Review: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 

Publisher:  Knopf Doubleday

Pages: 532 

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  In this powerful, labyrinthian thriller, David Martín is a pulp fiction writer struggling to stay afloat. Holed up in a haunting abandoned mansion in the heart of Barcelona, he furiously taps out story after story, becoming increasingly desperate and frustrated. Thus, when he is approached by a mysterious publisher offering a book deal that seems almost too good to be real, David leaps at the chance. But as he begins the work, and after a visit to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, he realizes that there is a connection between his book and the shadows that surround his dilapidated home and that the publisher may be hiding a few troubling secrets of his own. Once again, Ruiz Zafón takes us into a dark, gothic Barcelona and creates a breathtaking tale of intrigue, romance, and tragedy.




Kritters Thoughts:  A piece of literary fiction that takes the reader into the streets of Barcelona and behind the scenes of underground publishing and the newspaper industry.  With Daniel Martin as our guide, the author takes the reader along to see Martin grow up and find his true calling as a writer.  There are definitely some interesting characters along the way, a few that I fell in love with and wanted more from - Isabella captured my attention!   


Like in a previous book that I read by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, I get the feeling that not only does he love to write, but has a passion for books.  In both this book and The Shadow of the Wind books take a center stage, almost as a supporting character.  This mysterious home for endangered books is visited in both books and bookstores are prominent places where the characters learn about others and themselves.    


There were moments with extreme action and then moments that were a little dull, I had a hard time keeping pace with the book, maybe I would have cut out a few of the more quieter moments.  I wish that there were some moments that were skipped, but this will not keep me from reading and reviewing The Prisoner of Heaven, the third book on July 7th.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row


Ebook Challenge 2012: 33 out of 25