The Prince of Mist ~ Carlos Ruiz Zafón

A mysterious house with an unimaginable secret…

It is war time, and the Carver family decides to leave the city to settle in a small coastal town where they have bought a house. But from the moment they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In the mysterious house lives the spirit of Jacob, the son of the old proprietor who drowned years ago.

With the aid of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to summon the Prince of the Mists — a diabolic creature who has emerged from the darkness to settle a debt from years past.

Soon the three young people find themselves in an adventure of sunken ships and enchanted statues that will change their lives forever. [Summary from B&N]

If I were to apply one word to The Prince of Mist it would be this one: Magic. From the first page, this book comes to life with a palpable energy that calls to mind fairy tale magic, or circus magic; the kind of awe-shaped magic that reminds you of favorite childhood moments. Moments that were light and bubbling with happiness, but also those that were darker, scarier.

Before I go any further, however, let me just say this: The Prince of Mist is full of plot holes. And rather big ones at that. While reading, you may find yourself shaking your head or scoffing at the improbability of this or that, but I’d wager you will be swept up in the unfolding events, and enchanted in spite of the holes in the story.

Throughout the first half of this slim novel, the foundation is laid for the mystery that holds the story together. The tension that builds over those pages is delicious and, again, palpable. Once things start to at once unravel and come together the tone takes a dark turn. Eerie, haunting, chilling – all words that apply, especially if you are able to fully visualize what is transpiring.

This is a book that needs to be viewed as a whole. The story, characters, and so forth all have their strengths, but when you look at how they work together, then you realize how wonderful it is. And it is wonderful. Zafón, you see, does such nice things with words. They seem so simple, so unaffected, but the impact is impressive. I cannot say enough about how amazing the atmosphere and tone were in this novel; both qualities were so strong, and managed to ignite from the very beginning. To that end, I could add another word to my description: nostalgia. I don’t know how to explain it, but the story took me away and took me back to a time when things were, if not simpler, perhaps more charming. It’s an indefinable quality, I guess, that has more to do with emotion than anything else.

So, yes, the very short of it is that I loved this book. If I could add a little star to my review, I would. And while it may not be for everyone, I hope you might consider giving it a shot when it’s released this May.

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I received an ARC of The Prince of Mist from the publisher – Little, Brown – at the ALA Midwinter Conference.

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