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anharris's review
Was hard to follow with the translation from Swedish.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Excrement, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
At a hefty 700+ pages this was always going to take a while. The subject matter also ensured that this needed to be put down regularly.
The Crow Girl is a story that can, in no way, be described as anything other than showing people at their basest. When the mummified body of a young boy is found in a bag it is evident that this is not going to be pleasant…but as the strands were joined up, and we saw how pervasive the spread of these characters and their actions had been, I found myself repulsed. Yet the depiction of our main two female characters was fascinating, and I found myself keen to see this through in spite of its deeply troubling subject matter.
DS Jeanette Kihlberg is the person who finds herself caught up in the search for a serial killer. The bodies pile up, and we see the same names cropping up time and time again. One of these names is Sofia Zetterlund, a psychotherapist who seems to have treated a number of the young people involved, and her involvement in these events that have spanned decades is really not at all what you expect.
There’s more than one or two surprising twists to this story. The psychological study involved really kept me engaged when I might, otherwise, have stopped reading. I can’t say I enjoyed this, but it was certainly plotted well.
The Crow Girl is a story that can, in no way, be described as anything other than showing people at their basest. When the mummified body of a young boy is found in a bag it is evident that this is not going to be pleasant…but as the strands were joined up, and we saw how pervasive the spread of these characters and their actions had been, I found myself repulsed. Yet the depiction of our main two female characters was fascinating, and I found myself keen to see this through in spite of its deeply troubling subject matter.
DS Jeanette Kihlberg is the person who finds herself caught up in the search for a serial killer. The bodies pile up, and we see the same names cropping up time and time again. One of these names is Sofia Zetterlund, a psychotherapist who seems to have treated a number of the young people involved, and her involvement in these events that have spanned decades is really not at all what you expect.
There’s more than one or two surprising twists to this story. The psychological study involved really kept me engaged when I might, otherwise, have stopped reading. I can’t say I enjoyed this, but it was certainly plotted well.
jennamae's review against another edition
5.0
It’s lengthy but so worth it. Normally I’m good at guessing what’s going to happen, but this book had so many twists and turns i couldn’t figure it out. This is definitely a ride.
myweereads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very lengthy read theres no doubt about that but also remembering its 3 books in one volume. The plot has so many twists and turns and constantly keeps the reader changing their mind about what they think is happening and who done it. It is very descriptive and quite graphic with its themes of child abuse etc. Although i found it hard to read due to those reasons at times i was still left determined to finish this book. Im glad i did and would recommend this to every fan of a good detective thriller featuring strong female characters and a well planned plot.
waheela's review against another edition
3.0
Started out well enough, but devolved into too much human drama. However, that was part of the plot, so I guess generally it should have been fine. Unfortunately I lost interest and got bored. Dont think I will read the next.
Two and a half star but rounding up as I was well enough entertained while drivning.
Two and a half star but rounding up as I was well enough entertained while drivning.
melonpea's review against another edition
4.0
So many twists and turns, some I saw coming but more I really didn't. It's a great read but very dark, with awful and upsetting themes.
wanderlustsleeping's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
All week I've been craving a good thriller. I had borrowed the audiobook of a thriller last week from my library, was disappointed in it, and ended up putting it down after 65%. I've been working all year on reading my own books, and from a quick glance at my shelves saw that this one was the only straight mystery/thriller book on them. With this seeming like my only option for the genre I was looking for, I picked this up, and decided I was going to finish it no matter what.
I never want to read anything like this again. The subject matter was just way too horrific and unsettling. I'm not sure where I got this book recommendation, pretty sure probably on booktube years ago. Well, I've definitely changed since putting this on my to-read list. I'm finding that to be the case with a lot of books on my bookshelves that I had put on years ago, but am only picking up now, but this one is the most striking. I didn't know the subject matter going in, but I'm sure the quote on the front calling it "the most disturbing book" lured me in because horror, mysteries, thrillers, etc. I used to think the darker the better. Well, no thanks, not anymore! I've found my limit! Maybe it's because now I'm older, maybe it's because I'm entering a new stage in life, but I'm way more sensitive now. And I'm ok with that!
Now, onto more specific talk of the book. I think the structure was very well done. I could see one arguing it's too long and there's too much focus on characters that ends up being pointless and just to distract readers from the truth. This is partly true, the book does employ the method of speaking in less detail about the culprits, in order to avoid spoiling who they are, but the characters that get a lot of screen time so to speak are going through their own things, and especially for one of the characters it's extremely important that they have that long journey.
Overall, I'd never recommend this book to anyone, the authors are very clever with their writing and plot structure, finding out who the culprit was and their background was simultaneously disturbing and just so-so, and though the writing and unfolding of the plot is clever, you can tell this work has been translated.
All week I've been craving a good thriller. I had borrowed the audiobook of a thriller last week from my library, was disappointed in it, and ended up putting it down after 65%. I've been working all year on reading my own books, and from a quick glance at my shelves saw that this one was the only straight mystery/thriller book on them. With this seeming like my only option for the genre I was looking for, I picked this up, and decided I was going to finish it no matter what.
I never want to read anything like this again. The subject matter was just way too horrific and unsettling. I'm not sure where I got this book recommendation, pretty sure probably on booktube years ago. Well, I've definitely changed since putting this on my to-read list. I'm finding that to be the case with a lot of books on my bookshelves that I had put on years ago, but am only picking up now, but this one is the most striking. I didn't know the subject matter going in, but I'm sure the quote on the front calling it "the most disturbing book" lured me in because horror, mysteries, thrillers, etc. I used to think the darker the better. Well, no thanks, not anymore! I've found my limit! Maybe it's because now I'm older, maybe it's because I'm entering a new stage in life, but I'm way more sensitive now. And I'm ok with that!
Now, onto more specific talk of the book. I think the structure was very well done. I could see one arguing it's too long and there's too much focus on characters that ends up being pointless and just to distract readers from the truth. This is partly true, the book does employ the method of speaking in less detail about the culprits, in order to avoid spoiling who they are, but the characters that get a lot of screen time so to speak are going through their own things, and especially for one of the characters it's extremely important that they have that long journey.
Overall, I'd never recommend this book to anyone, the authors are very clever with their writing and plot structure, finding out who the culprit was and their background was simultaneously disturbing and just so-so, and though the writing and unfolding of the plot is clever, you can tell this work has been translated.