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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5 stars. An entertaining and enjoyable read for sure. It helps that I have been to the town in Iceland where this takes place, I could picture it perfectly.
A slow burn of a story, rather than constant fireworks. Maybe it was the mood I was in when reading the book, but I really dug the still quietness of the story. Jonasson does a great job creating a world; the town itself is almost like one of the characters. I got a real sense of place and felt I learned about Iceland in general. I'm looking forward to reading the other 5 books in the series.
3.75/5
Fresh out of college Ari Thór takes a job with a police force 5 hours away from home without really thinking on it, nor consulting with his live-in girlfriend, who is going to medical school and very much ingrained in her current community. His new job is in the farthest Northern part of Iceland in a small town where nothing happens. Should be a pretty cushy gig, right? That may have been true, until a woman appears in the middle of town, half nude and on the brink of death...
To kick off the book, part of me wanted to hate Ari Thór for taking this job without even talking to his partner about it, but then I thought back to right before college graduation and the desperation of finding a job (mid economic crisis, mind you), and I just couldn't. I understand why he did it 100%. Great, now we've got that out of the way.
I felt this was more of a suspense/mystery than thriller. There wasn't really any super fast-paced moments; the whole book felt like a slow-burn, but there was just something about it. It was very well written. There was a duality to the book as well - a few very in-your-face crimes, but also a side story that eventually comes into play, and had me stumped throughout. The actual who done it part of the book felt very Agatha Christie to me.
I enjoyed getting to know young Ari Thór. Seeing as how I knew this was a series going in, I wanted a character that I wouldn't mind following for 5 more books. Jónasson delivered that with Ari. In addition to the mystery of who committed the crime, there's the bonus mystery of which love interest does he choose?! Who doesn't love a little romance sprinkled into their suspense novel? I sure do!
Fresh out of college Ari Thór takes a job with a police force 5 hours away from home without really thinking on it, nor consulting with his live-in girlfriend, who is going to medical school and very much ingrained in her current community. His new job is in the farthest Northern part of Iceland in a small town where nothing happens. Should be a pretty cushy gig, right? That may have been true, until a woman appears in the middle of town, half nude and on the brink of death...
To kick off the book, part of me wanted to hate Ari Thór for taking this job without even talking to his partner about it, but then I thought back to right before college graduation and the desperation of finding a job (mid economic crisis, mind you), and I just couldn't. I understand why he did it 100%. Great, now we've got that out of the way.
I felt this was more of a suspense/mystery than thriller. There wasn't really any super fast-paced moments; the whole book felt like a slow-burn, but there was just something about it. It was very well written. There was a duality to the book as well - a few very in-your-face crimes, but also a side story that eventually comes into play, and had me stumped throughout. The actual who done it part of the book felt very Agatha Christie to me.
I enjoyed getting to know young Ari Thór. Seeing as how I knew this was a series going in, I wanted a character that I wouldn't mind following for 5 more books. Jónasson delivered that with Ari. In addition to the mystery of who committed the crime, there's the bonus mystery of which love interest does he choose?! Who doesn't love a little romance sprinkled into their suspense novel? I sure do!
A fun mystery set in a very small town where “nothing ever happens.” But everyone knows everything about everyone. The snow and unending night provide a cold and claustrophobic setting for the townspeople confronting a murderer in their community.
Nothing too deep here, hence 3 (really 3.5) stars. Starts a bit slow, some of the descriptions and information are redundant, but an enjoyable distraction for a gray rainy day!
Nothing too deep here, hence 3 (really 3.5) stars. Starts a bit slow, some of the descriptions and information are redundant, but an enjoyable distraction for a gray rainy day!
I got a huge Agatha Christie vibe from this book. I learned that the author translated some of her books into Icelandic, so I can see how he was influenced by her style. It's a classic close room mystery, interesting characters and a charming setting. Would be a great read for Winter time, as it takes place in a small Icelandic town in the middle of Winter (and the constant snow is claustrophobic at one point!). I particularly liked the ending: very unexpected and still reasonable.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
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:
Yes
In addition to all the other factors that make a book enjoyable—effective pacing, interesting character development, solid plotting—mysteries demand that writers carefully dole out information as needed for the reader to either solve the puzzle at the right time or trick the reader in a series of plot twists. Neither of those things happen in Ragnar Jónasson’s Snowblind, unfortunately. I don’t fault the translator, Quentin Bates, for the flaws in this novel. All the problems are structural. In fact, this book has so many fundamental issues that I wonder it’s garnered praise from the people who supplies the blurbs...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
Afraid I didn't enjoy this one as much as I expected. Had some difficulty keeping all of the characters straight. There were also some things about the main character I found kind of annoying. And the way the "Before" chapters were thrown in was kind of confusing, though that makes sense by the end. However I wasn’t turned off enough to not to give the next one in the series a try (or read another one by this author).
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated