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whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would after reading the first hundred pages, but much less I think than most people seem to enjoy it. I'll definitely read the other two, but more because I'm a completionist and it was enjoyable. I just didn't find it to be more than that. I enjoy mysteries, but Mikael irritated me an Lisbeth sometimes dropped out of the story in unexpected ways. The pacing could definitely be better. That being said, it was an interesting story and the last hundred pages did hold me fairly captive. Not sure I'm interested in watching the movies though...
akshim's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
honeyedhearts's review against another edition
2.5
mixed emotions on this one
it took until halfway through this thick ass book for any semblance of a plot to appear and the author spent most of the book just talking. the added details gave us nothing for plot, character development world building, or otherwise enriching the book in any way shape or form, it was literally USELESS
At one point the author spent TEN PAGES of back and forth between two characters for what was supposed to be the catalyst for us knowing what the plot was but it was just twenty five fucking minutes of "I have a job for u "what is it" "let me tell you a story" "what is the job" "let me talk about you as a kid" "what is the job" "u know my family" "what's the job" "let me tell a story" FOR TEN PAGES!! SHUT THE FUCK UP once it finally got to the plot it was ok? still WAY too much irrelevant detail and there are about three hundred characters with Swedish names to keep track of plus adding in a dual POV and you have a whole struggle. the actual interesting gripping part of the book didn't come until the last eighth of it, but once it came, it was very good and I wound up staying up half the night to read more
was the last eighth worth the 16 hours of audiobook and me reading the last hundred pages on my phone? no I can't fucking say it was!!!!!
the murder mystery part and how detailed and well thought out the investigation was deserves the praise it's gotten! the rest of it fucking does not. have no idea why this is a critically acclaimed I book, the author could use someone telling him to shut the fuck up occasionally. no book needs to be this long.
another personal issue I had was the fact that this book deals with sadistic rape/murder crimes in a very odd way. I do not think the author had any ill intents as he has a history of supporting women's rights, donating to women's crisis centers, and writes books discussing the importance of listening to women's stories and supporting victims and some of it may be because of translation issues as well.
that said, a lot of the rape depictions were graphic, but lacked any emotional input or follow up and had I not known the authors history I would have said it was written like a fantasy rather than a crime. the tone of the whole book for sex scenes, rape_ r consensual, is very male focused and reads how a 20yo frat boy thinks the world works.
there is a scene where one of the MCs is raped and then like 2 chapters later she initiates sex with the other MC and it's just her being like "here is my body for u omg u u have a big dick I want to keep fucking u" and it's a VERY odd tone. obvious tws for murder and rape
this is also part of a trilogy which I was not aware of going into it, but thankfully all the main mystery points are wrapped up in this book and the only things left hanging are emotional plot points, so I will not be following up with the other ones
I clearly did NOT like this book and can't recommend it. there are many other murder mystery books that are detailed and well written plot wise that do not take 8 hours to get to the plot nor give u 3 pages of the character going to the store for groceries with no bearing on the actual plot or development of the book
2.5* simply because once it finally got to the actual mystery and I could plow through the author being full of himself, it was gripping at the end
it took until halfway through this thick ass book for any semblance of a plot to appear and the author spent most of the book just talking. the added details gave us nothing for plot, character development world building, or otherwise enriching the book in any way shape or form, it was literally USELESS
At one point the author spent TEN PAGES of back and forth between two characters for what was supposed to be the catalyst for us knowing what the plot was but it was just twenty five fucking minutes of "I have a job for u "what is it" "let me tell you a story" "what is the job" "let me talk about you as a kid" "what is the job" "u know my family" "what's the job" "let me tell a story" FOR TEN PAGES!! SHUT THE FUCK UP once it finally got to the plot it was ok? still WAY too much irrelevant detail and there are about three hundred characters with Swedish names to keep track of plus adding in a dual POV and you have a whole struggle. the actual interesting gripping part of the book didn't come until the last eighth of it, but once it came, it was very good and I wound up staying up half the night to read more
was the last eighth worth the 16 hours of audiobook and me reading the last hundred pages on my phone? no I can't fucking say it was!!!!!
the murder mystery part and how detailed and well thought out the investigation was deserves the praise it's gotten! the rest of it fucking does not. have no idea why this is a critically acclaimed I book, the author could use someone telling him to shut the fuck up occasionally. no book needs to be this long.
another personal issue I had was the fact that this book deals with sadistic rape/murder crimes in a very odd way. I do not think the author had any ill intents as he has a history of supporting women's rights, donating to women's crisis centers, and writes books discussing the importance of listening to women's stories and supporting victims and some of it may be because of translation issues as well.
that said, a lot of the rape depictions were graphic, but lacked any emotional input or follow up and had I not known the authors history I would have said it was written like a fantasy rather than a crime. the tone of the whole book for sex scenes, rape_ r consensual, is very male focused and reads how a 20yo frat boy thinks the world works.
there is a scene where one of the MCs is raped and then like 2 chapters later she initiates sex with the other MC and it's just her being like "here is my body for u omg u u have a big dick I want to keep fucking u" and it's a VERY odd tone. obvious tws for murder and rape
this is also part of a trilogy which I was not aware of going into it, but thankfully all the main mystery points are wrapped up in this book and the only things left hanging are emotional plot points, so I will not be following up with the other ones
I clearly did NOT like this book and can't recommend it. there are many other murder mystery books that are detailed and well written plot wise that do not take 8 hours to get to the plot nor give u 3 pages of the character going to the store for groceries with no bearing on the actual plot or development of the book
2.5* simply because once it finally got to the actual mystery and I could plow through the author being full of himself, it was gripping at the end
anamatria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
marsontheclouds_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
read_with_holly128's review against another edition
5.0
very good book! I wasn't sure at first, but the more I got into it it got better.
da_bos's review against another edition
2.0
Not necessarily the most well-written book I've ever read, but a captivating read nonetheless. Toward the end, the plot seemed to fall apart a bit, and there was a little too much financial and technology jargon on occasion, but overall, a good page turner and summer vacation read. But I can wait for the sequels to come out in paperback...
sarahmeurisse's review against another edition
5.0
Ca faisait longtemps que je n'avais pas trouvé un livre qui me tient éveillée à des heures impossibles.
J'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages centraux, auxquels je me suis vite attachée, et l'énigme était très intense, très bien ficelée, et très addictive.
J'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages centraux, auxquels je me suis vite attachée, et l'énigme était très intense, très bien ficelée, et très addictive.