El palacio de la medianoche

My rating:               

While at a bookstore here in Barcelona, I found several more books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the author of Marina. After debating a bit I decided to buy El palacio de la medianoche, another of his young adult books. Like Marina, this novel also has a somewhat fantastical or supernatural theme and I really enjoyed reading it.

The story focuses on twins who were separated at birth, the sister, Sheere, growing up with her grandmother and the brother, Ben, in an orphanage. They were separated to try to avoid a man who had killed their father and mother and was out to kill them too. Also similarly to Marina, the man, Jawahal, had made himself into a monster while pursuing his work. When Ben and Sheere are finally reunited they, along with Ben's group of friends from the orphanage, work to find out everything they can about the man who is trying to kill them and how they can stop him. While the book does have the same kind of supernatural setting as Marina, I feel like El palacio de la medianoche is more plot-driven. Marina definitely had some intense scenes with plenty of action, but there was also a heavy emphasis on the characters and the general mystery of the situation. This book, on the other hand, still has the mystery but moves forward at a faster pace with lots of action throughout.

Now that I've read two books by Zafón, I really look forward to reading more since what I've read has been great so far. I'm thinking next I might look for La sombra del viento since I have various friends who have recommended it.