the Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

It started as a boring story about a wannabe author David Martin. Then I thought it's a love story. But it was a crime mystery that blew my mind. And then I realised it is a part of a four book series, "the cemetery of forgotten books".

About the book

It's a psychological thriller; or a story about a perfectly planned trap. It's up to you to decide.

It is the Second book of the series, the cemetery of forgotten books. David Martin, the protagonist, has a traumatized childhood. In the sea of darkness he still holds on to the log, his love for reading. He grows to become a crime novelist and writes many books except this one turns his life upside down. 

He finds a perfect place to live, a tower house, which is the stage of all the mysteries. 

In this book accompany David in his search for the mystery.

About the author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos rwiθ θaˈfon]; 25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish novelist widely known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind).

Ruiz Zafón was born in the city of Barcelona. Growing up in Spain, he began his working life by making money in advertising. His grandparents had worked in a factory and his father sold insurance. In the 1990s Ruiz Zafón moved to Los Angeles where he worked briefly in screenwriting. He was fluent in English.

Ruiz Zafón died of colorectal cancer in Los Angeles on 19 June 2020. more

About the characters 

It took me to some of the finest places. Like the tower house of the author. The place where the boss resided and the cemetery of forgotten books. And I met some of the interesting characters like Isabella, Semepre, junior Sempre, Vidal and their weird theories. My favourite one was Sempre, that "every book has a soul of the person who wrote it and the ones who read it."

I'll just mention the characters that I connected with the most. 

Ofcourse David Martin, because he is the protagonist of the book. The way I saw it he is a confused soul. Wounded by a traumatic past his future is influenced by it. He is sweet, that's why he forms a few great relationships. 

Isabella, an excited over enthusiastic soul. She was like the light source in the darkness of traumas. I loved her determination. She inspired me throughout the book and a bit in my life.

The cemetery of forgotten books is not a character, it's a place but I wish to include it in this list. A home to forgotten and abandoned books. The concept itself is so fantastic. If you believe like Sempre did, every book has the soul of the one who writes it and the one who reads it. This place is a home to so many souls. So many characters and so many stories spread over the infinite line of time and space. I would love to visit such a place.

Reading Journey 

This one i got in the surprise pack of four books, along with the House of screams, Nice Work and Ravanputra Meghnad

I can't say if not in this way, i would have bought this or not. But as i say books find their readers, this one found me. 

So here how i loved this book . I guess i already wrote so much about the book 😅. It is a long story with many ups and downs. Some of which I didn't understand well, (I'll be reading it again). But in all the twists the book never lost me. I read it over a span of 2 months (exam and submissions) but I never felt like ditching it. So the book holds you. It held me.

I loved the descriptions of places. He had mentioned some details that aided in better visualisation. And enhanced the story experience.

The book is a story narrated by the protagonist itself. It's one of those books where you get fortunate enough to get on the journey with the character. Actually I like such books (being biased). The writing style gives the reader enough feed to connect with the protagonist. 

There are various theories about the ending of the book. There are many free ends for readers to complete with their imagination. The author has also given some homework. As in there are certain further readings. I have yet to read three more books in the series so let's see. 

Overall it was a good read. Slow and interesting.