The Prince of Mist

The only thing better than getting fully-engrossed in a suspenseful story is getting fully-engrossed in a suspenseful story on a dark and stormy afternoon. Thus was the case with The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The thunder and lightning added atmosphere to this already deliciously spooky read!

When the Carver family moves to a small coastal town to escape the threat of war that creeps ever closer to the city, 13-year-old Max is the first to sense that something is not quite right about his seemingly picturesque new home. Soon after exploring a mysterious garden of statues he discovers behind his new house, his sense of unease about the place morphs into one of fear. Lending credit to this is a series of terrifying and unexplainable events that shake the lives of Max and the members of his family. Soon Max, his older sister Alicia, and their new friend Roland are unwillingly pulled into an age-old curse involving an evil and possibly deadly entity known as The Prince of Mist. The only living soul who knows the truth about the curse (and how to stop it) is a reclusive old man who lives in a battered lighthouse--and he's not talking. Max, Alicia, and Roland must unlock this mystery before it's too late, before the Prince of Mist claims yet another victim. But is the truth something they're prepared to handle?

Wonderfully creepy! Recommended for horror/suspense fans craving a story with more depth and imagination than the standard and highly-overrated blood and guts approach.