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angesquires's review
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sesiljesili's review against another edition
4.0
Pošaljimo primerak sudiji Majiću da vidi kako se piše roman.
Prevodilac je na momente fušario, ima neki televisa presenta situacija, ali da vozi - vozi i to fino.
Prevodilac je na momente fušario, ima neki televisa presenta situacija, ali da vozi - vozi i to fino.
tucker11grad's review against another edition
5.0
This police procedural is both gruesome and shocking. Yrsa Sigurdardóttir out did herself. I found myself both shocked and intrigued by her book.
stisa06's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
crazysecondname's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
uff
ich hätte dem buch sehr gerne 5 sterne gegeben. von der story her wäre das verdient gewesen.
aber die übersetzung hat mich zwischendurch echt rausgerissen und ich versteh's nicht. es ist die selbe Übersetzerin qie für DnA und Schnee und da war das nich so anstrengend. also keine ahnung aber es fing an dass Hot Tub mit Hot Tub übersetzt wurde. und like nein. das heißt whirlpool.
aber damit hätte ich leben können wenn es nicht ständig wiederholt worden wäre als ich grad aufgehört hab dran zu denken.
schlimmer war aber Blutgruppe null plus. da musst ich das buch erstmal zuklappen und weglegen.
ich mein hot tub kann man irgendwie noch nachvollziehen aber blutgruppen werden mit positiv oder negativ angegeben und das ist einfach nicht akzeptabel.
daher sind es leider nur 4.5 sterne
die story war zum glück gut genug
auch wenn die sache mit erla maximal unnötig war ich hoffe das ist im nächsten Buch endgültig geklärt
ich hätte dem buch sehr gerne 5 sterne gegeben. von der story her wäre das verdient gewesen.
aber die übersetzung hat mich zwischendurch echt rausgerissen und ich versteh's nicht. es ist die selbe Übersetzerin qie für DnA und Schnee und da war das nich so anstrengend. also keine ahnung aber es fing an dass Hot Tub mit Hot Tub übersetzt wurde. und like nein. das heißt whirlpool.
aber damit hätte ich leben können wenn es nicht ständig wiederholt worden wäre als ich grad aufgehört hab dran zu denken.
schlimmer war aber Blutgruppe null plus. da musst ich das buch erstmal zuklappen und weglegen.
ich mein hot tub kann man irgendwie noch nachvollziehen aber blutgruppen werden mit positiv oder negativ angegeben und das ist einfach nicht akzeptabel.
daher sind es leider nur 4.5 sterne
die story war zum glück gut genug
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture and Child abuse
jdglasgow's review
4.0
Although I enjoyed Siggurdardóttir’s first book in the series (called THE LEGACY in the US) in the end, the sort of horror aspects to it, including the gruesome violence, aren’t really the sort of thing that I’m typically into. Despite this, I felt inclined to continue the series because I did feel her writing is strong and the mystery aspect was compelling.
This second in the series, THE RECKONING, in my opinion is better than the first. It does have a similar premise: an escalating series of grisly murders are occurring in Iceland and it’s up to good cop Huldar and child psychologist Freyja to identify the killer before it’s too late. But two things struck me about this book as compared to the first. One, the violence is toned down here? I guess that’s the way to say it. Although the murders are no less grisly than before, it doesn’t have the same grimy feeling that I got from the previous book. Instead of sitting with the victims as the murders happen, getting their last thoughts and sensations, the book tends to cut away as the deed is done or focuses on the people who *find* the bodies in the aftermath. I don’t think this reduces the seriousness of the crimes—we still get an in-depth description of the state of the bodies afterward—but it does make for an easier read because it’s not quite so dark.
Secondly, and I guess maybe this ties into the first point a little, I think this book does a far better job of centering the trauma of the people who have been abused or who have seen horrific acts occur. In the first book there was basically only the little girl who had heard her mother killed, and the majority of her role was to withhold information from the police. Here, we get a good view of all sorts of people who were affected by a rape/murder by Jón Jonnson many years ago—the way the act hangs over the head of his family, the family of the murdered girl, and those who were involved in the earlier case. I think the difficulty they all have coping with continuing after a crime like that is drawn very well here. One criticism may be that it makes it too easy to sympathize with the murderer, a problem the first book didn’t have because the crazy incest-baby abortion subplot was never telegraphed and is hardly relatable. I think if this book had taken the same tack of really sitting with the victims as they suffered, the tendency to think of the “bad guy” as good-intentioned but going overboard might be lessened.
