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The Midnight Palace (Niebla #2)

3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 · rating details · 3,619 ratings · 398 reviews

In the heart of Calcutta lurks a dark mystery. . . .

Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without...more

Hardcover, 304 pages

Published May 3rd 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published June 1st 1998)

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Jul 07, 2011 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction, mystery, kindle, horror, translated

As in all books by Zafon, I loved this one. It had its little quirky um-where'd-that-come-from? moments, but I loved it nonetheless.

The synopsis at Waterstones.com reads as follows:

1916, Calcutta. A man pauses for breath outside the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station knowing he has only hours to live. Pursued by assassins, he must ensure the safety of two newborn twins, before disappearing into the night to meet his fate. 1932. Ben and his friends are due to leave the orphanage which has been th

...more As in all books by Zafon, I loved this one. It had its little quirky um-where'd-that-come-from? moments, but I loved it nonetheless.

The synopsis at Waterstones.com reads as follows:

1916, Calcutta. A man pauses for breath outside the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station knowing he has only hours to live. Pursued by assassins, he must ensure the safety of two newborn twins, before disappearing into the night to meet his fate. 1932. Ben and his friends are due to leave the orphanage which has been their home for sixteen years. Tonight will be the final meeting of their secret club, in the old ruin they christened The Midnight Palace. Then Ben discovers he has a sister - and together they learn the tragic story of their past, as a shadowy figures lures them to a terrifying showdown in the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station.

Note: I am not sure if this is a spoiler, though I don't think it really is, but I'm giving you a fair warning anyway, as it has a lot to do with the foundation of the story.
The first part of this book was a bit shaky, I will have to admit. How many times have we heard of the story of a newborn child (or children, or baby/ies) whose parents were murdered in cold blood by an evil person/being, but which child, by some fortunate twist of fate, is rescued by a benevolent character (who may or may not end up dying anyway), and who leaves such child somewhere (at the doorstep of another benevolent character, maybe?) where the child grows up, shielded from the past and clueless that, upon reaching a certain age, he/she and the evil murderer of his/her parents will resurface? I'm thinking Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and, of course, the most obvious example, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter. Almost always, a token - something - will be left in the possession of such child that will help in the discovery of his past. Well. Go figure.
Okay, it's safe to continue reading the rest of the review now.

The little "showdown" and "game" towards the end, too, was a bit tacky. If you've been dealing with an apparently invincible enemy, with demonic powers and super-strengths, the "game" would not be something that you'd expect.

Notwithstanding the somewhat predictable foundation of the plot and the tacky little parts scattered in the storyline, I enjoyed this book immensely. I've read all of Zafon's previous works, and always, the part which I look forward to - the best thing about his novels, for me - is the suspense. The mystery. The eerie atmosphere that prevails throughout the story. The creepiness of the narrative that makes the hair at the back of my neck stand up on end. Yes, I'm a scaredy-cat, but still.
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Jan 18, 2012 Blair rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kids-and-young-adult, read-on-kindle, historical, ghostly-and-magical, translated

Obsessive followers of my reviews (come on, I know there's loads of you out there) may have noted that back when I reviewed Carlos Ruiz Zafón's previous YA novel, The Prince of Mist, I said I wasn't going to bother reading this. And it's true, I wasn't. But then I came across a, shall we say, 'free' version and I couldn't resist giving it a try, knowing it wouldn't take me long to read. I'm quite glad I did, as The Midnight Palace is much better than its predecessor.

Like The Prince of Mist, this...more Obsessive followers of my reviews (come on, I know there's loads of you out there) may have noted that back when I reviewed Carlos Ruiz Zafón's previous YA novel, The Prince of Mist, I said I wasn't going to bother reading this. And it's true, I wasn't. But then I came across a, shall we say, 'free' version and I couldn't resist giving it a try, knowing it wouldn't take me long to read. I'm quite glad I did, as The Midnight Palace is much better than its predecessor.

Like The Prince of Mist, this book was originally intended for the teen market, but the English translation is clearly being aimed more towards the author's adult fans - again, it comes with a foreword extolling its appeal to readers of all ages. The story starts with Ian, now entering old age, recalling his youth in a children's home in Calcutta - specifically the adventures he enjoyed with a tight-knit group of fellow orphans who called themselves the Chowbar Society. Flashback to 1932, when the seven friends are on the cusp of turning sixteen and leaving the orphanage to make their own ways in the world. An elderly woman arrives at the orphanage with a girl of their age, the intriguing Sheere, and so begins a fantastical rollercoaster ride of an adventure.

It's odd that this is supposed to be the second of a trilogy, as other than some elements of fantasy and a seemingly indestructible 'bad guy', it has very little in common with The Prince of Mist. One of the things that annoyed me the most about that book was that it was so vague, completely failing to establish any sense of time or place, and providing very little explanation of the villain's origins. Here, the setting and era of the story are clear from the beginning, and the evil Jawahal is given a backstory that's perhaps too detailed, raising rather a lot of questions. Naturally, since this is YA fiction, it does all get a bit silly - much of the climatic action is really daft, but I didn't exactly expect shining literary brilliance, so that was fine. But I did genuinely like the ending, which seemed oddly melancholy and downbeat for a teen book.

A decent little read for fans of the author - atmospheric, exciting and easy to get through in one sitting. Maybe I'll read his next YA translation (due May 2013!) after all.(less)

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Jun 27, 2011 Jeanette rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, creepy-spooky-scary, indian-subcontinent-and-surrounding, young-adult-books

My disappointment in this book can be described in three words:

Insufficiently explained superpowers.

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Jun 17, 2011 Sarai rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, supernatural, historical

SPOILER ALERT!

I was very disappointed in this book. I liked Prince of Mist, but this book was not nearly as good (and I didn't think Prince of Mist was great).

For one thing, Grandma does not want anyone telling Sheere that her father was a bad man. But Grandma was the one who, for her whole life, has been telling Sheere that her father is a good man. But she knew his spirit was hunting his children to kill one of them. So why did she build him up in Sheere's mind in the first place?

How can Ben a...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Murphy's Library rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

from Murphy's Library — http://www.murphyslibrary.com/

I’ve been presented to Zafón’s writing with The Shadow of the Wind, a few years ago. I remember it took me a while to really get into the book, but once I did it, I couldn’t put the book down until I was done reading it. So when I saw Book it Forward had this ARC open for a tour, I quickly signed up. And I’m glad I did it, because Zafón got me hooked again!

The Midnight Palace tells us the story of the twins Ben and Sheere. They were newborns...more from Murphy's Library — http://www.murphyslibrary.com/

I’ve been presented to Zafón’s writing with The Shadow of the Wind, a few years ago. I remember it took me a while to really get into the book, but once I did it, I couldn’t put the book down until I was done reading it. So when I saw Book it Forward had this ARC open for a tour, I quickly signed up. And I’m glad I did it, because Zafón got me hooked again!

The Midnight Palace tells us the story of the twins Ben and Sheere. They were newborns when their mother died—their father earlier—, and they were saved by Peake, a young British lieutenant who loved their mother. A man was after the twins, but Peake managed to deliver them to their grandmother, right before losing his life. Aryami Bose lost her daughter, and she couldn’t bear losing her grandchildren as well, so she made what she thought it was the best: she separated and hid them.

Ben was taken to St. Patrick’s Orphanage, where he was raised by Mr. Carter with another orphans. On the night Mr. Carter accepted Ben there, a mysteryous man came to talk to him, asking about a baby he may have accepted there—but he denied such thing. Mr. Carter followed Aryami’s instructions and didn’t tell the man there was a new baby at the orphanage. Sheere was raised by Aryami, but they never stayed too long on the same place, they were always moving and hiding.

At the orphanage, Ben had a family, the other orphans. They created what they call The Chowbar Society, kind of a club that met at The Midnight Palace—and old house—, there were seven of them, six boys, one girl. On his 16th birthday, he met Sheere and Aryami, and he quickly became friends with Sheere, although he had no idea she was his twin sister. Aryami was there to warn Mr. Carter about the danger Ben’s into, the boy must run away as soon as possible, because the mysteryous man is coming after him, sooner or later.

