The third book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books collection. Story is beautiful and exciting and mystery, but I still think that the first book, Shadow of the Wind, is unique and unforgettable. The mysterious and gothic style of these books is my favorite style.

Necesito procesar tantas cosas pero ha sido increíble volver a leer a Daniel y Fermín.

I'll reiterate. The Shadow of the Wind (TSOTW) is the best book I've read this year. And is definitely one of the best books I've read in decades. I finished The Angel's Game (TAG), the second book in the series, couple of months ago and found it quite stimulating as well. Though not in the same league as TSOTW, for the simple reason that it was in its own league. Both these books took quite a while to read. And I'm not complaining as I was savouring every page at a slow pace. Zafon's 'book within a book' element in the first two installments made things a bit complicated. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, I thought was a trilogy. So I was under the assumption that The Prisoner of Heaven (TPOH) was the last book in the series. But it's small size, at around 286 pages (TAG and TSOTW are both over 500 pages each) was a bit confusing. Shouldn't finales be in epic page length proportions? The Plot TPOH starts off a year after the TSOTW. We are reacquainted with Senòr Sempere, Daniel Sempere, Beatriz and of course, the crowd favourite - Don Fermin Romero de Torres. Fermin is on the verge of getting married to his beloved Bernarda, but has been affected deeply by something. The whole story revolves around digging into Fermin's past, after an unknown customer at the bookstore leaves a cryptic message for Fermin. Who the prisoner of heaven is, becomes obvious quite soon. To give a hint: it's a character from the second book. That's all I'll say. I could tell the name, as that's not really a big reveal, but I won't. Fermin's past takes us back to the dark days of the Spanish Civil war and the dungeons the prisoners were put in. Fumero, that slimy sellout of a cop, makes a passing appearance as well. The past also reveals a lot more about Isabella, Daniel's mother. Takeaways This is not another TSOTW or TAG. But is more of a backstory of Fermin Romero de Torres. Unlike the previous two books, there is no 'book within a book' element at play here. No lingering stories of intriguing characters. No multiple subplots so to speak. And sadly, not much highlight-worthy prose which will stay on with you long after you've finished the book. Even the descriptions of Barcelona (as a character) are kept to the bare minimum It is a straight forward story with a climax that feels rushed. Yes, Fermin's one-liners are on point. But, the things that made you fall in love with the first two books are definitely missing here. But I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is a bad story. Far from it. The history of Fermin isn't random, but neatly threads the first two books. In fact TAG seemed like a standalone book and more like a prequel. But as you are reading TPOH, you realise why it is the third in the series, rather than being second - considering it starts off where TSOTW left off. Unlike the previous two books, this one is a quick read thanks to the short chapters. The book is also divided into five parts, which seemed odd for a book of 286 pages. Zafon keeps you engaged and the mystery element, although subdued, is still there. As I was approaching the end, I knew that there was definitely more to the story. The epilogue though, was lovely and has definitely opened the door to a follow up book. Surprised, since I thought this was the last book, I hit up Google. And sure enough, the last book in the series - The Labyrinth of Spirits - has just released. Three days ago. I know I'll be scanning Amazon regularly till the Lucia Graves' English translation hits the shelves. Take a bow again, Ms Graves.

Excellent!

I loved getting getting some answers regarding the first two books in this series. While it’s been said that these novels can be read out of order, you’d be doing yourself and the story being told an incredible disservice by choosing to go that route. Please read these in order. I loved getting more of Fermín’s story, as well. He’s a delightful character, and learning more about his background was very enlightening. I thought the pacing in this book was great, and it made me incredibly excited to finish out the series. Zafón was truly a magnificent author, and I’m looking forward to reading every (translated) word he penned over the course of his too-short life.

4.5 sólo porque me dejó con gusto a poco!! Voy por el cuarto libro hoy mismo.

The series has been good so far, but this particular book feels incomplete. It is still intriguing and beautifully written, but I'll need to read the fourth book and hope that it concludes the story in a way that makes up for this one. Update: after reading the fourth and last book in the installment, it more than made up for the shortcomings on this one. I'd say just treat this book as an appetizer and transition story before reading the last one, "The Labyrinth of Spirits". The fourth book completes the story and makes it all worth it. As a standalone book this, to me, remains as a 2.5 stars read, but just read it and move on to the ~900 pages of goodness in the fourth installment.

Not entirely necessary to the series, though there are some interesting moments that would be worth the read if one is a fan of the lovely Fermin.

Cuatro días me ha durado. Me ha encantado leerlo. Aunque me ha sabido a poco, entiendo este libro como un apartado necesario para el capítulo final. Ahora sí, relecturas acabadas y a por El laberinto de los espíritus.

De principio a fin, increíble!

I think this was my favorite book of the series. Its legnth was great, I was clamoring for more rather then feeling stuck with so much legnth. This tied up a lot of loose ends of the other books and I started to understand who everyone was. I felt like with this book a puzzle was put together. Brilliant and engaging like the rest of the series

Lo adoro 🥰

Pretty good, beautiful writing and interesting plot, but I wasn't blown away or anything.

Me gustó mucho la historia. Todo el pasado de Fermín fue fascinante y un tanto perturbador pero con la dosis justa de intriga y con la finalidad de atar algunos (solo algunos) cabos. Sin embargo, el autor divagó demasiado en todo el libro y no parecía tener un rumbo fijo, solo soltaba datos que al final no terminé de comprender si se miraban como un todo. No pude amarrarlos, y quedaron muchísimas incógnitas que debieron haberse resuelto. A pesar de que parece un libro puente hacia el final de esta tetralogía, lo disfruté un montón y me mantuvo sumergida todo el tiempo. No obstante el carácter de relleno que se le ha conferido, no se puede negar que el misterio no menguó en esta entrega, y estoy deseando leer el siguiente. Hay aquí revelaciones impactantes sobre los personajes y sus pasados, y eso le dio el toque de suspenso que me encanta.