The Prince of Mist

The Prince of Mist – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Evan’s ESS = 8 out of 10

Erin’s ESS =  out of 10

Content = (Adult Content, Violence, Intense Thematic Elements, Clowns, Mist)

Why: We know Carlos Ruiz Zafon can do adult literature, but we had to judge for ourselves his prowess in the YA genre.  Not only did he pass with flying colors, he also managed to scare our pants off in the process...

When the Carver’s move into a cottage house near the beach, only the sinister cat watching their progress can know what’s in store (unfortunately, we’ve been unable to confirm or deny reports that the cat is actually an unregistered animagus).  The family’s thirteen year old son, Max, doesn’t have a good feeling about the new situation and decides to investigate.  After exploring a creepy sculpture garden and conducting one or two opportune interviews he decides the history surrounding a local family are not as they seem.  Time is running out and if Max can’t figure out a way to stop the Prince of Mist, well, let’s just say that things won’t end advantageous for our young hero.

Zafon has a way of writing that instantly pulls you into his stories and The Prince of Mist was no different.  It also helped that we listened to the audio presentation and spooky background music played at the most climatic times.  During our early morning commute, the sculpture garden and shipwreck scenes were creepy enough that the addition of music nearly caused us to turn on the interior light of our car.  That being said, why don’t more audio books incorporate theme music?  That’s our big idea of the day...  Our few experiences have been overwhelmingly positive and only enhance the overall production.  How cool would it be if Howard Shore or John William wrote a score for the final scene between Bob Ewell and Scout Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird?  Or what about something dramatic for the final conversation between Simon and Cassandra in I Capture the Castle?  Who’s with me?   

Okay, back to The Prince of Mist...  Actually, there isn’t a whole lot more to say - excellent story, with a satisfying twist and plenty of fast pace action.  Best YA horror story we’ve come across, although this might actually be the first of its kind for us.  Plus, if you aren’t already petrified of clowns, this novel should do the trick.