When Mr. Carter saw himself facing the man again, he was sure Aryami was telling the truth. He told Ben to run, to go after Aryani and Sheere, and that’s exactly what he did, but he’s not alone. The Chowbar Society went with him—they’ve sworn to protect each other. That’s when Ben learned the truth about his family and started to find out more about the man who was chasing him and Sheere.

The Midnight Palace is an emotional roller coaster. You have to fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride, because you won’t see the clock running. Part of the story is told by one of the boy’s POV, so we get to see Ben through his best friend’s eyes. I was already aware of Zafón’s style because of The Shadow of the Wind, so I kinda saw what was behind the by mystery on this story, but he knows how to tell a story, he knows how to hook you into it. This is the second book on a trilogy, but I must confess I hadn’t read the previous book, The Prince of Mist, and this was not a problem, once apparently the books stand well by themselves.(less)

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May 02, 2011 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, friendship, historical-fiction, misc-supernatural, teen-fiction

This one reads like classic Zafon, of whom I am a big fan. The atmosphere of this book, while set in Calcutta, is not too far off from his later books set in Barcelona (Shadow of the Wind, Angel's Game). It's a bit dreamy, a lot creepy and maybe even a bit magical. The story opens with a British soldier delivering infant twins from imminent danger. The twins are separated by their grandmother to keep them safe from those who might wish them harm. The boy twin, Ben, is raised in an orphanage wher...more This one reads like classic Zafon, of whom I am a big fan. The atmosphere of this book, while set in Calcutta, is not too far off from his later books set in Barcelona (Shadow of the Wind, Angel's Game). It's a bit dreamy, a lot creepy and maybe even a bit magical. The story opens with a British soldier delivering infant twins from imminent danger. The twins are separated by their grandmother to keep them safe from those who might wish them harm. The boy twin, Ben, is raised in an orphanage where our story resumes nearly 16 years later.
Ben and his closely-knit group of friends, all orphans, are nearing the end of their days in the orphanage and preparing to move on to the outside world. One night an old woman and her granddaughter arrive and things start to get strange. Slowly but surely, the granddaughter, Seere and Ben realize that they are siblings. Not only that, but that both of the lives appear to be in danger from a mysterious entity that is somehow connected to their later father, a brilliant engineer responsible for building the train system connecting major cities in India. The father, however, passed on in a horrific fire at the grandiose Jheeter's Gate when the train, also carrying 300 orphans, caught fire and destroyed the train, the station and the lives of everyone aboard. Now, a mysterious stranger calling himself Jawahal is after the twins, but Ben and his friends are determined to get to the bottom of the whole affair before anyone gets hurt.
I must say, I did figure out the "who dunnit" element long before the book was nearing completion, mainly because it's a totally "Zafon" thing to do. If you've read his stuff and read this, then you'll probably know what I mean. What I did need to figure out was the why, which is what kept me going. The setting for the book is almost a character in and of itself as are several of the locations throughout, including the titular "Midnight Palace". A fun and haunting read.

Note: I received the ARC of this book from the publisher. I am not in any way compensated for this review (shucks).(less)

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Mar 22, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-mt-bookpile

This is definitely in the horror/suspense genre, much more so that The Prince of the Mist. Having Calcutta as a setting is just perfect, as it's not a place many readers are familiar with and that difference adds to the eeriness.

One night a British Lieutenant is being chased by assassins; he manages to elude them long enough to get two orphaned babies to their grandmother's house before drawing the pursuit away and dying at their hands. Grandma takes one child and leaves him at a local orphanage...more

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May 03, 2011 Kelly Hager rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This story centers around the lives of twins Ben and Sheere. They were separated at birth for their own protection and the man (or, more accurately, the man-shaped thing) chasing them vows that he will find them on their 16th birthday. Flash forward 16 years, and weird things start to happen. The two meet when their grandma (who kept Sheere) comes to see about Ben and take him with them out of Calcutta. But once the two realize what's going on, they refuse to leave.

There are some genuinely creep...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Aurore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: espagnol

Un mot, incroyable. Le style de Zafón est toujours aussi surprenant et ses romans vous donnent mal au ventre et des sueurs froides tant le suspens est à son comble. Les personnages font toujours preuve de courage et d'altruisme et nous donnent une vraie leçon sur l'amour et l'amitié. Carlos Ruiz Zafón ne joue pas sur les mots et ne fais pas de ses personnages des héros invincibles mais des êtres normaux comme vous et moi. J'aime et j'adore tout simplement.

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Jun 04, 2013 RLL595AG_BethSchencker rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

With a very ominous beginning, this story dives quickly into the adventures of a group of adolescents in 1930’s in Calcutta. A brave lieutenant risks his life to deliver newborn twins to safety. Raised in an orphanage, one of the twins, Ben, has made a family of sorts with his group of friends, forming a secret society called the Chowbar Society. The members are about to leave the only home they have ever known because they have come of age. However, on the eve of their departure, a mysterious w...more

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May 25, 2013 Rll595ag_fabiolaginski rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like the other two books I have read by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, (The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel’s Game) The Midnight Palace is a great mystery novel filled with supernatural occurrences and suspense which makes this book impossible to put down. Unlike the above mentioned, however, this book is more in tune to the young readers’ sensibility and literary taste. It is in essence in the same vein of his other adult novels, but tamer and more cleaned up. It is reminiscent of another book for young a...more

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Mar 22, 2013 ★Loredana★ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

E chi ci pensava più? Avevo amato, adorato "L’ombra del vento", avevo apprezzato con non poche riserve "Il gioco dell’angelo", mi ero fatta travolgere da "Marina", e poi mi ero detta che dopotutto era sempre la stessa solfa semigotica/semihorror per ragazzi (peraltro tutta scritta prima del successo de "L’ombra del vento"), e mi ero detta che poteva bastare, capitolo Zafòn chiuso. Si legge altro.
E poi succede che, come da ampia tradizione, sono i libri che scelgono te, e capita perfino che sono...more E chi ci pensava più? Avevo amato, adorato "L’ombra del vento", avevo apprezzato con non poche riserve "Il gioco dell’angelo", mi ero fatta travolgere da "Marina", e poi mi ero detta che dopotutto era sempre la stessa solfa semigotica/semihorror per ragazzi (peraltro tutta scritta prima del successo de "L’ombra del vento"), e mi ero detta che poteva bastare, capitolo Zafòn chiuso. Si legge altro.
E poi succede che, come da ampia tradizione, sono i libri che scelgono te, e capita perfino che sono essi stessi a decidere quando è il momento giusto per farsi leggere. Insomma, ho questo libro per casa da un bel pezzo, comprato chissà quando da chissà chi, guardato un po’ con sdegno e messo in libreria tipo stai là e non rompere... la voglia di leggere qualcosa di leggero e poco impegnativo fanno il resto, insieme ad un residuo di spirito natalizio spuntato fuori da chissà dove.
Sono io la prima a stupirmi, ma a me questo libro è piaciuto! Zafòn scrive benissimo, sa come avvincere il lettore, che sia un ragazzino sognatore o una quarant(adu)enne disillusa poco importa. La storia è fantasy quanto basta per tenerti sulla corda, per non farti mai capire fino in fondo dove finisce la realtà e comincia la fantasia... e poi l’Autore ha questa rara capacità di scegliere un posto sempre particolare per ambientare la storia, un luogo altamente scenografico... per gli occhi, perché riesce a fartelo vedere descrivendolo in maniera sontuosa e stupefacente; e per la mente, perché ti trascina in un luogo insolito, spettrale e terrifico… ne "L’ombra del vento" era una villa in rovina nella Barcellona degli anni ’60... in "Marina" un vecchio teatro, anch’esso in rovina, anch’esso a Barcellona... qui ci trascina a Calcutta, in una maestosa stazione ferroviaria distrutta da un incendio durante l’inaugurazione, un luogo che doveva essere il simbolo del progresso, della tecnologia e della ricchezza, e che invece diventa una trappola mortale, e i suoi resti un luogo sinistro, a futura memoria.
Un luogo-chiave, che fa da sfondo a tutta la storia, e che pare di vedere, e perfino di sentire... perché si ha sempre la sensazione che i luoghi scelti dall’autore abbiano una vita propria, che vien fuori dalle pagine, quanto e più dei personaggi stessi; che siano, paradossalmente, i luoghi, i veri protagonisti, più delle persone.(less)

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Jan 10, 2013 Sarah Margaret rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: disappointing-somehow, young-adult

Sigh.

I loved, LOVED Shadow of the Wind. It was a new reading experience, with the writing style and the story development and the narration. So why did I not like this as much? It felt like the same book. Sure, this one is in Calcutta, not Barcelona, and okay the main character has friends, and it's significantly shorter in length and there are fewer plot layers (it is a young adult book).

I was so excited when I saw this in the young adult section of the library. I snapped it up and started rea...more

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Dec 06, 2012 LJ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1900s_early, historical, india, metaphysical, mystery, male_author, paranormal_fantasy, young_adult, suspense

First Sentence: Shortly after midnight, a boat emerged out of the mist that rose like a fetid curse from the surface of the Hooghly River.

An infant, Ben, is brought to an orphanage whereupon the head if the orphanage has been told someone will try to kill the boy when he turns 16. Ben forms a secret society with five other orphans due to disband on that fateful birthday. And on that day, an old woman and a girl, Sheree, come to visit. Rather than disbanding, the group allows Sheree to join them...more First Sentence: Shortly after midnight, a boat emerged out of the mist that rose like a fetid curse from the surface of the Hooghly River.

An infant, Ben, is brought to an orphanage whereupon the head if the orphanage has been told someone will try to kill the boy when he turns 16. Ben forms a secret society with five other orphans due to disband on that fateful birthday. And on that day, an old woman and a girl, Sheree, come to visit. Rather than disbanding, the group allows Sheree to join them on their final, and frightening, adventure at the Midnight Palace.

Zafon’s first book “The Shadow of the Wind” was, and is, one of my all time favorites, and I saw definite shades of what attracted me to that book in this one. This is quite different, however, particularly as it was written for the young adult audience. Even so, I was completely captivated by the story and never considered putting it down.

It is an ensemble cast with the story mostly told in retrospect by one of the members of the secret society. The descriptions are powerful …”In the hazy light of that humid, scorching day the reliefs and gargoyles on the façade of the Chowbar Society’s secret hideout resembled wax figures melting into the walls.” …and the dialogue quite wonderful…”I don’t know where to begin,” replied Ian. “Try the worst part,” Seth suggested. “Everything is the worst part,” said Ian.

If one approaches this as an adult novel, the story can seem over the top. However, it is good to remember it is a young adult book, and is set in India with all the sense of mysticism that location provides.

“The Midnight Palace” was a book I found absorbing and very much enjoyed. It is a battle of good against evil, with a wonderful atmosphere of suspense and menace from something you don’t know whether is real or supernatural. No matter what it is, it all adds up to one very good read.

THE MIDNIGHT PALACE (YA/Hist/Susp/Para-Ensamble-Calcutta-1930s) – VG
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz – Standalone
Little, Brown - ©1994
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Oct 23, 2012 John Onoda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Midnight Palace is an young adult novel written early in author Carlos Ruiz Zafon's career, years before publication of his masterpiece, Shadow of the Wind. It's not nearly as accomplished as his international bestseller, but a lot of his strengths are displayed, above all his sheer love of story telling.

For me, reading Zafon's work transports me back to my days as a youngster who read just about anything with equal delight. My critical faculties were undeveloped, so I relished pulpy trash j...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Relyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Since I first read Shadow of the Wind I have loved Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Maybe it's the company I keep, but I rarely come across new novels that are so atmospheric and gothic. Reading Zafon makes me feel about 14 again curled up in the never-used living room reading whatever gothic romances I could get my hands on. Those books were dusty and musty and old when I read them nearly 30 years ago, and they don't really have much in common with Zafon's stories. Except the slightly-creepy atmospheric qual...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

For the past few years the Midnight Palace has been home to the secret club of the Chowbar Society, a select group of people who live by two hard and fast rules. The first is to share all knowledge they possess, learn and come by. The second is to protect each member of the group with their lives. Now at sixteen years of age and legally adults, the members of this group are meeting up for the last time.