But overall I just think this is a tighter-written story. The first veered into ridiculousness at the end, but this one comes together pretty well, I think, and kind of implicates everyone a little before it’s over. There isn’t just one straightforward answer of who is responsible because it’s a combination of several people enabling and protecting one another. Those layers of responsibility continue to get peeled back well into the epilogue, so the book provides surprise after surprise. And as far as pure mystery goes, I will say I had a suspect picked out from the start but when that person came under suspicion 86% of the way through the book I realized that character could not be the perpetrator and was certain it was a second character… but I was wrong again. The fact that it kept me guessing was fun.
And yes, I like the romantic tension between Huldar and Freyja. I like that Siggurdardóttir is fleshing them both out, making them both flawed but well-meaning and having them slowly come to like one another through bouts of miscommunication and distrust. Their story is being handled with care such that when they do finally get on the same wavelength (I assume this is inevitable), it will be very rewarding.
When I finished THE LEGACY, I was willing to continue the series but now I’m fully on-board. I’m excited for book #3, THE ABSOLUTION.
This second in the series, THE RECKONING, in my opinion is better than the first. It does have a similar premise: an escalating series of grisly murders are occurring in Iceland and it’s up to good cop Huldar and child psychologist Freyja to identify the killer before it’s too late. But two things struck me about this book as compared to the first. One, the violence is toned down here? I guess that’s the way to say it. Although the murders are no less grisly than before, it doesn’t have the same grimy feeling that I got from the previous book. Instead of sitting with the victims as the murders happen, getting their last thoughts and sensations, the book tends to cut away as the deed is done or focuses on the people who *find* the bodies in the aftermath. I don’t think this reduces the seriousness of the crimes—we still get an in-depth description of the state of the bodies afterward—but it does make for an easier read because it’s not quite so dark.
Secondly, and I guess maybe this ties into the first point a little, I think this book does a far better job of centering the trauma of the people who have been abused or who have seen horrific acts occur. In the first book there was basically only the little girl who had heard her mother killed, and the majority of her role was to withhold information from the police. Here, we get a good view of all sorts of people who were affected by a rape/murder by Jón Jonnson many years ago—the way the act hangs over the head of his family, the family of the murdered girl, and those who were involved in the earlier case. I think the difficulty they all have coping with continuing after a crime like that is drawn very well here. One criticism may be that it makes it too easy to sympathize with the murderer, a problem the first book didn’t have because the crazy incest-baby abortion subplot was never telegraphed and is hardly relatable. I think if this book had taken the same tack of really sitting with the victims as they suffered, the tendency to think of the “bad guy” as good-intentioned but going overboard might be lessened.
But overall I just think this is a tighter-written story. The first veered into ridiculousness at the end, but this one comes together pretty well, I think, and kind of implicates everyone a little before it’s over. There isn’t just one straightforward answer of who is responsible because it’s a combination of several people enabling and protecting one another. Those layers of responsibility continue to get peeled back well into the epilogue, so the book provides surprise after surprise. And as far as pure mystery goes, I will say I had a suspect picked out from the start but when that person came under suspicion 86% of the way through the book I realized that character could not be the perpetrator and was certain it was a second character… but I was wrong again. The fact that it kept me guessing was fun.
And yes, I like the romantic tension between Huldar and Freyja. I like that Siggurdardóttir is fleshing them both out, making them both flawed but well-meaning and having them slowly come to like one another through bouts of miscommunication and distrust. Their story is being handled with care such that when they do finally get on the same wavelength (I assume this is inevitable), it will be very rewarding.
When I finished THE LEGACY, I was willing to continue the series but now I’m fully on-board. I’m excited for book #3, THE ABSOLUTION.
gwenhwyfar82's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
cook_memorial_public_library's review
4.0
A 2019 staff favorite recommended by Heather. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sreckoning%20sigurdardottir__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold