The Midnight Palace [Hardcover]

Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2011

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 losing his own life. . . .

Years later, on the eve of Ben and Sheere's sixteenth birthday, the mysterious threat reenters their lives. This time, it may be impossible to escape. With the help of their brave friends, the twins will have to take a stand against the terror that watches them in the shadows of the night--and face the most frightening creature in the history of the City of Palaces.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Prince of Mist:
* "Zafón is a master storyteller...This book can be read and enjoyed by every level of reader, and teachers who are looking for a good read-aloud will keep the audience on the edge of their seats with this tale." (VOYA, starred review )

Praise for The Prince of Mist:
* "A melancholy horror tale." (Publishers Weekly, starred review )

Praise for The Prince of Mist:
* "Awesome." (School Library Journal, starred review )

About the Author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six novels, including the New York Times bestseller The Prince of Mist and the international phenomena The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game. His work has been published in more than fifty countries and honored with numerous awards. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (May 31, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780316044738
• ISBN-13: 978-0316044738
• ASIN: 0316044733
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six novels, including the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind. His work has been published in more than forty different languages, and honored with numerous international awards, including the Edebé Award, Spain's most prestigious prize for young adult fiction. He divides his time between Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles, California.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#90 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#98 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#90 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#98 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical storytelling May 5, 2011

By Keris Nine TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

If you've read Shadow of the Wind, you'll know that there's not going to be a great deal of difference to the author's style and content when it comes to his earlier children's fiction, now being published in English. The Midnight Palace contains the same sense of adventure and mystery tied up in an elaborate family melodrama with literary references and a clear love of storytelling. Although there are less adult themes, The Midnight Palace is clearly the work of the same author, and it may even be better for the restraint imposed on it being a work for younger readers, and all the more effective in sustaining its magical qualities.

The Midnight Palace is the meeting place of a group of orphans in Calcutta in 1932 who have formed a secret society where they meet and tell stories, and there's a description in the book of the place exuding an "aura of magic and dreams that rarely exists beyond the blurred memories of our early years". Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing (which reads extremely well here in a fluid translation) exudes the same aura, finding a potent mix of exoticism, symbolism, adventure and history and tying it into the destiny of two twins separated at birth who, as they reach 16 years of age, are being threatened by a dark magician.

There are many reasons why the book works so well, the author finding an exotic setting, a wonderful group of young orphans each with their own special talents to help each other out, and a thrilling dark fantasy mystery tied up in India's desire for independence, but principally the book extols the virtues of storytelling and thereby inspires the imagination of investigative young minds. Wonderfully written, The Midnight Palace is itself a terrific example of the power of those very same qualities that will work for children and for adults wishing to rekindle that sense of wonder that exists in "the blurred memories of our early years".

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, esp for Carlos Ruiz Zafon fans May 15, 2011

By A. R. Smith

Format:Hardcover

Reviewed by My Shelf Confessions blog

The Midnight Palace begins on a stormy night in Calcutta on May 1916; Lieutenant Peake is being chased by assassins as he carries two babies. The lieutenant is able to get them safely into the arms of a woman who he knows will protect them with her life. The woman then makes the momentous choice that in order to protect both children they will need to be separated from one another, so she abandons Ben at the doorstep of St. Patrick's Orphanage with only a letter explaining that his parents were murdered and the murderer swore to kill the child and any descendents.

The night the baby is discovered at the orphanage a strange man named Jawahal stops by unexpectedly and pries for information about the new orphan. The director of the orphanage suspects something is amiss and doesn't share any information with the stranger. Jawahal is particularly interested on what age the orphans are released into the world on their own - 16 years old - and he vows to return at that time.

Ben grows up not knowing his past but gets along well with the other orphans. He also starts a secret society with 6 other orphans, holding meetings at a local abandoned mansion they nickname The Midnight Palace. In May 1932, their lives change forever as every member turns 16 and is about to be released into the world to live their own lives, their secret society disbanded. Unfortunately, things don't go as smoothly as planned, and Ben's past steps back into his life in the form of a girl that appears on the doorstep of the orphanage as they are having a celebration to mark the special occasion. They must all work together in order to discover the mysteries of their past in the hopes they can stop a madman from stealing their future.

Confession:

I really liked The Midnight Palace; I have been a huge fan of Carlos Ruiz Zafon ever since I read The Shadow of the Wind. I loved the atmosphere and setting, it's so creepy and the suspense is palpable. The villain is mysterious and otherworldly with supernatural powers, and you're desperately trying to figure out his connection to the children and why he wants them dead. The characters are very likeable, they each have their own unique quirks and interests and they work well together as a group. The pace of the book is top notch, from the very first scene of the book you are turning pages trying to figure out where the story is going and how it will end. This is probably one of the creepiest villains I have encountered in YA so far. I liked it, I liked it A LOT!

I recommend this for all Carlos Ruiz Zafon fans, and YA fans who like mysteries and suspense.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Novel From Zafon April 20, 2011

By Troy Smith

Format:Hardcover

Once again, Carlos Ruiz Zafon has created characters, atmosphere, and a story that exhibit why he is a master in the tradition of Dumas. This sequel to "The Prince of Mist" gives us a fine story as well as a glimpse into the development of an author who would later write the masterpiece "The Shadow of the Wind." The only drawback to reading this book is knowing that it will be at least another year before a new one comes out.