Growing up as orphans in 1930's Calcutta, the seven members of the Chowbar Society all believe...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Nesa Sivagnanam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Midnight Palace is an adventure set in Calcutta in 1932, with a backstory that takes us back to 1916 in the same sprawling Indian city, home to waifs and strays of all kinds and creeds, both Indian and English.

Seven of them are not only inhabitants of St Patrick's orphanage, but also the founder members of a secret organisation, the Chowbar Society, whose stated aims include increasing their knowledge of the world, and sharing that knowledge to protect and support each other. They meet, at t...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Franci Franci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Il protagonista in questa storia è il fuoco, ecco il perchè della foto, che prende forma in diversi modi...

- sottoforma di falò che illumina i volti e riscalda durante le riunioni della Chowbar Society;

- precede l'arrivo dello spaventoso treno, che porta con sè le anime di bimbi sfortunati;

- la mano infuocata dell'uomo posseduto dall'odio;

- il fiammifero, che una volta acceso, illumina la strada verso l'ignoto;

- il colore rosso fuoco di un gioco malvagio;

- il fuoco che tiene vivo un ricordo..

Que...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Margaret Shabunko rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is a fantastic book filled with suspense, thrill, and mystery. You will become a fanatic once you start reading this book. The story takes place in a desolate town called Calcutta, where it never rains and nothing seems to flourish and grow. The stroy starts when to newborn babies are seperated at birth and are forced to live two seperate lives without no knowledge of their twin and an outrageous story to go with the explanation. In the end, of course, th...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Cindy Hudson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Something evil tried to kill Ben the night he was born, although he knows nothing about it. All he knows is that he was raised in an orphanage, and as his 16th birthday approaches he has to decide what he’ll do when he has to leave there in a few days. He and his friends of the same age, who form a group they call the Chowbar Society, are celebrating together before they all must leave the orphanage as well. But strange events are about to change their plans.

Ben dreams of a fiery train with chil...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Sidney rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The atmosphere is definitely similar to The Shadow of the Wind in this slimmer YA outing. In the opening, a frantic military officer flees a dark pursuer in the streets and alleys of Calcutta, protecting a pair of infants. One of his charges, a boy who becomes known as Ben, is delivered to an orphanage where he grows up as part of the Chowbar Society, a loose affiliation of friends who make The Midnight Palace, a mysterious and abandoned residence, the center of their activities.

On the day they...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Jerard Po rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gothic, love, mystery, tragic

It is the second of the four of Zafon's teen fiction the first being the Prince of mist. As a person who has read the Shadow of the Wind and the Angel's game first, this feels like a step back since those books were Zafon's 5th and 6th (in that order). His writing has matured since "midnight".

On to the pros:

- Right from the get go Zafon always sets the pace nicely. Gothic and mysterious.
- Writing style albeit less polished is unmistakably Zafon. Atmospheric and mystical.

Cons:

- There are too man...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Clockstein Lockstein rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruis Zafon is the author's first attempt at a young adult novel. A group of orphans created a club for themselves in 1930s Calcutta to help cope with the rigors of a difficult life. On the brink of their release into the world on their sixteenth birthday, the group's leader, Ben, is given some shocking information about his true identity and discovers his long-lost twin sister, Sheere. The story the twins are told is a horrifying one that left both of their parents...more The Midnight Palace by Carlos Ruis Zafon is the author's first attempt at a young adult novel. A group of orphans created a club for themselves in 1930s Calcutta to help cope with the rigors of a difficult life. On the brink of their release into the world on their sixteenth birthday, the group's leader, Ben, is given some shocking information about his true identity and discovers his long-lost twin sister, Sheere. The story the twins are told is a horrifying one that left both of their parents dead, and the murderer on a quest to destroy them, so their grandmother separated them in hopes of keeping them both safe. But the dark and frightening enemy is back and determined to wreak his revenge upon Ben and Sheere's family. Zafon has made a major stumble with this suspenseful tale. The Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books, so I was looking forward to reading Midnight Palace, but I was disappointed. Zafon's Calcutta doesn't feel even remotely like the mystical and mysterious city of Calcutta; instead it comes across as any generic European city, most likely London. Even the main characters have English names: Ben, Ian, Seth, and Michael! The story could easily be rewritten substituting London for Calcutta and very few changes would need to be made. Midnight Palace may have been better as a trilogy. Zafon creates some fantastical settings, but fails to use them well, like Chandra's house and the train station. I would have loved for the characters to spend several chapters exploring both, but instead readers are rushed through them as Zafon pushes his characters into confrontation and rusty plot devices. The club seeks to investigate the story Sheere's grandmother tells them, not to propel the story, but only to prove her a liar. I get the impression that Zafon had a vision of this unusual group of children investigating this strange story, but instead of allowing the story to unfold, it's rushed through any kind of emotional or suspenseful breakthroughs. A major revelation is broadcast early on, and the climax is never in doubt, and I wish Zafon had handled both with more subtlety. Zafon is a fantastic author, and this book had so much potential. I almost wish he would write it again using his immeasurable talents to their limit.(less)

