In many ways, I really loved this book. To use a hackneyed phrase, it grips from the first page, and stays constantly enthralling from then on - rich and exciting, gothic and often macabre. Just when you think you've got a handle on the plot, it shoots off in a different direction entirely, constantly adding new layers of intrigue. The dialogue absolutely sparkles, full of the kind of quick-fire conversations you would associate with a play rather than a novel, particularly the scenes between David and Isabella. Speaking of these two characters, I was SO pleased that, despite the vividly portrayed close friendship and connection between them, nothing romantic/sexual ever happened; it would have been so easy and obvious, and it's to the author's credit that he avoided this cliché (although on the other hand, the lifelike, memorable interaction between them rendered the supposed great romance between David and Cristina - which I struggled to believe in, if I'm honest - rather dull in comparison). The many good things about this book are all the more impressive given that English isn't even the language it was originally published in, a testament to the talent of both the writer and the translator.

However, I'm not going to give the book five stars, and my reservations are all to do with the last few chapters, and in particular the ending. Firstly, there's a few too many fight scenes and deaths all within pages of each other; not that the violence particularly bothers me, but it's all a bit much and isn't really in keeping with the rest of the story. Secondly, I was disappointed that there wasn't much of an explanation of who and/or what Andreas Corelli actually was, since this was one of the most intriguing aspects of the plot. Thirdly, the actual conclusion itself was somewhat, well... weird - I think anyone who's finished the book will know what I mean - and rather than finding it in any way romantic or satisying, I just felt a bit unsettled.