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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
A gentle, atmospheric read with a slow build up and a satisfying resolution.
I found this through a review which described it as being in the same vein as Agatha Christie. While the mystery, which centers on the secrets of a community drama troupe in a small, northern Icelandic town, isn't the most riveting, the atmosphere and culture of Iceland was enjoyable for this U.S. reader. Translated from Icelandic, the writing is pretty easy to follow and it doesn't seem like much is "lost in the translation." But the very foreign names were harder for me to keep straight than American ones would be. A second book with the same characters and setting is available and I hope to read this one soon as well.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lots of pacing issues here. The first act of the story establishes the protagonist's situation (young man from city takes his first police job in a wintry and isolated small town). The second act explores the backstories of some key residents in this small town, with some very slow plot developments for the protagonist. The rushed third act has him work to solve the mystery. The ending wasn't very satisfying because there's not much cat-and-mouse and not much tension.
I don't read crime/thrillers particularly often, but when I do I expect to feel tense and nervous, hooked into the story and terrified for the people involved. This fell so flat. I didn't care about the protagonist, he made stupid decisions and was a very selfish and self-absorbed person. Also, whether this is because it's a translation I'm not sure, but there was absolutely 0 atmosphere. It's almost as if the author felt like saying the word "claustrophobic" every chapter was enough to make the book feel claustrophobic. It wasn't.
The plot was weak and unengaging, the characters were single-dimensional and I felt no interest at any point. I only finished it because it was short and I hate DNFing.
The plot was weak and unengaging, the characters were single-dimensional and I felt no interest at any point. I only finished it because it was short and I hate DNFing.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Snowblind was my first Nordic noir and it was pretty good. The beginning had me hooked and I was very intrigued, then I ended up getting a little bored. I can’t tell if it took me so long to read because I was bored, or if I was bored because it took me so long to read?? Or maybe it was just a slow burn?! I really enjoyed it regardless.
I did find it difficult to keep some of the characters straight, but I do think that was part in my inability to properly pronounce the Icelandic names. I promptly went on YouTube to hear the pronunciation of multiple Icelandic towns and names.
I did become attached to quite a few characters, so I hope I see some of them in the other books! Also, Ari Thor 😍
I did find it difficult to keep some of the characters straight, but I do think that was part in my inability to properly pronounce the Icelandic names. I promptly went on YouTube to hear the pronunciation of multiple Icelandic towns and names.
I did become attached to quite a few characters, so I hope I see some of them in the other books! Also, Ari Thor 😍
I enjoyed this very much and can't wait to read more by this author. The small town vibe reminded me of the Beartown books by Fredrik Backman.
An engaging story and a great setting -- I'm not 100% sold so I'll probably get book 2 from the library rather than buying it.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A nice mystery. I listened to the audiobook and some of the detail got a little tedious at first but everything made sense in the end. I'll most likely read more in the series.