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Jun 23, 2011 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book did have one or two good qualities, but all-in-all I really didn't like it. I liked the author's use of words, but his use of everything else left a lot to be desired.

The main characters, Ben, Sheere, Ian and the others, were all decent, but nothing more. There was nothing special in their personalities beyond the ordinary (and often stupid) behavior of basically good kids in a bad situation. They were supposed to all be 16, but half the time they seemed younger and the other half they...more

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May 04, 2011 Elizabeth B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As always, Zafon is a masterful storyteller and from the very first sentence I was entranced. His lyric prose alone is reason enough to read his works but, in this particular story, he seems to shine with a youth orientated plot of mystery, adventure and suspense all rolled together. Zafon has this ability to capture the world around him with such unique and realistic descriptions that it makes you feel like you have dropped into the middle of this world he has created – both the good parts of h...more

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Mar 03, 2011 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, fiction, young-adult, thriller

Carlos Ruiz Zafon is one of my favorite authors for a reason - he knows how to start a story out, how to give it "flavor". The beginning of The Midnight Palace has a deadly chase, a set of babies crying and the backdrop of Calcutta in the early 1900's. Mix in rain, a good dose of mystery and a smattering of horror and you have a perfect beginning to a book.

Sheere and Ben are twins, but they do not know of one another due to an incredible tragedy in their background. Both are raised in different...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Roberta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

“I luoghi che albergano la miseria e la tristezza sono la dimora preferita delle storie di fantasmi e apparizioni. Calcutta custodisce nel suo lato oscuro centinaia di queste storie, alle quali nessuno ammette di credere, ma che sopravvivono nella memoria delle generazioni come l'unica cronaca del passato. Si direbbe quasi che, illuminata da una strana saggezza, la gente che affolla le sue strade comprenda che in fondo la vera storia di questa città è sempre stata scritta nelle pagine invisibili...more “I luoghi che albergano la miseria e la tristezza sono la dimora preferita delle storie di fantasmi e apparizioni. Calcutta custodisce nel suo lato oscuro centinaia di queste storie, alle quali nessuno ammette di credere, ma che sopravvivono nella memoria delle generazioni come l'unica cronaca del passato. Si direbbe quasi che, illuminata da una strana saggezza, la gente che affolla le sue strade comprenda che in fondo la vera storia di questa città è sempre stata scritta nelle pagine invisibili dei suoi spiriti e delle sue maledizioni tacite e occulte.”

Questo romanzo è ambientato nell’India coloniale, in una Calcutta brumosa, e i protagonisti sono dei ragazzini cresciuti in un orfanatrofio e uniti dall’amicizia e dall’affiliazione al club segreto della Chowbar Society, che si riunisce in un casermone in rovina ribattezzato Palazzo della Mezzanotte.

Siraj, Ben, Ian, Roshan, Michael, Seth e l’unica ragazzina, Isobel, pur crescendo in un ambiente sano e protetti dal direttore dell’orfanatrofio Thomas Carter e dalla sua capoinfermiera Vendela, sentono la necessità di qualcosa di più, che dia loro la sensazione di avere qualcosa di simile a una famiglia. E’ per questo che nasce la Chowbar Society, con l’intento di rimanere uniti anche nel futuro e nelle avversità. Ma nonostante tutte le buone intenzioni, i nostri eroi sono consapevoli del fatto che, una volta raggiunto il sedicesimo anno di età, che sancisce il momento dell’abbandono dell’orfanatrofio, le loro strade inevitabilmente si separeranno.

