a YA book for its literary value, so you get some clichés and lame metaphors like this when the boy learns they are going to move: “To him, the news felt like a mad steam train hurtling through a china shop. His mind went blank, his mouth sagged, and his eyes glazed over.” I’m not a YA reader but I thought it was a good story and it kept my interest.
The Spanish author is best known for his Cemetery of Forgotten Books trilogy: The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven. He died in 2020 from cancer at age 55.
Top photo: Cartijo Jurado ‘one of the most haunted houses in Spain’ from idealista.com
The author from reddit.com
Who would have thought that Zafon, best known for The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game, started his writing life as a young adult author? After he became famous his YA books were published in English translation, some of which had won YA awards in Spain. I picked it up without knowing it was a YA book.
The story is a spooky mystery based around the main character, a pre-teen boy, his older sister and the boy’s older friend. It is set in a coastal village in Spain just before WW II. So within the first few pages we have a railway station clock running backwards. And I thought – “I get it – Harry Potter!” And the story is Harry Potterish.
With the war pending, the boy’s father decides to move the family out of the big city to a coastal village. At first the family is unaware that the last boy who lived in that house drowned.
We have a sunken ship in shallow water that the kids dive to and pick up treasures; a cemetery of circus freak statues that move and change position; an evil cat that sends a little girl into a coma; an ancient mariner who built his own lighthouse; an old film projector in the basement and old films that start showing current events. Of course the boy’s sister and the older friend fall in love.
You don’t read a YA book for its literary value, so you get some clichés and lame metaphors like this when the boy learns they are going to move: “To him, the news felt like a mad steam train hurtling through a china shop. His mind went blank, his mouth sagged, and his eyes glazed over.” I’m not a YA reader but I thought it was a good story and it kept my interest.
The Spanish author is best known for his Cemetery of Forgotten Books trilogy: The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game and The Prisoner of Heaven. He died in 2020 from cancer at age 55.
Top photo: Cartijo Jurado ‘one of the most haunted houses in Spain’ from idealista.com
The author from reddit.com
December 9, 2020
Por fin me estreno con Zafón y he quedado muy contenta con el resultado final. Ha sido una lectura emocionante.
Ésta en concreto es su primera novela y forma parte de la llamada trilogía de la niebla. Ganó un concurso literario con ella y no me extraña nada porque no tiene desperdicio. Lo que sí podía haber dado para más, me supo a poco 😅 Y, en mi opinión, quedó algún cabo suelto. Pero es algo normal teniendo en cuenta el público al que inicialmente iba dirigido.
Para ser lectura juvenil está muy lograda la atmósfera de misterio. Han habido pasajes que hasta a mi me han dado escalofríos. Me ha parecido increíble que en tan pocas líneas reúna misterio, toques de terror que en algunas partes me han evocado a It y la nostalgia de la juventud y el paso a la madurez, a veces provocada antes de tiempo por hechos ajenos a nosotros.
La historia va sobre la familia Carver, cuando estos se mudan a un pequeño pueblo costero a orillas del Atlántico, huyendo de los estragos de la guerra en 1943.
Desde que llegan al pueblo pasan cosas muy extrañas que son advertidas solo por Max, el segundo hijo del matrimonio (relojes que parecen ir al revés, gatos misteriosos y hasta un jardín de estatuas con personajes de circo que parecen tener vida) son algunas de las cosas que a Max le parecen fuera de lugar.
Buscando adaptarse al nuevo lugar donde vivirá, Max y su hermana Alicia encuentran un nuevo amigo, Roland, hijo adoptivo del guardián del faro. Sin saberlo él mismo, la vida de Roland está rodeada de misterio y peligros, y sus nuevos amigos tendrán que ayudarlo.
Sin duda, una lectura corta pero muy recomendable, ideal para los que quieran iniciarse en la literatura de misterio y terror ❤
https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib...
Ésta en concreto es su primera novela y forma parte de la llamada trilogía de la niebla. Ganó un concurso literario con ella y no me extraña nada porque no tiene desperdicio. Lo que sí podía haber dado para más, me supo a poco 😅 Y, en mi opinión, quedó algún cabo suelto. Pero es algo normal teniendo en cuenta el público al que inicialmente iba dirigido.
Para ser lectura juvenil está muy lograda la atmósfera de misterio. Han habido pasajes que hasta a mi me han dado escalofríos. Me ha parecido increíble que en tan pocas líneas reúna misterio, toques de terror que en algunas partes me han evocado a It y la nostalgia de la juventud y el paso a la madurez, a veces provocada antes de tiempo por hechos ajenos a nosotros.
La historia va sobre la familia Carver, cuando estos se mudan a un pequeño pueblo costero a orillas del Atlántico, huyendo de los estragos de la guerra en 1943.
Desde que llegan al pueblo pasan cosas muy extrañas que son advertidas solo por Max, el segundo hijo del matrimonio (relojes que parecen ir al revés, gatos misteriosos y hasta un jardín de estatuas con personajes de circo que parecen tener vida) son algunas de las cosas que a Max le parecen fuera de lugar.
Buscando adaptarse al nuevo lugar donde vivirá, Max y su hermana Alicia encuentran un nuevo amigo, Roland, hijo adoptivo del guardián del faro. Sin saberlo él mismo, la vida de Roland está rodeada de misterio y peligros, y sus nuevos amigos tendrán que ayudarlo.
Sin duda, una lectura corta pero muy recomendable, ideal para los que quieran iniciarse en la literatura de misterio y terror ❤
https://m.facebook.com/LaLocadelosLib...
February 17, 2016
3.5
Buen libro. Tiene sus errores, el inicio es bastante lento, el final se me hizo largo, pero tiene ese toque Zafón que tanto me encanta.
Buen libro. Tiene sus errores, el inicio es bastante lento, el final se me hizo largo, pero tiene ese toque Zafón que tanto me encanta.
