Reviews

Øen by Ragnar Jónasson

ptstewart's review against another edition

3.0

Of the work of Jonasson’s that I’ve read recently, The Island is my least favorite. Admittedly, it is a little bit interesting to meet a character whose death, if you’ve read the first of this series, you already know about. We spend a fair amount of time getting to know Hulda more fully and applying some of our knowledge from The Darkness to her tale now; however, arguably too much of the relatively short book is spent in search of Hulda’s backstory, the same way relatively too much of the novel is spent sitting in the experience with the suspects than in the unraveling of clues. The beginning of The Island felt extremely creepy and suspenseful; I was hooked right away. As we progressed and moved further from some of that suspense, I became more removed, and more confused by who the heck we were talking about. The final reveal was solid, and I will say that at no point was I confident who was to blame. Collectively, the mystery itself worked for me, but the larger structure of the book did not. Not my favorite, but not enough to deter me from Jonasson going forward.

thebookishmarie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

randywgravitz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

sonneblumm's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

gray5217's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

pennygale's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

carolyn0613's review against another edition

4.0

I'd love to visit Iceland and I love reading books set in this mysterious land. I also like murder mysteries. So what could be better than a murder mystery set in Iceland? It did not disappoint. Perfectly plotted, wonderfully described locations and interesting characters. A very good book.

sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition

5.0

I love the main character in these books and this story takes up back in her life to when she was younger. She is a perceptive and hardworking CID detective and I enjoyed the story when it was told from the views of the main characters. The storyline about finding her father was also something I liked - she’s a real character who has suffered heartache and although she has her flaws she is determined to get to the heart of what has happened.
I love the setting of Iceland - cold but also beautiful and the plot thrills.
A 5 star read for me. Love his writing and everything about his books.

bmlowry8's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mtbaird's review against another edition

4.0

Second book in the series. A daughter lost, a father charged for her death, then he kills himself. Hulda is on the case even with her own life struggles.