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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Crime stories are not my go-to genre; I tend to stay away from them. But this one totally hooked me in, first with the cover then with the names and finally with the story itself. (Yes! I have a few superficial tendencies).
The story drew me into the lives of all the characters, the small town community, and into the mystery of the crime. I found myself invested. I found myself filled with suspense. And, I found myself incredibly curious about Iceland, a country that I never gave much thought to.
I was fascinated by every aspect of this story—the book cover, the characters, their relationships, their names, the crime, the town, the country, the Icelandic winter.
Snowblind is a quiet mystery that kept me eagerly reading each and every page. It is well written and atmospheric in its storytelling. This book suited me well.
—————
A word about the book cover. I love it and I was crushed by it. I loved the cover that I originally laid eyes on, that was my first attraction to this story. The book I received from the library was not the same cover, it crushed me. I was overwhelmingly disappointed when I first saw it, so much so that I almost didn't check it out. I checked it out only because it was highly recommended to me, otherwise it would have stayed in the library. Yes, I'm superficial in this way. And yes, I now highly recommended this book too.
A word about the names. Ari Thor. That name rocks. The character himself made the name rock even more. If I were younger I would have a serious fictional crush. But I'm not younger so I am not going there. But wow. He's a flawed character with potential. Back to names....how about the author's first name? Ragnar. Another name that rocks, but this time I credit this fab name to a series that I am enamored by, and the narrator's way of saying the name. Every time I see this author's name, I hear the narrator. Wait! The other names in the book are fascinating too. I was quite taken by almost all of them. I suppose this is the nature of reading a book in translation, it was originally written in Icelandic.
The story drew me into the lives of all the characters, the small town community, and into the mystery of the crime. I found myself invested. I found myself filled with suspense. And, I found myself incredibly curious about Iceland, a country that I never gave much thought to.
I was fascinated by every aspect of this story—the book cover, the characters, their relationships, their names, the crime, the town, the country, the Icelandic winter.
Snowblind is a quiet mystery that kept me eagerly reading each and every page. It is well written and atmospheric in its storytelling. This book suited me well.
—————
A word about the book cover. I love it and I was crushed by it. I loved the cover that I originally laid eyes on, that was my first attraction to this story. The book I received from the library was not the same cover, it crushed me. I was overwhelmingly disappointed when I first saw it, so much so that I almost didn't check it out. I checked it out only because it was highly recommended to me, otherwise it would have stayed in the library. Yes, I'm superficial in this way. And yes, I now highly recommended this book too.
A word about the names. Ari Thor. That name rocks. The character himself made the name rock even more. If I were younger I would have a serious fictional crush. But I'm not younger so I am not going there. But wow. He's a flawed character with potential. Back to names....how about the author's first name? Ragnar. Another name that rocks, but this time I credit this fab name to a series that I am enamored by, and the narrator's way of saying the name. Every time I see this author's name, I hear the narrator. Wait! The other names in the book are fascinating too. I was quite taken by almost all of them. I suppose this is the nature of reading a book in translation, it was originally written in Icelandic.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
slow-paced
I enjoyed this book a lot. I love mysteries and thrillers, but this one was quite different from what I have read before. It was slower than I expected a thriller to be, but as I read it felt myself getting more tense and sucked into the book. The setting was perfect to set up a dark crime drama in a small town. I felt even myself get claustrophobic as times (like the MC) as the snow fell, the routes out were obstructed, and it seemed dark all the time. This was due to the very skillfully constructed and described setting in northern Iceland. It comforted me that the MC was not used to the weather either and I felt like we were learning to cope with it together. The plot was interested and timed very well, but the gold stars were the characters. Each as mysterious and intricately pieced together as the next. It's been a long time since I read such interesting characters with the perfect balance of details and mystique. I just loved how this story was put together into the perfect crime novel and I cannot wait to return to this snowy dark Icelandic town for more crime drama. I can't believe this was a translated book because the prose and the flow of the story were spot on.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I like that Ari Thór solved the crime but didn't get the result he wanted. It felt real. I'm not a huge fan of Ari Thór so far, though, and hope that changes as I'm going to try to read the entire Dark Iceland series.
We’re traveling to Iceland in a few weeks and I like to try and read local authors and local settings of the places I visit. This was a crime-detective-whodunnit, set in a remote town in Iceland. It was… okay. The writing was very clipped/choppy. This may a) be Icelandic b) be the translation c) be the immature writing of a first time author. I did think the author could use a lesson in “show, don’t tell.” Because there was an awful lot of narrative exposition. And I suspected our killer long before the big reveal (and I usually am not that good), so I think the narrative twist leaves something to be desired. But the story was amusing enough that I’ll probably read a sequel before our trip.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes