Beautiful writing - a long read, with familiar characters, and an eye-opener in the history of Spain that I never knew before .

Absolutely blistering read; The Labyrinth of the Spirits is my book of the year. It's the conclusion to an epic series of connected books which started with The Shadow of the Wind. Each book has been totally spellbinding; a mixture and fact, fiction, gothic mystery, sardonic humour, love, loss and retribution. 

It's a difficult book to explain without revealing too much, but it's series of stories and mysteries which twist, turn and circle around the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. All the books may be read as a standalone, but part of the magic of Zafón's storytelling is the way the same characters recur and fragments of their past and present are drawn together. 

Set in 1950s Barcelona, Daniel Sempere is now a father, with a son named after an elusive author, a major figure in the first book. His mentor and friend, Fermin Romero de Torres is a character of true genius. He's funny, honest and an excellent foil. We learn more about his past. He's a man of secrets; he was a prisoner during the Franco regime...

This book draws all the previous threads together. It's a captivating conclusion, a maze like series of puzzles and clues that will appeal to readers who love the mystery and magical appeal of books. Zafón should be a literary Laureate. He's on another level.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

* This was too long.... that's my main problem.
For about three quarters of the book I felt it dragged,not helped by my lack of memory in regards to the previous books.
Then we hit a page,and everything happened. Who did what to whom and why...death,destruction,madness....
Then the final bit dragged.
I've read all Zafons books,I enjoy them enough to read more,this one though,makes me think I'll only venture into his shorter books from now o

Oh my word what can I say about this masterpiece.  This is one of my favourite authors and I have been waiting several years for this book.  Well I can 100% say it was worth the wait.  These library of forgotten books sagas have had me spell bound since the very beginning with a gothic mix of magic, mystery, heartbreak and redemption.  We return to semipermeable and son which has featured in each of the books and another mystery to be unravelled.  I don't want to give any spoilers but suffice it to say I have become very attached to this band of quirky but exceptional characters and at times it feels almost like you are in the story watching it all unfold.  This is truly a triumph and I am happy to have found this author but also sad that as with all good things it must come to an end.  It had me laughing and ugly crying in equal measure and I'm sure I will never come across another book that will touch me as deeply and profoundly and mr Ruiz zafon has with this beautiful saga.  Thank you withe deepest love and gratitude.

Exquisite writing in this one, but unfortunately I couldn’t get on with the story. Maybe it’s a case of great book, wrong time. I’ve not read anything by this author before, even though I have one of his books on my shelves, I hadn’t realized this was part of a series, so maybe I might start it at the beginning and come back to this one again!