August 4, 2018
Original read: June 2012
Re-read: January 2016
Third Read: July/August 2018
High praises to the narrator Jonathan Davis.. he did a wonderful job with the narration, specially with Kane.
The sound effects add a creepy factor to the story at times.. one part for me especially had me looking over my shoulder to make sure Kane wasn't behind me! (Even on third read)
Would love to see more of Kane again one day *crosses fingers*
The interview at the audiobook's end was a plus as well:).
----
Some samples of the beautiful writing:
“Age makes you notice certain things. For example, I now know that a man’s life is broadly divided into three periods. During the first, it doesn’t even occur to us that one day we will grow old, we don’t think that time passes or that from the day we are born we’re all walking toward a common end. After the first years of youth comes the second period, in which a person becomes aware of the fragility of life and what begins like a simple niggling doubt rises inside you like a flood of uncertainties that will stay with you for the rest of your days. Finally, toward the end of life, the period of acceptance begins, and, consequently, of resignation, a time of waiting.”
“Max had once read in one of his father's books that some childhood images become engraved in the mind like photographs, like scenes you can return to again and again and will always remember, no matter how much time goes by.”
"Max would never forget that faraway summer when, almost by chance, he discovered magic. "
"Years later, as he remembered the scene, his family wandering to and fro with their bags while he sat in a corner clutching the watch his father had given him, Max knew that this was the day he left his childhood behind. "
"In the twilight, Max had to strain his eyes to make out what he was seeing. It appeared to be an abandoned garden. A garden of statues. Max was hypnotised by the strange vision of the figures trapped in the undergrowth, locked inside a walled garden that reminded him of a village graveyard. "
---
I will never tire of singing this man's praises, his writing is one of the first ones for me when I am in a funk. It is so easy to sink into his stories and get lost, and this one is no exception.
It isn't my favorite of his novels.. I couldn't get as into it even though I enjoyed the story. I remember reading the author's note and afterwards being very impressed with this a first novel.
With this and each of the his other ones (Watcher, Midnight Palace, Mariana) you can see his writing grow each time and him honing his craft. :)
Re-read: January 2016
Third Read: July/August 2018
High praises to the narrator Jonathan Davis.. he did a wonderful job with the narration, specially with Kane.
The sound effects add a creepy factor to the story at times.. one part for me especially had me looking over my shoulder to make sure Kane wasn't behind me! (Even on third read)
Would love to see more of Kane again one day *crosses fingers*
The interview at the audiobook's end was a plus as well:).
----
Some samples of the beautiful writing:
“Age makes you notice certain things. For example, I now know that a man’s life is broadly divided into three periods. During the first, it doesn’t even occur to us that one day we will grow old, we don’t think that time passes or that from the day we are born we’re all walking toward a common end. After the first years of youth comes the second period, in which a person becomes aware of the fragility of life and what begins like a simple niggling doubt rises inside you like a flood of uncertainties that will stay with you for the rest of your days. Finally, toward the end of life, the period of acceptance begins, and, consequently, of resignation, a time of waiting.”
“Max had once read in one of his father's books that some childhood images become engraved in the mind like photographs, like scenes you can return to again and again and will always remember, no matter how much time goes by.”
"Max would never forget that faraway summer when, almost by chance, he discovered magic. "
"Years later, as he remembered the scene, his family wandering to and fro with their bags while he sat in a corner clutching the watch his father had given him, Max knew that this was the day he left his childhood behind. "
"In the twilight, Max had to strain his eyes to make out what he was seeing. It appeared to be an abandoned garden. A garden of statues. Max was hypnotised by the strange vision of the figures trapped in the undergrowth, locked inside a walled garden that reminded him of a village graveyard. "
---
I will never tire of singing this man's praises, his writing is one of the first ones for me when I am in a funk. It is so easy to sink into his stories and get lost, and this one is no exception.
It isn't my favorite of his novels.. I couldn't get as into it even though I enjoyed the story. I remember reading the author's note and afterwards being very impressed with this a first novel.
With this and each of the his other ones (Watcher, Midnight Palace, Mariana) you can see his writing grow each time and him honing his craft. :)
February 6, 2015
Read for the 2015 Reading Challenge #27 A book you can finish in a day
I wish I had read it when I was 12. This is just the perfect mystery for the young ones.
Seriously people, read a Carlos Ruiz Zafon book, asap! His style is unique.
"Habrían de pasar muchos años antes de que Max olvidara el verano en que descubrió, casi por casualidad, la magia."
Hace ya un rato que quería releer este libro porque DIOS SANTO con la reseña que tenia antes XD Susto al miedo! Ademas quería leer algo bueno y cortito, y que mejor que alguna de las novelas juveniles del gran Carlos Ruiz Zafon? NADA!
Me encanta como escribe este autor, de verdad, con el primer párrafo te engancha siempre! Y tiene una forma increíble de revelar los secretos de sus novelas con el paso de las hojas, de a poco en poco. En general, todos sus libros son sobre un personaje que va descubriendo el pasado oscuro de otro por que el destino lo puso en esa situación. Pero Zafon tiene una imaginación increíble y siempre funciona. Al menos conmigo.
Ademas que termina siempre de una forma algo triste pero muy linda que no te quitas de la cabeza jamas. Ya saben, ese ultimo párrafo que hace que recuerdes un libro para siempre o se te olvide con el paso de los meses, El Príncipe de la Niebla no es la excepción. Siempre que re acomodo mis libros,etc, vuelvo a releer la increíble forma que tiene Zafon de terminar una historia. Se los juro, es un don.
Recomendado si quieres algo con calidad, así de sencillo.
Si quieren algo un poco retorcido y oscuro pero corto y ligero lean Marina. Me entran los escalofríos solo de recordarlo.
PD: solo llevo 2 de los 2015 challenges :( soy muy mala para eso! XD
I wish I had read it when I was 12. This is just the perfect mystery for the young ones.
Seriously people, read a Carlos Ruiz Zafon book, asap! His style is unique.
"Habrían de pasar muchos años antes de que Max olvidara el verano en que descubrió, casi por casualidad, la magia."
Hace ya un rato que quería releer este libro porque DIOS SANTO con la reseña que tenia antes XD Susto al miedo! Ademas quería leer algo bueno y cortito, y que mejor que alguna de las novelas juveniles del gran Carlos Ruiz Zafon? NADA!
Me encanta como escribe este autor, de verdad, con el primer párrafo te engancha siempre! Y tiene una forma increíble de revelar los secretos de sus novelas con el paso de las hojas, de a poco en poco. En general, todos sus libros son sobre un personaje que va descubriendo el pasado oscuro de otro por que el destino lo puso en esa situación. Pero Zafon tiene una imaginación increíble y siempre funciona. Al menos conmigo.
Ademas que termina siempre de una forma algo triste pero muy linda que no te quitas de la cabeza jamas. Ya saben, ese ultimo párrafo que hace que recuerdes un libro para siempre o se te olvide con el paso de los meses, El Príncipe de la Niebla no es la excepción. Siempre que re acomodo mis libros,etc, vuelvo a releer la increíble forma que tiene Zafon de terminar una historia. Se los juro, es un don.
Recomendado si quieres algo con calidad, así de sencillo.
Si quieren algo un poco retorcido y oscuro pero corto y ligero lean Marina. Me entran los escalofríos solo de recordarlo.
PD: solo llevo 2 de los 2015 challenges :( soy muy mala para eso! XD
April 15, 2022
Tajemnicza historia, latarnia morska i Zafón = miłość absolutna.
July 9, 2015
The latest of Carlos Ruiz Zafón's works to be translated into English is also the first book the author had published. It was originally intended for teenagers, but this edition is clearly being marketed towards the author's adult fans; it has the same cover design as his adult titles, and a preface explains that it is designed to be enjoyed by readers of any age. I didn't go into this with high expectations, and I expected it to be kind of immature, but I still found it very disappointing.
The story begins promisingly. A young boy, Max, moves with his family from the city to a seaside town. He quickly learns that the previous owners of his new home were dogged by tragedy, and on top of that, he finds a sinister walled garden full of statues in its grounds. He's particularly spooked by a clown statue, and during his exploration of the garden, he notices that this figure appears to have moved slightly since his arrival, changing its pose to a beckoning gesture. (Great detail - would have scared me as a child.) He then befriends a local boy called Roland, who takes him diving around the wreck of a sunken ship; and from Roland's grandfather, the only survivor of the shipwreck, Max learns the story of the nefarious Cain, the Prince of Mist. The stage is set for a chilling tale about a ghost ship, a powerful villain, mysterious disappearances and so on - technically, this should make a fantastic spooky story.
However, the book soon begins to get quite silly and more and more plot holes and unanswered questions pop up, until it all becomes totally unbelievable and rather boring. For instance... Who or what is Cain and how has he attained his power? How do he and his troupe turn themselves into statues and why is this the only way for them to survive the sinking of their ship? Is Cain's cat meant to be a manifestation of him, and if so, how can he also be the statue, and if not, how did it alone survive the disaster intact? (The whole 'evil cat' thing is such a boring cliché anyway, and really put me off from the start.) If 'Jacob' was old enough to be filming with a video camera alone prior to his change of identity, how on earth can he not remember anything before his parents' death? I KNOW you can't expect a young adult book to explain everything exhaustively, but when I think of the detail and care so obviously put into the better examples of children's literature I can call to mind, that isn't really an excuse for the plot to be SO underdeveloped.
The other thing that really grated was the indeterminate sense of time and place, which was confusing as I couldn't see any reason why the story shouldn't be definitively set in a real country, at least. I don't know if details have been changed here to make the story more easy to relate to for English-language readers; if so, this was a mistake. Finally, there's also the fact that the adult characters are constantly referred to by their full names - don't ask me why, but this is one of my biggest pet hates when reading. I'm still interested in the author's work and will probably read any further adult novels translated into English, mainly on the strength of The Angel's Game. But I will be giving his YA fiction - a category I believe the forthcoming Midnight Palace falls into - a miss.
The story begins promisingly. A young boy, Max, moves with his family from the city to a seaside town. He quickly learns that the previous owners of his new home were dogged by tragedy, and on top of that, he finds a sinister walled garden full of statues in its grounds. He's particularly spooked by a clown statue, and during his exploration of the garden, he notices that this figure appears to have moved slightly since his arrival, changing its pose to a beckoning gesture. (Great detail - would have scared me as a child.) He then befriends a local boy called Roland, who takes him diving around the wreck of a sunken ship; and from Roland's grandfather, the only survivor of the shipwreck, Max learns the story of the nefarious Cain, the Prince of Mist. The stage is set for a chilling tale about a ghost ship, a powerful villain, mysterious disappearances and so on - technically, this should make a fantastic spooky story.
However, the book soon begins to get quite silly and more and more plot holes and unanswered questions pop up, until it all becomes totally unbelievable and rather boring. For instance... Who or what is Cain and how has he attained his power? How do he and his troupe turn themselves into statues and why is this the only way for them to survive the sinking of their ship? Is Cain's cat meant to be a manifestation of him, and if so, how can he also be the statue, and if not, how did it alone survive the disaster intact? (The whole 'evil cat' thing is such a boring cliché anyway, and really put me off from the start.) If 'Jacob' was old enough to be filming with a video camera alone prior to his change of identity, how on earth can he not remember anything before his parents' death? I KNOW you can't expect a young adult book to explain everything exhaustively, but when I think of the detail and care so obviously put into the better examples of children's literature I can call to mind, that isn't really an excuse for the plot to be SO underdeveloped.
