The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“The whole of Barcelona stretched out at my feet and I wanted to believe that, when I opened those windows, its streets would whisper stories to me, secrets I could capture on paper and narrate to whomever cared to listen . . .”

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner.

Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Close to despair, David receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike anything that has ever existed—a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, and perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realizes that there is a connection between his haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.

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The Angel's game is the second book I have read by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind. I will probably go against the tide, but I found this book much better than The Shadow of the Wind. I liked the characters and the story better in this book. David Martíns life and struggles were captivating to read about. The only thing that bothered me really was the character Christina, I mentally sighed when we were introduced to her at the beginning of the books. She was such a flat and boring character and honestly, I just couldn’t stand her. Luckily we were introduced to Isabella later on and she was such a wonderful character that she in many ways compensated the presence of Christina.

One thing I really enjoyed was the link this book has with the first book. Not just the Cemetery of Forgotten Books but also the bookstore Sempere & Sons.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón has a really wonderful talent for telling a story. And I’m looking forward to reading his next book The Prisoner of Heaven.