AUTHOR: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink
BRIEF SUMMARY: When fourteen-year-old Irene Sauvelle moves with her family to Cape House on the coast of Normandy, she's immediately taken by the beauty of the place -- its expansive cliffs, coasts, and harbors. There, she meets a local boy named Ismael, and the two soon fall in love. But a dark mystery is about to unfold, involving a reclusive toymaker who lives in a gigantic mansion filled with mechanical beings and shadows of the past.
As strange lights shine through the fog surrounding a small, barren island, Irene's younger brother dreams of a dark creature hidden deep in the forest. And when a young girl is found murdered, her body at the end of a path torn through the woods by a monstrous, inhuman force, Irene and Ismael wonder -- has a demonic presence been unleashed on the inhabitants of Cape House? Together, they'll have to survive the most terrifying summer of their lives, as they try to piece together the many mysteries and secrets hidden in a town torn apart by tragedy, amidst a labyrinth of lights and shadows.
WHY I PICKED IT UP: Carlos Ruiz Zafón is one of my favorite authors. I picked up this book hoping it would be better than his last YA book, The Midnight Palace, which left me a little disappointed.
I wasn't disappointed this time. Zafón is back in top form here.
WHY I FINISHED IT: The book was fun, frightening, and kept you interested. This is good old scare-your-pants-off stuff -- no vampires, no werewolves, just creepy houses, looming shadows, and deadly secrets. This is the kind of stuff I really like.
WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: Anyone who likes scary stories, suspense, and well-written books in general. If you liked the movie of The Woman in Black, this is right up your alley.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: A few minor obscenities, but that's all.
See you at the library!
