Shelly's Book Journal

Another creepy Zafon story....Officer Peake struggles to save two newborn babies as he rushes through the streets of Calcutta, followed by a dark presence, an evil. While he gets the children to safety, he loses his own life to a monster. 16 years later, we meet one of the babies - Ben, who has lived his life at an orphanage, but with many friends. They have formed their own secret society that meets in an abandoned house that they call "The Midnight Palace". At 16, they are required to go off on their own, but Ben's past comes back to more than haunt him - but to go after him.This was a really creepy story. It really had that essence of Zafon's "Shadow of the Wind". Extremely well written. The imagery he creates is vivid and detailed making the bizarre and intricate settings come to life. His cast of characters are unique and likable, and your heart is in your chest at every turn, wondering their fate. I fell in love with Zafon's writing when I first read "The Shadow of the Wind" a few years ago. This book is a YA story he wrote in Spanish in 1994, just now being translated into English. Loved it!