The Prince of Mist

"The Prince of Mist", by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, is a coming of age horror book about 13 year old Max Carver, a boy who loves to explore and solve mysteries. Set in 1943, Max’s father moves his family to an abandoned house in a small town by the sea to escape the war. Quickly after they get comfortable in this new house, weird things start to happen. Max finds a statue garden of circus performers in their backyard, especially noticing the statue of a clown. But when he shows his dad, the clown is gone. In addition, his sisters are plagued with voices, dreams, and figures hiding in the shadows. It gets so bad that Irina, the youngest sister, has to go to the hospital because she had a panic attack and passed out.

Max and his sister Alicia meet Roland, a neighbor whose parents died in an accident when he was a baby. Together, they begin to unravel the mystery of the town and the story of their house. They discover that their house was previously owned by a doctor and his wife, whose son drowned in the sea near the house. Secrets slip out and the children realize that they are dealing with much more than just a nightmare. They soon realize that the Prince of Mist is the cause behind all of these events.

I read this book on a school trip to the Amazon, and because I was so far in the jungle, I kept imagining I saw The Prince of Mist in the clearing. This book was great to read in this environment because it made me feel more present in the scenes. Our plane got delayed in the airport, and I couldn’t put this book down. I read it non-stop for probably two or three hours.

This is one of my favorite books. It engages and scares readers, and it is extremely well written, interlaced with jump scares, and very descriptive writing. The characters were very well developed, and the relationship between the kids was well written, and realistic. The author has them use realistic language that makes them seem like actual people instead of characters in a book.

My favorite character was Max. I loved how willing he was to sacrifice everything for Roland. Another thing I really liked was how Max was portrayed as well as his observations which add a layer of depth to Max’s character. If you love horror, you will definitely love this book.