This entry was both confusing and disappointing. I can't even really think of what "the point" of the novel is. Zafon states that the entries in his Cemetery of Forgotten Books series can be read in any order, but I don't understand how that could be possible after reading The Prisoner of Heaven. Little of consequence happens, with the majority of the book spent in flashbacks, and the rest of it reflecting on the current state of characters we've previously encountered. There's no way this can be an entry book to the series, as getting through it requires A) a previous understanding of the characters and events in order to know what's being discussed, and B) enough previous investment in the characters that you put up with what can only be described as a banal series of events with very little connecting thread.

All that takes place feel like it should've been contained within a larger, more developed book. What we're presented with in The Prisoner of Heaven is just fluff, flavor text that on its own feels far too insubstantial. And aside from the familiar characters, little else feels familiar to the experience of reading The Shadow of the Wind or The Angel's Game.

Barcelona is no longer alive and subconsciously magical, but just a place where these characters live. The story also lacks the page turning intrigue and sense of mysticism I associated with Zafon's prose before this. As I continued reading, I kept waiting for the moment when I'd say, "Ah, here we go. This feels familiar", but then I got to the middle of the novel and realized this was going to be a different experience.

The Prisoner of Heaven feels both like a set-up and a cash-in. I got the impression of events being orchestrated for a sequel, but there's no soul or impetus to drive it. We're teased with a potential antagonist from Fermin's past, yet nothing really transpires, and you realize he was just a figure to prompt exposition on Fermin's past. For some reason David Martin is a key figure in the novel, to the point of the title referencing him, yet you'd be hard pressed to understand why, as he isn't present aside from a cameo in Fermin's backstory. In the present, Daniel is being set up for what seems to be a revenge arc that relates to characters in Fermin's past, but it feels flaccid, cheap, and unconvincing.

The Prisoner of Heaven feels like cutting room scraps pasted together to sell more novels. While I enjoyed getting a little more backstory into some of the characters I like, I'm hesitant to approach the last book if it resembles this one in any way.