Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-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
did not believe I would enjoy this at the beginning, due to all of the characters being awful, but the mystery itself was compelling enough to have me staying up nearly two hours past my bedtime, and I enjoyed it immensely
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Vomit, Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, Car accident
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Serious issues with internalized misogyny, fat phobia, and abilism from the start.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mediocre at best. The murder mystery is fairly by the numbers, with the identity of the murderer apparent from fairly early on and little suspense present to enliven the rest of the book. The main character, Thora Gudmundsdottir, is supposed to be a mostly cheerful single mother who works as a lawyer, but her character is inconsistently drawn, her competence as a lawyer varies wildly according to plot demands, and her witty banter is nowhere near so amusing as the author seems to think—especially when said banter comes in the form of nasty remarks about fat people.
The worst element of the book for me, however, was supposedly its main selling point (the book's subtitle is A Tale of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft and Modern Murder). I wouldn't be surprised if Yrsa Sigurðardóttir had done her research on medieval history and on modern academia by skimming Wikipedia articles—that part of the novel was sometimes inaccurate and frequently fanciful, and showed absolutely no knowledge of how academia works or what medieval historians work on. I blinked in surprise at how many academics professed to be creeped out at the thoughts of one of their number studying witchcraft—the author is clearly unfamiliar with a whole field in gender studies. I'm not inclined to seek out the rest of the series.
The worst element of the book for me, however, was supposedly its main selling point (the book's subtitle is A Tale of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft and Modern Murder). I wouldn't be surprised if Yrsa Sigurðardóttir had done her research on medieval history and on modern academia by skimming Wikipedia articles—that part of the novel was sometimes inaccurate and frequently fanciful, and showed absolutely no knowledge of how academia works or what medieval historians work on. I blinked in surprise at how many academics professed to be creeped out at the thoughts of one of their number studying witchcraft—the author is clearly unfamiliar with a whole field in gender studies. I'm not inclined to seek out the rest of the series.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
translated from Icelandic language
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
It was fine. Not as exciting as I thought it would be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Fatphobia, Misogyny
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore
This book was given to me as a gift for my upcoming vacation. I wanted to read an Icelandic novel on my trip to Iceland. Apparently Yrsa Sigurdardottir is the second largest mystery writer in Iceland, or so I was informed while on tour. I enjoyed the book quite a bit. There were some moments where the language felt silly or unnatural, but the characters felt real enough. I was entertained. I wanted to solve the mystery and discover the truth of the murder and subsequent witchcraft tie in. My main complaint is that it felt like it somehow lacked depth, and what was unearthed and explored regarding certain characters felt somehow shallow. I wanted passion, intensity, intrigue, and a gasp worthy finish. I didn't really get that. The case unraveled naturally enough. And I believe drama was attempted with the issue revolving around our main character's son, but it forced, and somehow lackluster. It was a solid mystery. It did its due with precision and backstory, but not with flair. I was curious enough to continue on. I thought the plot was well planned and formulated strategically, but it somehow fell flat in the artistry, in the finesse and fineness of language. In the end, the book felt good, decent, but somehow average.