Il romanzo inizia proprio a pochi giorni dal momento che li vedrà indipendenti e adulti, con l’inaspettata entrata in scena di Aryami Bose e di sua nipote Sheere: nel passato di Sheere e Ben c’è un misterioso uomo che ha giurato vendetta, e per questo vuole ucciderli. Alle prime avvisaglie di serio pericolo, la Chowbar Society si attiva per salvare i due ragazzi e svelare i misteriosi segreti del loro passato. La storia è raccontata da un Ian ormai anziano e nostalgico.

Il palazzo della mezzanotte mi è sembrato uno dei romanzi di Baccalario, con la sola differenza del linguaggio che nel caso di Zafon mi porta a chiedermi quale mentecatto possa davvero pubblicare questo libro nella categoria narrativa per ragazzi. Sintatticamente e lessicalmente mi sembra assai poco adatto, e anzi a volte è fastidioso anche per noi adulti (o almeno per me). Inoltre mi ha fatto un po’ ridere il fatto che i sette ragazzini vengano identificati in base a determinate caratteristiche, quasi fossero dotati di super poteri come i Fantastici Quattro.

Critiche a parte, il romanzo si fa leggere, anzi, è avvincente e la sua ambientazione misteriosa è appassionante. Peccato che per scrivere un libro sui ragazzi (perchè secondo me questo non è un libro per ragazzi) ci voglia molto di più. Basta leggere It di Stephen King per capirlo.

***SPOILER***
Ho trovato anche un’incongruenza (e che l’abbia trovata io, notoriamente distratta, vuol dire qualcosa!): quando Ian si sveglia nella casa dell’architetto e decide di uscire a cercare del cibo, l’autore ci dice che la “serratura” della casa alla sua uscita è cambiata e al suo ritorno chiederà la composizione di un altro nome. Dopo però quando Ian ritorna alla casa non si parla più di questo e riesce a entrare tranquillamente! spoiler sul finale Più in generale ho trovato poco credibile la fine: diciamocelo, un cattivissimo ibrido uomo/macchina attende sedici anni per poter ghermire i suoi propri figli e ottenere l’immortalità, poi appena uno dei due lo affronta si lascia uccidere. Ma come??? fine spoiler sul finale
*** FINE SPOILER*** (less)

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May 20, 2012 Keith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, fiction, ebooks

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind (2005) is one my favorite novels of the last decade and I am eagerly awaiting the upcoming publication of his new novel, The Prisoner of Heaven. The Midnight Palace is an earlier novel of Zafon's. Written in the 1990s it is, as it is labeled, a "Young Adult" novel. On his UK website Zafon touts it as also for adults who wish to recreate the magical feeling certain books had when we were much younger. Midnight Palace certainly succeeds in recreating the...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Pauline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
I just finished reading it.
I liked it, and it was ok, but I was a little disappointed at the same time. I would sum up my feelings by "it is far from being my favourite Zafon".

I liked the universe we are in, even if I asbolutely don't know Calcutta... It was a litle the same kind of atmosphere as in The Shadow of the Wind.
I also liked a lot the mystery about the past of Lahawaj. The fact they have to look for the truth, to question people, to go to new and strange places... That was cool.
But the...more

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About Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a Spanish novelist. Born in Barcelona in 1964, he has lived in Los Angeles, United States, since 1994, and works as a scriptwriter aside from writing novels.

His first novel, El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist, 1993), earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. He is also the author of three more young-adult novels, El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las...more

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Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)

The Angel's Game (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2)

The Prisoner of Heaven (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #3)

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Quotes from The Midnight Palace

“Maturity is simply the process of discovering that everything you believed in when you were young is false and that all the things you refused to believe in turn out to be true.” — 20 people liked it

“There are two things in life you cannot choose. The first is your enemies; the second your family. Sometimes the difference between them is hard to see, but in the end time will show you that the cards you have been dealt could always have been worse.” — 14 people liked it

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