This weekend I finally finished "El Juego del Angel" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and I must say that I'm slightly disappointed. "El Juego del Angel" is the second book in the series based around the Cementerio de los Libro Olvidados (Cementery of Forgotten Books) that offers up an adventure which includes tragedy, romance, intrigue, betrayal and murder. At the story's onset we meet the tragic David Martin, an orphaned 17-year old working for the newspaper "La Voz de La Industria" who dreams of being a writer and following in the steps of his mentor and friend Pedro Vidal, a moderately successful writer and suave man about town. David is hopelessly in love with Cristina Sagnier, the daughter of Vidal's chauffeur. After leaving the paper, David begins writing a series of stories entitled "La Cuidad de los Malditos" (City of the Damned) published under the pseudonym of Ignatius B. Samson. It's around this time when he meets the mysterious Andreas Corelli, a publisher from France who makes him an intriguing offer which could change his life forever.
As I've previously mentioned, I became a Zafon fan after reading "La Sombra del Viento" (Shadow of the Wind), which I felt was a true masterpiece. From the moment I opened "El Juego del Angel" I wanted to fall in love with this book like I did "La Sombra del Viento", but unfortunately I only fell in like. The descriptions are a little too long in parts, the characters--with a few exceptions--are all glaringly dark and doomed, and the book is missing the humor and light which were so pivotal in "La Sombra del Viento." What redeems the book and makes it worth the read is the suspense and intrigue which fans have come to expect from Zafon's books and which he readily delivers. Even with it's flaws, "El Juego del Angel" is still a page-turner, full of mysteries you can't wait to see solved.
