Another incredible literary experience from Zafón. I was left questioning what was and wasn't real throughout the novel, whether my narrator was reliable or not.

At times the story gets a bit convoluted and messy in Zafón's symbolism-heavy prose, and I'd say this novel is less polished than it's precursor, The Shadow of the Wind. It feels like Zafón leaned a bit too heavily into the mysticism from The Shadow of the Wind, which, while in that novel felt more coincidental, in this novel feels heavy handed and relied on too frequently to "set the stage". By the end I really couldn't tell if the experiences had by David had actually happened, but not in a way that left me completely satisfied with the journey. It's eluded to by a detective at one point that we might not be getting the truth, but also might not be getting a lie, and I think that's the best way to approach the story, as a whole. Could it have been tied up in a neater package? Absolutely. Nevertheless, it's still quite the spectacle and enjoyable, if you're not set on trying to attach logic to everything.

Though the plot at times is a jumble, particularly towards the end when you're unsure of what has or has not been resolved, the imagery is not. If you love the gothic mystique of Romantic-era novels, Zafón's stories are for you. The locales feel lived in and each set piece has an aura of both beauty and menace.

Definitely recommend for fans of the first novel in this series. I look forward to reading the next entry