Zafón combines sincere engagement with genre tradition, with clever touches of the literary post-modern . . . This is explicitly, and joyously, a book about books, about what can be learned from them and what is lost when they are lost - Guardian

Full of stylish writing, Gothic atmosphere and love letters to 19th-century novels - Washington Post

The story has heart, menace, torture, kindness, cruelty, sacrifice, and a deep devotion to what makes humans tick . . . The Prisoner of Heaven moves like a bullet train. There are few stops along the way, and the end of one section jumps headfirst into the next, leaving you no choice but to leap and not stop running - New York Journal of Books

The Prisoner of Heaven is the third part of the story and, like the first, is narrated by Daniel Sempere. But it too contains stories within stories, and the real narrative here belongs to the irrepressible Fermín Romero de Torres . . . Zafón's characters and dialogue are as lively and full-blooded as ever - Observer

There is an air of magical realism to Zafón's tales. The prose is robust and the dialogue rich with smart irony. But mostly, reading Zafón is great fun - Miami Herald

A deep and mysterious novel full of people that feel real . . . This is an enthralling read and a must-have for your library. Zafón focusses on the emotion of the reader and doesn't let go - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's writ