Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Series: The Cemetery of Forgotten Books (Book 4)
Publisher: W&N
Release Date: 18 Sept. 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1474606189
Synopsis
As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul despite the moving efforts of his wife Bea and his faithful friend Fermin to save him.
Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war.
She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price.
My Review
When I heard this book was being released I was so excited, I am a massive fan of the series and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. I had to wait to get through a request list at the library but finally my copy came in.
I got stuck in straight away and it was like i'd never been away, I was immediately transported back into the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. It was at once comforting and exciting, I was ready to find out where Zafon would take me next.
Due to being crazy busy at work etc, I have only been able to read in small snatches, so whilst I wanted to read this in a couple of big chunks, it ended up taking me closer to 6 weeks to read, this did dampen my experience a bit as with massive gaps between reading times I often had to remind myself what was happening and who each of the characters were. But this isn't going to change my opinion of the books, I am still totally enamored by the entire world.
This book is a mass web of intrigue, we follow Alicia Gris as she tries to solve a disappearance case, she has a past that is far more complicated than first expected, but she is amazing at her job. We are of course reunited with Daniel, Bea, and Fermin who are as flamboyant and dramatic as ever.
Daniel wants to find out more about his mother who died when he was a child, but this is far more complicated than we ever could ever imagine and an entire web of intrigue begins to spread. We then get plunged into a wild web that spreads across characters and places. We have the minister Valls who is missing, corrupt Police officers, friendly helpers and a host of other people who you will have to decide which side they are on.
This page is over 800 pages long but it doesn't feel that long when reading it. I would have raced through it if I could have and I thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn. Fermin is definitely still my favourite character, i love his sarcasm and easy going humour.
I would highly recommend this book and the entire series to anyone and everyone. I love Carlos Ruiz Zafon's style of writing - he is a true storyteller.
My Rating
