The Labyrinth of the Spirits From the bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind

This is the last book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. Very beautiful and amazing. Full of secrets and stories. A four-volume long novel set in Franco-era in Spain. This is a story about writing, humanity, love, fear, pain, loneliness, and dictatorship. I enjoyed it very much. All the characters are very real and well written and some are unforgettable.

Es la primera ve que leo una tetralogía y puedo decir que esta historia es de esas que no quieres que nunca terminen. Quizás es la facilidad con la que la historia se desenvuelve o la humanidad de los personajes, ya qué hay algo que hace este texto cautivador. Definitivamente añadiré más novelas de Carlos Ruiz a mi lista de pendientes...

Que difícil despedirse de los personajes de esta bella tetralogía y a los que les tome mucho cariño Aunque este es el libro que menos me ha gustado tal vez esperaba que tuviera un mejor desenlace, en ocasiones sentía que se alargaba innecesariamente. Me sentía enganchada con todos los misterios que había pero lo que no me gustaba que se resolvieran de manera fácil y conveniente para los protagonistas. Lo que mas me gusto fue leer de nuevo a Fermín, Daniel y compañía, leer nuevos personajes como Alicia Gris, Vargas y Fernandito y conocer lugares de Barcelona y de España.

This book came into my possession because of the amazing cover art and stayed in my possession because of the dynamic range it offers to the reader. From top to bottom, there's mystery hidden within these pages and the reader will often feel overwhelmed with questions. These questions are what took me a while to sift through, thus making this one of the longest reads of my life. Not to mention the authors choice to ground the story within a very corrupt time period of Spain. The story takes place during the time Francisco Franco was in power and many positions and titles were bought rather than earned. Zafon took this historical information and morphed it into a scary plot that makes the reader wonder; did this really happen to so many during this time period? To better appreciate the plot I would suggest brushing up on the history of Francoist Spain . My favorite characters within the novel are the strong, independent females that rise to the occasion and show the duality of women, even during a time when women were only considered useful behind the scenes. Alicia Gris with her wit and perseverance, Bea a protector to her family and anyone in need of love, and Ariadna for never forgetting where she came from. Maybe this will seem confusing at first, however once you read this novel it will all make sense. This is one of four novels within the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. The great thing about this series is that they can be read out of order and still make sense. I would highly recommend this book to any mystery lover whom thrives on connecting the dots before the characters do.

For years, I thought The Shadow of the Wind was a standalone novel. When I learned that wasn’t the case, I ignored that information for more years. I thought The Shadow of the Wind was pretty nearly perfect on its own, and didn’t need expanded upon. I’ve read some marvelous books that should have been left alone, that had further books tacked on later that didn’t measure up to the first, and somehow manage to tarnish that first book. I didn’t want that to happen to my magical experience with The Shadow of the Wind, so I just ignored the rest of the series for a long time. But then, I found a gorgeous copy of The Labyrinth of the Spirits, the last of the quartet, on sale. I had to buy it for the cover alone, because it just captivated me. But I still didn’t think I intended to read it, or the two books between it and that first novel I had so loved. “Most of us mortals never get to know our real destiny; we’re just trampled by it.” That is, until I shared a picture of my purchase, and Petrik immediately fell in love. If you know Petrik, you won’t be surprised to know that he quickly researched the book, which lead him to the rest of the series, and decided that he had to read The Cemetery of Forgotten Books as soon as possible. His enthusiasm was infectious, and TS decided to join him in reading the series. They both adored it, so much so that this particular book ended up being both of their second favorite novel of the year. Obviously, since the copy I bought had started them down this path, I had to give in and read it, along with its two predecessors. “Truth is never perfect, never squares with all expectations. Truth always poses doubts and questions. Only lies are one hundred percent believable, because they don't need to justify reality, they simply have to tell us what we want to hear.” I really liked The Angel’s Game and The Prisoner of Heaven, but they didn’t quite capture me the way The Shadow of the Wind had. And then I arrived at this final installment, the book that I hoped would tie everything together and contain nearly the same magic as the first book. While it did indeed tie things together beautifully, it did not match The Shadow of the Wind. It by far surpassed it. The Labyrinth of the Spirits was brilliant in every way, and made me retroactively love every other installment of the series even more. It, and the three preceding books in hindsight, has to be among the most mind-blowing, intelligent, moving novels I’ve ever read in my entire life. “There are times when it’s more honorable to die forsaken than to live in glory.” Within the text, Zafón stated his belief that “stories have no beginning and no end, only doors through which one may enter them.” That’s not an idea I would have fully grasped before reading this series, but it’s absolutely true of the way in which Zafón designed The Cemetery of Forgotten Books. While I would still heartily suggest starting with the first novel and progressing in a linear fashion, each book is an entry point into the same sweeping story. I’ve never come across anything else set up in quite the same way, and this structure is part of the genius. The entire series truly is a labyrinth, and this installment brings us to its heart. I was totally awestruck. “Sometimes, when the gods aren’t looking and destiny loses its way, even good people get a taste of good luck in their lives.” While the structure is absolutely brilliant, it’s far from the only impressive element. I’m blown away by the intricacies of the plot. So much happens over the course of these four novels, and no detail is ever forgotten or misremembered or shrugged away as unimportant. Every single one of those details matters. The setting is incredibly lush and dark and vibrant, and Barcelona is truly a character in her own right. I am also constantly amazed by the fact that the beautiful prose is in fact a translation, which speaks volumes of both Zafón and of Lucia Graves for her work translating the original Spanish into English. Zafón says so much about the importance of stories and the trials of the writing life that ring so achingly true. “A story is an endless labyrinth of words, images, and spirits, conjured up to show us the invisible truth about ourselves.” But my favorite thing about these books, through which I think Zafón shines the brightest, is the cast. The characters are so multifaceted, so wonderfully and heartbreakingly real. They grew to matter so much to me, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to truly stop thinking about them. All of them had such glaring failings, so many beautifully fragile strengths. If you can’t tell, I was deeply invested, and their stories will no doubt stay with me for a very long time. “Tell our stories to the world, and never forget that we exist so long as someone remembers us.” I’m so incredibly thankful to have read this series as a whole, and The Labyrinth of the Spirits in particular. Zafón was an incredibly gifted author, and I’m so glad he was able to leave the world this magnum opus. If I’m ever able to visit Spain, Barcelona will be the destination of me. I hope someday I can wander the streets and wonder if another city, one comprised of paper and ink, is waiting for me beneath the cobblestones. You can find this review and more at Novel Notions.

