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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
even though it's such a literary country, i have not read a lot of icelandic literature. i am a fan of scandinavian noir, so had heard that jónasson was doing great icelandic noir writing. i'm glad to have finally read book 1 in his 'dark iceland' series.
i really loved the settings and moods in this book - i think jónasson did a really good job evoking the challenges of living so far north, and feeling isolated. the character of ari thór is interesting and it will be cool to see how he develops as the books go on. the supporting characters have quirks and pasts that added neat layers to the story. the mystery itself was alright - not surprising or difficult to figure out. i found the ending - a '6 months later' thing - a bit of a let down, given this is a series and things could be stretched out a bit.
there is an enjoyable mention of iceland's annual book tradition of giving books on christmas eve, so that tiny moment in the story was awesome for this book nerd.
one point of interest from the author's bio at the back of the book: jónasson sounds like a neat guy -- among varied accomplishments, he has translated 14 agatha christie novels into icelandic. there is a bit of a christie feel to snowblind... though it is a darker entry into the mystery genre.
i really loved the settings and moods in this book - i think jónasson did a really good job evoking the challenges of living so far north, and feeling isolated. the character of ari thór is interesting and it will be cool to see how he develops as the books go on. the supporting characters have quirks and pasts that added neat layers to the story. the mystery itself was alright - not surprising or difficult to figure out. i found the ending - a '6 months later' thing - a bit of a let down, given this is a series and things could be stretched out a bit.
there is an enjoyable mention of iceland's annual book tradition of giving books on christmas eve, so that tiny moment in the story was awesome for this book nerd.
one point of interest from the author's bio at the back of the book: jónasson sounds like a neat guy -- among varied accomplishments, he has translated 14 agatha christie novels into icelandic. there is a bit of a christie feel to snowblind... though it is a darker entry into the mystery genre.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a great read for fans of Icelandic crime fiction. The book focuses more on the plot rather than character development. I would recommend this book for fans of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir as it has a similar vibe and setting.
The plot is pretty uncompelling, and not a good enough balance between Ari Thor's personal life and the actual crime/mystery for either to be intriguing. The style is very to-the-point in a way that's off-putting, because there's very little detail; I'm constantly told about Ari Thor's struggles with his personal life, but never actually shown. The romances are pretty annoying and vapid. The 'reveal' of the crime is boring as hell.
Overall it just wasn't a really good book.
Overall it just wasn't a really good book.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was OK. I enjoyed it, but there was something missing in the build up of the story. I can't exactly tell what it was, it just wasn't there. To be honest, the part I liked the most was when the mystery started to untangle... 2/3 of the dialogues in the book were just painful to read - so bland, so soulless. I can't imagine real people speaking like this...
However, the final chapter with Kristin was super eye-opening and brought a much needed "zing" to the story. It also showed clearly what miscommunication means. I'd love to see if her relationship with Ari continues in the next books.
However, the final chapter with Kristin was super eye-opening and brought a much needed "zing" to the story. It also showed clearly what miscommunication means. I'd love to see if her relationship with Ari continues in the next books.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, not so much for the plot line which, to me, seemed a little rushed at the end, but because to was a great ground breaking introduction to the characters that are to be featured in the other books in this series.
The way the Author described the snowfall actually made me feel as if looking out my window, I would be met with snow drifts and big fat flakes falling from the sky; an impossibility as I now live in Florida. The oppressive nature of knowing you are truly cut off from the rest of the 'world' was also well written.
This book provoked a lot of emotions and reactions which is due to the magnificent translation done so this book could be enjoyed by those of us who do not speak or read Icelandic. Some translations cause the work to lose the intent of the original, but I feel that is not the case here.
I highly recommend this book, and will be continuing to read the series.
The way the Author described the snowfall actually made me feel as if looking out my window, I would be met with snow drifts and big fat flakes falling from the sky; an impossibility as I now live in Florida. The oppressive nature of knowing you are truly cut off from the rest of the 'world' was also well written.
This book provoked a lot of emotions and reactions which is due to the magnificent translation done so this book could be enjoyed by those of us who do not speak or read Icelandic. Some translations cause the work to lose the intent of the original, but I feel that is not the case here.
I highly recommend this book, and will be continuing to read the series.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes