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3.12 AVERAGE
3.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A novel to transport you deep in Northern Sweden
The novel is set in Gasskas, a fictional town in northern Sweden. Plenty of remote and destitute locations with no people around. Perfect for a novel that looks at criminal goings on in windfarm projects. There’s a lot of good scene setting as we are also in the land of Sami reindeer. Quite a mix but I enjoyed being somewhere I haven’t been before in a novel.
In the land of the wind farms, there are plenty of criminal investigations to get your teeth into. Corruption is everywhere – even in the coldest parts of the world it would seem. Criminal gang is trying to keep money from projects for themselves. There’s corrupt officials and even some sort of Hell’s Angels. There’s one criminal mastermind that I particularly hated.
I did like the way the action had moved from Stockholm since it is so closely linked to the earlier ‘The Girl …’ books. Mikael comes up north for a wedding and since he’s not working at the moment, he is in the mood for an investigation or two. Lisbeth is due to become a guardian to her half-brother’s daughter. With him now dead, Svala now needs someone to care for her. More so than most as she has a condition which means that she feels no pain. Might come in handy later on if she turns out like Elisabeth I thought.
I did struggle with some of this. It is very, very dark and violent. It felt over the top to me. Kudos to Sarah Death as the translation flowed well. There were a lot of threads left untied at the end so there are going to be more books in the series.
Wonder what Svala will turn out to be? A mini Lisbeth Salander?
Just isn't the same as the first six books in the series. The character I thought I knew act completely against character again and again, and the plot just wasn't very engaging.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first three books in the series are among my favourites with strong plots and great characters (especially Lisbeth Salander). I liked Book 4 as well, Book 5 was decent, but Book 6 was disappointing. I was curious about this one as it kicks off with a new author. To the credit of both David Lagercrantz & Karin Smirnoff, the characters of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist do stay somewhat true to the original. But over the course of these 7 books, the thrill and excitement in the plot and characters is very much diminished though there are decent current themes in the stories.
The story takes us to Gasskas in Northern Sweden and both Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander get there for different reasons. Lisbeth is called by child protective services to be the guardian of 13-year-old Svala, who recently has become an orphan and is the daughter of her late half-brother. Though initially sceptical, Lisbeth strikes a bond and is protective of the intelligent girl. Blomkvist’s career is at a crossroads as the Millenium magazine is closing its print edition and will be only digital. His daughter Pernille is set to marry an influential local man, Henry Salo. There are ambitious projects for renewable energy which have been kicked off in the area, and gangs have got involved.
I liked the introduction of Svala’s character and some of the gang crime in the story. Both Blomkvist and Lisbeth come across as lower energy versions of their previous selves. The sense of excitement and anticipation, as also the brilliant interplay between Blomkvist and Lisbeth in the earlier books of the series was missing. It is also possible that the translation and average audio narration made it appear so. Hopefully, the books to come, get back to being closer to the best of the series.
Thanks to Netgalley, Quercus Audio, MacLehose Press and the author for a free electronic review copy.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Where oh where is Lisbeth Salander…....
Book Information
"The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" authored by Karin Smirnoff, is a 368-page mystery/thriller published on August 29, 2023. It’s the latest release in the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book for review.
Summary
In the remote and resource-rich northern parts of Sweden, big changes are happening. Criminals are taking the lead in a gold rush, but that's not what brings Lisbeth Salander to the quiet town of Gasskas. She's there because she's become the guardian of her niece, Svala, whose mother has gone missing. Two things are clear: Svala has some incredible talents, and someone is keeping a close watch on her. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist is heading north too. His life is falling apart as Millennium magazine is about to close, his relationship with his daughter is strained, and there are troubling rumors about her fiancé. When these rumors turn violent, Salander becomes Blomkvist's last hope.
My Thoughts
I was a huge fan of the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series written by Stieg Larsson so I was excited to have a chance to read the latest installment in the series.
"The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" by Karin Smirnoff kicks off slowly, with the first third of the book feeling somewhat uneventful. The writing frequently veers into ambiguity, leaving readers unsure about certain events, which could be attributed to artistic style, translation gaps, or less-than-stellar writing. Whatever the case, it diminishes the overall reading experience.
A notable aspect is that the series protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, is absent for a significant portion of the book, making her first appearance only around the 20-30% mark, and even then, her involvement in the narrative is limited. This may disappoint fans expecting more of Lisbeth.
The story unfolds through various viewpoints, offering insights and building intrigue at times, but also causing confusion in certain sections. The distinction between characters' thoughts and spoken words is sometimes unclear, adding to the complexity of the narrative, and making the book somewhat challenging to follow.
For me, this book doesn't fall into the category of easy reads. Between ambiguity, translation nuances, multiple points of view, numerous plotlines, and a multitude of characters, readers must have unwavering focus to navigate the storyline.
The plot itself is uneven and often confusing, particularly for those who cherished Larsson's original Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth in this book almost appears as a different person altogether. However, the book does redeem itself in its final third, as Lisbeth becomes more involved, and various plotlines converge, injecting some much-needed excitement into the narrative.
Recommendation
While "The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" starts slowly with occasional ambiguous writing and lacks Lisbeth Salander's presence for a considerable portion, it eventually picks up in the final third. The complex narrative structure demands attentive reading, making it suitable for dedicated fans of the series who can overlook its initial drawbacks.
Rating
2 Wind Turbine Stars
Book Information
"The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" authored by Karin Smirnoff, is a 368-page mystery/thriller published on August 29, 2023. It’s the latest release in the “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series. Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book for review.
Summary
In the remote and resource-rich northern parts of Sweden, big changes are happening. Criminals are taking the lead in a gold rush, but that's not what brings Lisbeth Salander to the quiet town of Gasskas. She's there because she's become the guardian of her niece, Svala, whose mother has gone missing. Two things are clear: Svala has some incredible talents, and someone is keeping a close watch on her. Meanwhile, Mikael Blomkvist is heading north too. His life is falling apart as Millennium magazine is about to close, his relationship with his daughter is strained, and there are troubling rumors about her fiancé. When these rumors turn violent, Salander becomes Blomkvist's last hope.
My Thoughts
I was a huge fan of the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series written by Stieg Larsson so I was excited to have a chance to read the latest installment in the series.
"The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" by Karin Smirnoff kicks off slowly, with the first third of the book feeling somewhat uneventful. The writing frequently veers into ambiguity, leaving readers unsure about certain events, which could be attributed to artistic style, translation gaps, or less-than-stellar writing. Whatever the case, it diminishes the overall reading experience.
A notable aspect is that the series protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, is absent for a significant portion of the book, making her first appearance only around the 20-30% mark, and even then, her involvement in the narrative is limited. This may disappoint fans expecting more of Lisbeth.
The story unfolds through various viewpoints, offering insights and building intrigue at times, but also causing confusion in certain sections. The distinction between characters' thoughts and spoken words is sometimes unclear, adding to the complexity of the narrative, and making the book somewhat challenging to follow.
For me, this book doesn't fall into the category of easy reads. Between ambiguity, translation nuances, multiple points of view, numerous plotlines, and a multitude of characters, readers must have unwavering focus to navigate the storyline.
The plot itself is uneven and often confusing, particularly for those who cherished Larsson's original Lisbeth Salander. Lisbeth in this book almost appears as a different person altogether. However, the book does redeem itself in its final third, as Lisbeth becomes more involved, and various plotlines converge, injecting some much-needed excitement into the narrative.
Recommendation
While "The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons" starts slowly with occasional ambiguous writing and lacks Lisbeth Salander's presence for a considerable portion, it eventually picks up in the final third. The complex narrative structure demands attentive reading, making it suitable for dedicated fans of the series who can overlook its initial drawbacks.
Rating
2 Wind Turbine Stars