The other thing that really grated was the indeterminate sense of time and place, which was confusing as I couldn't see any reason why the story shouldn't be definitively set in a real country, at least. I don't know if details have been changed here to make the story more easy to relate to for English-language readers; if so, this was a mistake. Finally, there's also the fact that the adult characters are constantly referred to by their full names - don't ask me why, but this is one of my biggest pet hates when reading. I'm still interested in the author's work and will probably read any further adult novels translated into English, mainly on the strength of The Angel's Game. But I will be giving his YA fiction - a category I believe the forthcoming Midnight Palace falls into - a miss.
May 26, 2021
Me gustó el libro pero al mismo tiempo no. Es muy descriptivo, te ayuda a ambientarte muy bien en la historia y lo que te está contando el autor. Además que está bien escrito. Pero al ser tan descriptivo el resultado es que se vuelve lento, me faltó emoción y un poco más de suspenso en cierta escenas.
October 10, 2021
Chyba mi się podobało??
September 3, 2016
This novel was originally written for people at all ages, but it was published as a YA novel. It is the first book ever written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and it is a ghost story! All of the above-mentioned reason made me curious to read it and see if it would scare me as much as I was hoping for.
Having now read it, I have to admit that while it was a good enough story, it was also quite predictable, and it didn't scare me at all. I'm not even sure that it would've scared me when I was younger, just because it contains so many of the scary elements that you are used to in horror fiction.
In my opinion, you can sense that this is Zafon's first written novel. The story isn't that strong, and the characters are rather flat. Still, it did entertain me, and it is after all a very short read, so definitely pick it up if you are a fan of Zafon or if you just happen to be interested in this ghost story.
Having now read it, I have to admit that while it was a good enough story, it was also quite predictable, and it didn't scare me at all. I'm not even sure that it would've scared me when I was younger, just because it contains so many of the scary elements that you are used to in horror fiction.
In my opinion, you can sense that this is Zafon's first written novel. The story isn't that strong, and the characters are rather flat. Still, it did entertain me, and it is after all a very short read, so definitely pick it up if you are a fan of Zafon or if you just happen to be interested in this ghost story.
April 30, 2020
Un libro interesante para adolescentes. Lo leí para ver si era adecuado para mi hijo mayor.
La temática está entre la ciencia ficción y el terror.
Un libro de lectura ágil y absorbente. Aunque hay algún cabo suelto, está bien logrado.
An interesting book for teenagers. I read it to see if it was suitable for my oldest son.
The theme is between science fiction and horror.
An agile and absorbing reading book. Although there is some loose end, it is well accomplished.
La temática está entre la ciencia ficción y el terror.
Un libro de lectura ágil y absorbente. Aunque hay algún cabo suelto, está bien logrado.
An interesting book for teenagers. I read it to see if it was suitable for my oldest son.
The theme is between science fiction and horror.
An agile and absorbing reading book. Although there is some loose end, it is well accomplished.
June 19, 2012
Wow, I am NEVER. EVER. going to watch Paranormal Activity.
Several scenes early in this book were SO SCARY that I had to put the book down to read something lighter to de-creep myself before I could fall asleep*. So, at least until I start living with other people again, I'm not allowed to read/watch anything scarier than this. :)
So yeah, it's creepy. As soon as the creepiness is explained, I was fine, so it really was just a few early scenes, but I'm an anticipation person and the unknown creeps me out.
Anyway, it's a translated book, and that occasionally shows with awkward turns of phrase. But there are also some really lovely phrases that impressed me so much that I had to grab a pen. Really beautiful writing at times.
I liked that this combined a nonspecific location with historical fiction and the paranormal element. There's a lot going here.
And I'll put it on my maybe booktalk list for next time I hit the middle schools.
*One of those nights, I put down this book to look up and see a giant spider (I would include a picture, but researching exactly which type is creeping me out too much) on my ceiling. My life is so hard.
Several scenes early in this book were SO SCARY that I had to put the book down to read something lighter to de-creep myself before I could fall asleep*. So, at least until I start living with other people again, I'm not allowed to read/watch anything scarier than this. :)
So yeah, it's creepy. As soon as the creepiness is explained, I was fine, so it really was just a few early scenes, but I'm an anticipation person and the unknown creeps me out.
Anyway, it's a translated book, and that occasionally shows with awkward turns of phrase. But there are also some really lovely phrases that impressed me so much that I had to grab a pen. Really beautiful writing at times.
I liked that this combined a nonspecific location with historical fiction and the paranormal element. There's a lot going here.
And I'll put it on my maybe booktalk list for next time I hit the middle schools.
*One of those nights, I put down this book to look up and see a giant spider (I would include a picture, but researching exactly which type is creeping me out too much) on my ceiling. My life is so hard.
November 1, 2018
Me ha gustado muchísimo.!!! Es lo primero que leo del autor y no me arrepiento de haber empezado con su primer trabajo. Ya quiero saber cómo continúa la historia y estoy deseando leer más de Zafón.!!! ❤️
Con respecto al libro, me pareció muy original y atrapante. Leerlo en Halloween fue un plus !
Con respecto al libro, me pareció muy original y atrapante. Leerlo en Halloween fue un plus !
November 19, 2011
3.5 stars.
“In an infinite universe, there were too many things that escaped human understanding.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Um… so no one thought to ring the police or tell any grown-ups what just happened? We’re just going to look back on it as if it was just a crazy summer mad-cap adventure? Um…
High Points.
Max. I’ve been acquainted with a lot of Maxs recently and I have to say… it’s a good name. Beach houses. Roland. Alicia. Cats in wardrobes. Genuinely creepy. Beautiful writing, seriously this book was cinematic.
See?!
I took down so many quotes from this book, it was gorgeous. The sea. Statues. Family mysteries. Old film projections. Creepy history. The prince of mist.
Low Points.
I won’t go on about this too much because there are spoilers poised ready to explode like a particularly vicious game of Minesweeper.
But… well, when you finish a book with about fifteen questions (no joke, I have them written down in front of me) that you want to ask so you understand it… well, it’s not good.
There was so much that didn’t get explained and the story was so great and so different and mysterious and intriguing and everything. This book needed a good 150 pages more to really get into the story and do Mr Zafon’s ideas justice.