Shadow of the Wind is one of my favorite books so I was worried going into this one that it would fall short. However, it definitely did not disappoint. Zafon writes with such beautiful prose. It is incredibly detailed and descriptive without ever feeling too dense. Every time I picked up this book I was engrossed into his world building. Every twist and turn was ingenious and it feels like you are right there with the characters. It is an incredibly intelligent story and I would love to get to explore the Cemetery of Forgotten Books someday.

Always a literary sensation, full of details - and I admire Ruiz Zafon, all lines and details in the other books around the Cemetery of Forgotten Books come together in this one.

This was an excellent book. I read all 925 pages in two weeks and just didn't want it to end. To be honest, I have a lot of questions, I feel like I confused some events and can use some re reading. But, what an addictive and fun journey it's been reading these 4 books. This was a great fourth installment that tied together everything. It even made up for the third book, which I had my reservations about. Masterful series. One of my favorites, for sure.

Mit 944 eng beschriebenen Seiten nochmal ein echter Schinken und trotzdem hat sich die gesamte „Friedhof der Vergessenen Bücher“-Saga mit jeder ihrer über 2600 Seiten in mein Herz gebrannt und findet mit diesem Band einen würdigen Abschluss. Hach, kann der Kerl erzählen. Eine mächtige Familiengeschichte mit zahllosen Ausläufern, die sich über mehrere Jahrzehnte erstreckt und die verschiedenen Stränge und Genres meisterhaft miteinander verbindet. Die Figuren sind zwar manchmal etwas eindimensional, funktionieren aber allesamt und werden vom überragenden Fermin Romero de Torres gekrönt. Einzig dem Vorwort, das behauptet, man könne die Saga in beliebiger Reihenfolge lesen, möchte ich widersprechen. Es würde meiner Meinung nach viel verloren gehen, wenn man bspw. Band 3 und 4 vor dem ersten Teil lesen würde. Manchmal ist mein innerer Monk eben doch zu was gut. Ohne ein Buchwichteln wäre ich wohl nie darauf aufmerksam geworden, jetzt bin ich sehr dankbar für „Der Schatten des Windes“ unter dem Weihnachtsbaum 2017.

so beautiful. every sentence is meticulous, and every character — no matter how minor — has so many layers to them. HOW does zafón do it?? i’m always in awe. it’s already going onto my favorite books list

Y todo ha acabado. Aún no sé cómo lo he terminado tan rápido. Ya lo echo de menos. Antes de empezar, pensé que quizás sería demasiado largo, pero no me ha sobrado ni una palabra. Zafón ha creado otra historia y a la vez ha dejado atados todos los cabos sueltos de los otros libros, los que se conocían y los que no. Ha presentado nuevos personajes increíbles. Me ha maravillado. Y releer el resto de la trilogía para leer este me ha hecho disfrutarlo aún más. Hasta siempre, familia Sempere. Ha sido un placer.

Posso solo consigliarvi di leggerlo ♥️

I LOVE THIS SERIES. That is all. It's great. The universe of the cemetery of forgotten books is growing and brilliant. Beautifully written. It's so good.

Sono indecisa tra 2.5 e 3 🌟 Lo stile è stupendo come sempre, ma la storia mi ha annoiata tantissimo! E poi, c’era proprio bisogno di fare tutte quelle battute sessiste? Lo so che era la società dell’epoca, ma avrei volentieri sorvolato tutte le volte in cui Alicia si vede dare della puttana per il modo in cui si veste e trucca.