3,5

"Принцът на Мъглата " определено разкрива Сафон в друга светлина.
Словото му пак е така омайващо , но тук и доста мрачно зловещо на моменти , лек поклон пред майсторите Кинг и Лъвкрафт.

Me gustó el libro pero al mismo tiempo no. Es muy descriptivo, te ayuda a ambientarte muy bien en la historia y lo que te está contando el autor. Además que está bien escrito. Pero al ser tan descriptivo el resultado es que se vuelve lento, me faltó emoción y un poco más de suspenso en cierta escenas.

A big change of pace from my nonfiction reading about World War II, The Prince of Mist is a middle grade novel by acclaimed Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'd read Zafon's The Name of the Wind, a brilliant adult novel blending Gothic horror and magic realism, but I wasn't aware that Zafon actually began his career writing middle grade fantasies. The Prince of Mist was his first book, and it did not disappoint.

The war in Europe plays only a background role in the book, much as it does in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. The Carver family decides to leave their urban home in Spain to escape the war. They move to a small beach town which has more than its share of secrets. Young Max discovers that their new family house was owned by a doctor and his wife, whose son drowned many years before. There is a strange walled garden behind the house, filled with creepy statues of circus performers. There is a shipwreck just off the coast, and a strange old man who runs the town lighthouse. The town clock runs backwards. Strange voices whisper in the house. Max and his sister Alicia soon meet a new friend named Roland, whose parents died in a tragic accident when he was small. Together, the three of them begin to unravel the mystery surrounding the town, which is entwined with an evil force from the past -- an entity known as the Prince of Mist.

If you like quick, creepy reads with mystery and menace, The Prince of Mist is for you. It will keep you turning the pages, and probably leaving your lights on, late into the night.

Nu mă așteptam la acel sfârșit, dar chiar și așa, mi-a plăcut tare mult cărticica asta chipurile destinată tinerilor! Am citit-o repejor și alert, fascinată încă o dată de talentul de povestitor al lui Zafon. Nu se află la nivelul trilogiei Cimitirul cărților uitate, e adevărat, însă e o lectură ușoară și bine scrisă, care oferă doza potrivită de mister, horror și acțiune.

this was a spooky, fun, heartbreaking, and quick read. basically all i could ever want from this author and more.

my only qualm is you can definitely tell this is the first book the author ever wrote and felt a little too ya at times for me (especially with the romance).

the audiobook production itself is worth 5 stars!

Nice little story, although I wonder if it has enough excitement to satisfy young'uns raised on the Harry Potter series. This was Ruiz-Zafon's first novel, originally published in 1992, so don't expect the depth and genius of The Shadow of the Wind. Still, there are a lot of elements I think will appeal to kids: the weird cat, the sunken ship, the old film reels, the clown (somewhat reminiscent of Stephen King's Pennywise).

The first half of the book is fairly ordinary. I kept wondering when it would get scary. The second half is much more exciting and supernatural. All in all, I liked the story, but felt there were some aspects of the plot and characters that were underdeveloped or insufficiently explained. Great stuff for a first effort though. Fans of his more recent adult novels will recognize the author's gift for using weather and architecture to set the scene and build suspense.

لطيفة خالص لليافعين او القراء الصغار.

3.75

الضباب بطل روايات زافون بامتياز

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is an author that is well known for The Shadow of the Wind. A book I have been shying away from for years because I am afraid I might not like it. And as such I have not read anything by this author. But when I found The Prince of Mist I decided I could certainly give it a try first. With not even 200 pages it is a short read. And while this is considered more for children, it is a great introduction to his writing for adults as well.

The start to this book is somewhat slow, but is used to set the mood. There is such a creepiness weaved throughout the writing of this book that interested me as to where it would end up at. The cat, the clock, the small statue yard behind the house. In itself not too weird, but the way it was written and described gave off a creepy vibe.

The characters were likeable but didn’t stand out too much. The mood of the book and the story were more present. Regardless the characters were well written. They weren’t one dimensional either. Perhaps in a book that was longer there could have been more time taken for some of the relationships between them all. The ending of the book I rather liked. There was not a huge high point but I liked how the ending wasn’t your typical happy ending.

If you like creepy stories and short reads this is certainly a great book for you. I’ll remember it fondly.

OMG! I love and can't out down Zafon's Shadow of the Wind, so I was excited when I finally found the English translation of his first published novel, Prince of Mist. Zafon's writing put me right into the character's soul, describing everything in such a way that I can almost feel and see what the characters are seeing and feeling.

The story starts out in a light note, though war was mentioned several time, the main character, Max, is a young teenager whose point of view is both innocent and positive. To avoid the problems or war, their father decided that the family should move to a beach house in the countryside. Max later found out that the house was built by a couple who left the house after their son drowned.

When Max found a strange walled garden behind the house, filled with eerie circus figures, the mystery started and we're treated to a cynical and SCARY tale of a legendary figure called the Prince of Mist or Dr. Kane.

I love the way Zafon describe the scenes, from the sound and smell of the beach, to the chill the characters felt when faced with terror.

MINI SPOILER CONTAINS COMMENT ABOUT ENDING:

I felt a little bit disappointed with the ending. This is of course personal, so it might not be the same for everyone. Prince of Mist ending felt a little bit too unfinished. After such a wonderful time identifying with the characters I felt abandoned and wanting to know more about these characters after their encounter with Dr. Zane! Zafon himself said that his publishers wanted him to make a sequel and he's thinking about it. Please do! I'm waiting with impatience ;)