Because, I’m sorry to say, there were so many gaps in the plot.
Also… I’m 87% sure there would have been a massive investigation into what happened in the last 30 or so pages. I mean… it’s kind of a big deal.
And it wasn’t as if it was subtle.
Hero.
OK Max, you had the right idea in this book. You were extremely aware that you weren’t getting the whole story and you stood up for yourself when you thought you were getting short changed.
We had that in common… I mean, we’ve finished the book now and I still have questions.
Lots of them.
But ignoring that, I really liked you. I liked that you loved films and that you were a great little brother and that you were a bit disgruntled with being third wheel.
I also liked that you didn’t freak out and go catatonic when all the mental stuff happened in the end.
Because that’s what I would have done and the book would have been extremely boring if I had been the heroine.
I also liked that you got out of breath when you rode your bike up the hill.
Because that is me.
So if we were to be friends, and I hope we will be, we could just maybe go for a leisurely walk. Maybe even up a slight incline if we’re feeling a bit adventurous.
Theme Tune.
Death of a Clown by The Kinks.
Not really anything to do with this book but, well, I really hate clowns.
Also, I had no idea what other song I could use for this book.
Also (x2) I love The Kinks.
Scaredy Cat Level.
Off the chart.
I know a lot of people will be like ‘Um, Jo, it’s 200 pages long and it’s about circus performers and sunken ships and beaches… how can you be creeped out by this book?”
Well, my friends, I’ll tell you.
Gather round, grab a brew, pull up a pew and I’ll tell you a story about Jack A Nory.
Um, actually… I won’t.
I don’t mean to mislead you… this story will be why this book really freaked me out.
STORY TIME (which, when I’ve reached my eventual point, may contain a smidgeon of a spoiler)
For as long as I can remember I’ve had an irrational fear of ships… big ships. Especially when they’re out of water (You should see me when I watch the Titanic…:-|).
Coming from a city and avoiding the Manchester Ship Canal like the plague, my fear was manageable. I could quite happily avoid seeing them.
That was until I went to university.
You may or may not know that I went studied in Bangor, North Wales. It’s a lovely university in a ‘city’ (because it has a cathedral and a university… that’s it) that is famous for having the second longest pier in Wales and producing Aled Jones.
Yes… that Aled Jones.
The university is known for famous alumni such as Helen Fielding (also, apparently, Bridget Jones herself) and Danny Boyle (We had the same lecturer… so technically I’m going to win an Oscar… right?).
And it can boast some fantastic honorary fellows such as Richard Attenborough, Rhys Ifans, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Philip Pullman (been in the same room as him twice and yes, fangirled myself out) and… and Carol Vorderman.
It is also known for fantastic degrees in psychology and marine biology due to its location and the close proximity it has to the Menai Straits. (I did English with Film Studies because I like to be different, obviously… also science and I fell out when I was 17.).
But anyway, getting to the point, at least 75% of my closest friends take/took marine biology and a lot of their course is practical.
So they like to dive, in lovely exotic places like Egypt and just off Puffin Island.
And they like to take pictures.
Of huge ships… underwater.
And my Facebook feed is inundated with them when they come back from a dive.
And it’s pretty much my worst nightmare.
Also, on the train journey from Chester to Bangor (I’d say around Flint or Rhyl, if you know the area) there is this mahuuuusive beached ship that you can see from the train. I always ask my friend to tell me when I can look out of the window again but, because she’s sadistic and cruel, she always says ‘Oh… you can look out now’ and I do and BOOM.
There’s a ghost ship in my eye line.
I’m not a fan of big ships.
Or clowns.
But surely I don’t need to explain that do I? I mean… you have eyes right?
So when they’re all swimming around in the hull of a possessed sunken ship with a clown who can seemingly hold his breath longer than Mr Threepwood… yeah.
I wasn’t pleased, I’ll tell you.
Normal people Most people will think that isn’t scary at all… but I’m not normal most people.
Recommended For.
People who love beautiful, atmospheric writing. People who don’t minda lot of some unanswered questions. People who don’t look at statutes and immediately think “Oh my god, is that going to come alive when I turn my back?”. People who aren’t afraid of boats/clowns/clocks. People who aren’t scared of that Dr Who episode (Blink,is it?) that I haven’t seen but my friend told me about... urgh. People who are quite happy to paddle in the sea as opposed to diving amongst ship wrecks on their jollies.
This book was sent to me as part of a book tour with the brilliant and lovely UK Book Tours.
You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.
“In an infinite universe, there were too many things that escaped human understanding.”
Initial Final Page Thoughts.
Um… so no one thought to ring the police or tell any grown-ups what just happened? We’re just going to look back on it as if it was just a crazy summer mad-cap adventure? Um…
High Points.
Max. I’ve been acquainted with a lot of Maxs recently and I have to say… it’s a good name. Beach houses. Roland. Alicia. Cats in wardrobes. Genuinely creepy. Beautiful writing, seriously this book was cinematic.
“Sunbeams filtered through the water in veils of nebulous light that swayed gently with the motion of the waves and the surface was transformed into an opaque dancing mirror.”
See?!
I took down so many quotes from this book, it was gorgeous. The sea. Statues. Family mysteries. Old film projections. Creepy history. The prince of mist.
Low Points.
I won’t go on about this too much because there are spoilers poised ready to explode like a particularly vicious game of Minesweeper.
But… well, when you finish a book with about fifteen questions (no joke, I have them written down in front of me) that you want to ask so you understand it… well, it’s not good.
There was so much that didn’t get explained and the story was so great and so different and mysterious and intriguing and everything. This book needed a good 150 pages more to really get into the story and do Mr Zafon’s ideas justice.
Because, I’m sorry to say, there were so many gaps in the plot.
Also… I’m 87% sure there would have been a massive investigation into what happened in the last 30 or so pages. I mean… it’s kind of a big deal.
And it wasn’t as if it was subtle.
Hero.
OK Max, you had the right idea in this book. You were extremely aware that you weren’t getting the whole story and you stood up for yourself when you thought you were getting short changed.
We had that in common… I mean, we’ve finished the book now and I still have questions.
Lots of them.
But ignoring that, I really liked you. I liked that you loved films and that you were a great little brother and that you were a bit disgruntled with being third wheel.
I also liked that you didn’t freak out and go catatonic when all the mental stuff happened in the end.
Because that’s what I would have done and the book would have been extremely boring if I had been the heroine.
I also liked that you got out of breath when you rode your bike up the hill.
Because that is me.
So if we were to be friends, and I hope we will be, we could just maybe go for a leisurely walk. Maybe even up a slight incline if we’re feeling a bit adventurous.
Theme Tune.
Death of a Clown by The Kinks.
Not really anything to do with this book but, well, I really hate clowns.
Also, I had no idea what other song I could use for this book.
Also (x2) I love The Kinks.
Scaredy Cat Level.
Off the chart.
I know a lot of people will be like ‘Um, Jo, it’s 200 pages long and it’s about circus performers and sunken ships and beaches… how can you be creeped out by this book?”
Well, my friends, I’ll tell you.
Gather round, grab a brew, pull up a pew and I’ll tell you a story about Jack A Nory.
Um, actually… I won’t.
I don’t mean to mislead you… this story will be why this book really freaked me out.
STORY TIME (which, when I’ve reached my eventual point, may contain a smidgeon of a spoiler)
For as long as I can remember I’ve had an irrational fear of ships… big ships. Especially when they’re out of water (You should see me when I watch the Titanic…:-|).
Coming from a city and avoiding the Manchester Ship Canal like the plague, my fear was manageable. I could quite happily avoid seeing them.
That was until I went to university.
You may or may not know that I went studied in Bangor, North Wales. It’s a lovely university in a ‘city’ (because it has a cathedral and a university… that’s it) that is famous for having the second longest pier in Wales and producing Aled Jones.
Yes… that Aled Jones.
The university is known for famous alumni such as Helen Fielding (also, apparently, Bridget Jones herself) and Danny Boyle (We had the same lecturer… so technically I’m going to win an Oscar… right?).
And it can boast some fantastic honorary fellows such as Richard Attenborough, Rhys Ifans, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Philip Pullman (been in the same room as him twice and yes, fangirled myself out) and… and Carol Vorderman.
It is also known for fantastic degrees in psychology and marine biology due to its location and the close proximity it has to the Menai Straits. (I did English with Film Studies because I like to be different, obviously… also science and I fell out when I was 17.).
But anyway, getting to the point, at least 75% of my closest friends take/took marine biology and a lot of their course is practical.
So they like to dive, in lovely exotic places like Egypt and just off Puffin Island.
And they like to take pictures.
Of huge ships… underwater.
And my Facebook feed is inundated with them when they come back from a dive.
And it’s pretty much my worst nightmare.
Also, on the train journey from Chester to Bangor (I’d say around Flint or Rhyl, if you know the area) there is this mahuuuusive beached ship that you can see from the train. I always ask my friend to tell me when I can look out of the window again but, because she’s sadistic and cruel, she always says ‘Oh… you can look out now’ and I do and BOOM.
There’s a ghost ship in my eye line.
I’m not a fan of big ships.
Or clowns.
But surely I don’t need to explain that do I? I mean… you have eyes right?
So when they’re all swimming around in the hull of a possessed sunken ship with a clown who can seemingly hold his breath longer than Mr Threepwood… yeah.
I wasn’t pleased, I’ll tell you.
Recommended For.
People who love beautiful, atmospheric writing. People who don’t mind
This book was sent to me as part of a book tour with the brilliant and lovely UK Book Tours.
You can read this review and lots of other exciting things on my blog here.
December 30, 2020
Esta novela la leí hace un par de años y no me impacto tanto. Recientemente me leí la tetralogía del cementerio de los libros olvidados, la cual me fascinó y quise darle una nueva oportunidad a los dos libros juveniles que había leído de Zafón y viéndola con una nueva perspectiva debo reconocer que el Príncipe de la Niebla es una historia muy buena, obviamente no a la altura de su tetralogía prima, pero tiene suficiente material, para crear esa atmósfera de misterio, suspenso romance y melancolía que tanto lo caracteriza.
Es una obra literaria junto con sus otras 3 obras "infantiles" son como su propio autor indica, especialmente dirigidas a jóvenes entre 9 y 99 años.
Es una obra literaria junto con sus otras 3 obras "infantiles" son como su propio autor indica, especialmente dirigidas a jóvenes entre 9 y 99 años.
October 28, 2020
"Принцът на Мъглата " определено разкрива Сафон в друга светлина.
Словото му пак е така омайващо , но тук и доста мрачно зловещо на моменти , лек поклон пред майсторите Кинг и Лъвкрафт.
Словото му пак е така омайващо , но тук и доста мрачно зловещо на моменти , лек поклон пред майсторите Кинг и Лъвкрафт.
July 24, 2020
Reseña en el wrap up del canal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dreRM...
Otra relectura mas, aunque esta es la primera vez desde que tengo el goodreads.
Ahora que se acaba de morir Zafon, la lectura me ha parecido mucho mas trágica, porque me daba por pensar en todos los libros que jamas leeremos de el y claro me ha costado.
Este libro es mi preferido es un libro juvenil, estupendo para enganchar a jóvenes lectoras (como me paso a mi), una historia oscura y veraniega entrañable y sorprendente, que nunca envejecerá gracias y a la forma que tiene el autor de describir y de crear tan buenos personajes.
Un libro precioso como todos los de este estupendo escritor.
Otra relectura mas, aunque esta es la primera vez desde que tengo el goodreads.
Ahora que se acaba de morir Zafon, la lectura me ha parecido mucho mas trágica, porque me daba por pensar en todos los libros que jamas leeremos de el y claro me ha costado.
Este libro es mi preferido es un libro juvenil, estupendo para enganchar a jóvenes lectoras (como me paso a mi), una historia oscura y veraniega entrañable y sorprendente, que nunca envejecerá gracias y a la forma que tiene el autor de describir y de crear tan buenos personajes.
Un libro precioso como todos los de este estupendo escritor.
September 24, 2021
The Prince of Mist is book 1 in a series for young adults by the amazingly talented author of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. This story would appeal to fans of Zafon as well as fans of Stephen King’s IT. There are some minor similarities between the two. A brother and sister form a trio with a new found friend, battle against an ancient entity that has managed to manifest itself (one manifestation is a clown). The Prince of Mist has survived by making deals with humans longing for a wish to come true.
It is a straight forward story, but there are a few twists and turns. I enjoyed the back story and how everything came together. There was one thing I didn’t see coming, but some readers may be able to. There is nothing that hasn’t been done before, but I absolutely see the appeal for teens and adults alike.
It is a straight forward story, but there are a few twists and turns. I enjoyed the back story and how everything came together. There was one thing I didn’t see coming, but some readers may be able to. There is nothing that hasn’t been done before, but I absolutely see the appeal for teens and adults alike.
March 22, 2016
I stumbled upon this book at my daughter’s school library thinking that it might be fun to read a magical, adventure story.
Yes there was magic and adventure, but it also had one of the scariest and horrific sounding ghost that truly frighten me. I felt sensations that I hadn’t felt in years. Reading this sent shivers up my spine, put goose pimples on my arms, and it had me screeching like a little girl.
The book starts at a nice steady pace when Max Carver’s father decides to move his wife and three children from the city to an abandoned seaside beach house to protect his family from the ongoing war. But as Max and his family arrive at their new town and home, he notices some peculiar things are starting to happen. Clocks that seem to move backward, that feeling of someone breathing on your face, voices only children can hear, and circus statues that change shape and positions. The house itself has a devastating history, and Max being a curious young boy starts snooping around. It almost felt like he had woken or disturbed something. As time goes by the pace does build as the Carver children and their new friend Roland struggle to defend themselves against payback from this dark sinister entity.
Like Mr Zafon’s previous books (Shadow of the Wind, and Angels Game) he has a knack of creating this eerie, gothic atmosphere, but at the same time is beautiful. At the beginning of the book Mr Zafon said it was aimed at young reader, but would also appeal to all ages. Well I think he has achieved it. I personally thought it was wonderful, and I would recommend it to ages from 12 years old onwards.
Yes there was magic and adventure, but it also had one of the scariest and horrific sounding ghost that truly frighten me. I felt sensations that I hadn’t felt in years. Reading this sent shivers up my spine, put goose pimples on my arms, and it had me screeching like a little girl.
The book starts at a nice steady pace when Max Carver’s father decides to move his wife and three children from the city to an abandoned seaside beach house to protect his family from the ongoing war. But as Max and his family arrive at their new town and home, he notices some peculiar things are starting to happen. Clocks that seem to move backward, that feeling of someone breathing on your face, voices only children can hear, and circus statues that change shape and positions. The house itself has a devastating history, and Max being a curious young boy starts snooping around. It almost felt like he had woken or disturbed something. As time goes by the pace does build as the Carver children and their new friend Roland struggle to defend themselves against payback from this dark sinister entity.
Like Mr Zafon’s previous books (Shadow of the Wind, and Angels Game) he has a knack of creating this eerie, gothic atmosphere, but at the same time is beautiful. At the beginning of the book Mr Zafon said it was aimed at young reader, but would also appeal to all ages. Well I think he has achieved it. I personally thought it was wonderful, and I would recommend it to ages from 12 years old onwards.
August 25, 2018
تعد رواية أمير الضباب للكاتب الأسباني كارلوس زافون هي الأولى في انتاجه الأدبي قبل أن يحظى بشهرته الكبيرة حاليا. وقد كتبها في بداية التسعينات وهي موجهة للقراء في مقتبل العمر. وتلاها بروايتين من نفس النوع تم ترجمتها من الإنجليزية إلى الأس��انية بعد عشر سنوات من نشرها. ينتقل أبطال الرواية الفتى ماكس والفتاة ايليسا أبناء صانع الساعات ماكسميليان كريڤر إلى قرية ساحلية مع أسرتهم هربا من الحرب وهناك يتعرفون على رونالد وهو حفيد تبناه حارس الفنار المسن ڤيكتور كراي. وفي المنزل القديم الذي تقطنه أسرة كريڤر جهاز عرض سينمائي يكشف أسرار أسرة صاحب المنزل السابق وأسرته والتي تتعلق بساحر يدعى قابيل يتجسد في أشكال مختلفة كالقط والمهرج والحوت ويغري ضحاياه بتحقيق أمنية لهم مقابل التضحية بأعز ما يمتلكون - أرواح أبنائهم. تمزج الرواية الخيال بالإثارة وشيء من الرومانسية وبرغم بساطتها وسذاجة بعض أحداثها إلا أنها تمتع القاريء وتدفعه لمواصلة القراءة للوصول إلى آخر صفحة للكشف عن لغز معقد يصعب شرحه.
June 1, 2018
Book 21 of 2018 : "The Prince of Mist " by Carlos Ruiz Zafron.
This has been sitting on my shelf for a very long time .It was bought during a period when I was overwhelmed with "The Shadow of the Wind" and wanted to read all of Zafron's work.
This is his debut novel and the writing shows that ,but it is still a good read for middle grade and it is not a surprise that it was initially published as a YA novel.
The story is horror based and reminded me of IT .We have a group of kids trying to kill an ancient evil which is thirsting for revenge .
Strictly for Carlos Ruiz Zafron fans 😊
This has been sitting on my shelf for a very long time .It was bought during a period when I was overwhelmed with "The Shadow of the Wind" and wanted to read all of Zafron's work.
