The Prisoner of Heaven, book review. (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

If you've ever read The Shadow of the Wind (and let's face it, many millions have) and thought it was a standalone book, that the story ended there, that the author's subsequent books where independent of each other, then you'd be right and wrong. This book, the third in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series (and shortest by some margin) is the link between the first two - the afore mentioned Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game (which anyone who is familiar with my blog will know, are held by me in high regard) and therefore moves both Daniel Sempere's story and that of David Martin to a point where they converge with the help of the indelible Fermin as the connection.

With its heart in your mouth pace one minute, genuine fear the next, to giggling from the shear absurdity of Fermin's tomfoolery, the pages here turn quickly, and you are under no illusion that even though this is a short book, the author has not dropped the ball and that you are invested in the same brilliance that went before.

We still have Fermin with his jokes, Daniel's beautiful wife Bea, their little boy Julian - named after the unfortunate Julian Carax - who wrote The Shadow of the Wind in book one; Daniel's father, who is aging but well, Bernarda, who is betrothed to Fermin (which is the crux of the book) and the deeply disturbing Valls, who's methods of torture: starvation, solitary confinement, bribery and poisoning to name but a few, are slowly revealed as we learn of Fermin's past and why he believes he will never be able to marry the love of his life.

The tangled web that unthreads through the pages of this book brings joy and sorrow, and with Fermin confessing his darkest secret, the promise he made to Martin when incarcerated together - Martin is the prisoner of heaven by the way - that he would look after and protect the love of Martin's life, Isabella (Daniel's mother) if their escape attempt worked, is all handled with aplomb. Here is a man who has befriended Daniel (who will be his best-man at his wedding), his father, works in their shop, and has found what he hopes is true love, but he holds a secret which, in his eyes, is his worst crime.

That crime being: his failure to fulfil his promise to Senor Martin by allowing Valls to get to Isabella and poison her.

The Prisoner of Heaven is written in the same beautifully menacing but somehow witty prose that lead me to attributing the first two books in this series with top honours and possesses the same, must-keep-reading-whatever-the-time-is-because-I-just-can't-put-it-down, style that will have readers up well into night, early in the morning and late for their Zoom meetings.

A fantastic read then - four and a half stars.

Don't forget to search my blog for your favourite authors and books and if I haven't read them yet why not message me with your recommendations.

The Midnight Palace, book review. (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

Having read the worldwide bestseller, The Shadow of the Wind by this author, and having been somewhat blown away by it, I was intrigued to see how one of his lesser known books might fair, and I have to say, I was not disappointed.

Having lived his life in an orphanage in Calcutta, Ben is turning sixteen and will soon be released from the institute he has called home since he was taken there as a new-born. He will be free to pursue his ambitions, his dreams and carve out a life for himself but there's something dark in his past that he must conquer first, something he has no knowledge of until his mentor and headmaster of the orphanage is brutally attacked.

Enter Sheere, the sister he never knew he had, Aryami, their grandmother, Jawahal the wraith of a man who glows from the embers of a fire that consumed him just days after Ben was born, and add the dark depth of 1930's Calcutta and the scene is set.

The writing here may well be aimed at a younger audience but it lacks nothing for it, with delicious passages like, 'a suffocating mist rose from the Hooghly River, seeping through the streets of the Black Town like the fumes from a poised marsh' speeding you through the story.

It is a short book, too so you can whizz through it in a day or so, (which might be good or bad, I'm still yet to decide) but the writing is top notch, the characters are likeable and believable and the villain, decidedly chilling.

So all in all a good read then and one that if you haven't read Zafon before, would be an easy way to get to know his work. For me, I love his books, so if you can't find this one but come across another, just grab it and enjoy.

Four stars for The Midnight Palace then, for its excellent setting of scene, it's Gothic portrayal of 1930's Calcutta and its very spooky villain.

The Shadow of the Wind, book review. (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

When Daniel Sempere is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten books by his father and comes away with a copy of, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julian Carax, he is overwhelmed by its brilliance and vows to track down and read all the authors’ books.

However, the author seems to have disappeared, along with the vast majority of his works, and so, with what could be the only Julian Carax book left in existence, Daniel begins to investigate.

With the assistance of his beggar friend, de Torres, and with the rather unscrupulous, Inspector Fumero, shadowing their every move, Daniel starts to uncover the truth; the story of a young Julian, son of a milliner, and Penelope, daughter of one of Barcelona's richest families, and how they fell in love.

Due to their backgrounds, their relationship was kept a secret, but with just days to go to their planned elopement to Paris, their love affair is discovered, along with Penelope's pregnancy.
Before she can make her escape, Penelope is imprisoned by her father, and so, Julian - his life now in danger - is forced to make the journey alone.

Decades pass before Julian feels it is safe to return, and on learning Penelope's fate, start to destroy all his books, and it is in the dark, foggy, rain-soaked streets of Barcelona, that Daniel too, finds the truth.

The Gothic beauty in which Barcelona is painted here is so enticing. You feel the chill on your neck, the hairs prickle on your arms, and half expect to see Daniel, de Torres or Julian, running down the street the next time you go out in the dark.

The characters ooze such depth and quality that I want to meet them, shake their hands, kiss, or run from them. I want to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books - just the once of course - walk through its many avenues, climb its many stairs, probe its depth, before finding my copy of, The Shadow of the Wind, and then I'd be its keeper, its custodian; share and protect it.

This book is so wonderfully written, in such a superb setting, that you feel the very danger Daniel's in, seeping from the page, and of Julian, having lost his one true love, damaged beyond repair, you feel his pain with every breath.

This book is such a solid five stars I can recommend it to all, and having read the second book first - I know, what an idiot - and the fourth book being out, I thought I would go back to the very beginning and start my journey again.