This is his debut novel and the writing shows that ,but it is still a good read for middle grade and it is not a surprise that it was initially published as a YA novel.
The story is horror based and reminded me of IT .We have a group of kids trying to kill an ancient evil which is thirsting for revenge .
Strictly for Carlos Ruiz Zafron fans 😊
September 10, 2023
Nu mă așteptam la acel sfârșit, dar chiar și așa, mi-a plăcut tare mult cărticica asta chipurile destinată tinerilor! Am citit-o repejor și alert, fascinată încă o dată de talentul de povestitor al lui Zafon. Nu se află la nivelul trilogiei Cimitirul cărților uitate, e adevărat, însă e o lectură ușoară și bine scrisă, care oferă doza potrivită de mister, horror și acțiune.
April 10, 2023
Superba aventura, din nou. Un personaj misterios, Cain, indeplineste dorinte pt un pret mare, mult prea mare. Personajele sunt bine conturate, puternice. Excelent mister.
May 9, 2010
Nice little story, although I wonder if it has enough excitement to satisfy young'uns raised on the Harry Potter series. This was Ruiz-Zafon's first novel, originally published in 1992, so don't expect the depth and genius of The Shadow of the Wind. Still, there are a lot of elements I think will appeal to kids: the weird cat, the sunken ship, the old film reels, the clown (somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King's Pennywise).
The first half of the book is fairly ordinary. I kept wondering when it would get scary. The second half is much more exciting and supernatural. All in all, I liked the story, but felt there were some aspects of the plot and characters that were underdeveloped or insufficiently explained. Great stuff for a first effort though. Fans of his more recent adult novels will recognize the author's gift for using weather and architecture to set the scene and build suspense.
The first half of the book is fairly ordinary. I kept wondering when it would get scary. The second half is much more exciting and supernatural. All in all, I liked the story, but felt there were some aspects of the plot and characters that were underdeveloped or insufficiently explained. Great stuff for a first effort though. Fans of his more recent adult novels will recognize the author's gift for using weather and architecture to set the scene and build suspense.
May 9, 2019
This is the first book I've EVER read in Spanish and I didn't struggle with it (after having studied it for roughly 6 months) so I don't really know what that says about the writing, lol. Seriously though, I'm feeling oddly vindicated that conversely, reading novels in German still gives me headaches when I've started learning it at 12 but... My native language is French and I studied Latin, so that helps a lot when Spanish is concerned, I guess.
This said, even though it's shelved as YA on Goodreads, this book very much reads like a Middle-Grade horror story and I'd recommend it to 12 years-olds, despite the somewhat unfinished ending and the insta-love (but the romance aspect is barely present, so it didn't really bother me). I wished I knew going in that there would be a fucking evil clown, though. Ew.
This said, even though it's shelved as YA on Goodreads, this book very much reads like a Middle-Grade horror story and I'd recommend it to 12 years-olds, despite the somewhat unfinished ending and the insta-love (but the romance aspect is barely present, so it didn't really bother me). I wished I knew going in that there would be a fucking evil clown, though. Ew.
September 13, 2023
this was a spooky, fun, heartbreaking, and quick read. basically all i could ever want from this author and more.
my only qualm is you can definitely tell this is the first book the author ever wrote and felt a little too ya at times for me (especially with the romance).
the audiobook production itself is worth 5 stars!
my only qualm is you can definitely tell this is the first book the author ever wrote and felt a little too ya at times for me (especially with the romance).
the audiobook production itself is worth 5 stars!
March 13, 2023
لطيفة خالص لليافعين او القراء الصغار.
August 10, 2013
First of all, this book is labeled YA but it reads like a middle grade book. Other than one scene in which the main character spies on his sister and sees her making out with a boy, the whole book is written for a younger audience than YA. And btw, I'd probably call it 2.5 stars.
And yes, as some of the negative reviews say, this book is full of plot holes. Big ones. Things that should have been explained, but never are--like how the statue garden came into existence. It drove me NUTS that I never found out.
That said, the concept is actually pretty cool. And I did like/connect with the main character. The others not so much, but yes, the main character, which is important.
FYI--the way I rate books, 3 stars means the book was "okay" and that I did finish it, but it wasn't a story that really impressed me. So, you notice I dropped the rating for this one a little lower, even though I did make it to the end. My big gripe was that the plot had SO much potential--opportunity for the main character to really sleuth things out--but basically it was him going from person to person and being told stories, but incomplete ones and he would get frustrated then go back and ask the person for more information. The only thing he actually did discover truly on his own was something I had figured out very early on (and, btw, created another big plot hole).
Anyway, the reason I bumped this to 2.5 stars is that it actually would probably be a good book for a middle schooler who likes kinda spooky stories but is struggling with reading comprehension. Because this book lays out the information in a very "telling" instead of "showing" way, it might help kids who would otherwise get lost in an intricate plot.
And yes, as some of the negative reviews say, this book is full of plot holes. Big ones. Things that should have been explained, but never are--like how the statue garden came into existence. It drove me NUTS that I never found out.
That said, the concept is actually pretty cool. And I did like/connect with the main character. The others not so much, but yes, the main character, which is important.
FYI--the way I rate books, 3 stars means the book was "okay" and that I did finish it, but it wasn't a story that really impressed me. So, you notice I dropped the rating for this one a little lower, even though I did make it to the end. My big gripe was that the plot had SO much potential--opportunity for the main character to really sleuth things out--but basically it was him going from person to person and being told stories, but incomplete ones and he would get frustrated then go back and ask the person for more information. The only thing he actually did discover truly on his own was something I had figured out very early on (and, btw, created another big plot hole).
Anyway, the reason I bumped this to 2.5 stars is that it actually would probably be a good book for a middle schooler who likes kinda spooky stories but is struggling with reading comprehension. Because this book lays out the information in a very "telling" instead of "showing" way, it might help kids who would otherwise get lost in an intricate plot.
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