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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I cry for the trees that gave their lives for this horrible book.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was a pretty good book, but not a huge fan of the translation. It's got that characteristic awkward voice where the cultural norms just don't align, and the translator doesn't map them over but let's them just feel clunky.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Iceland; crime
Started off well. A female lawyer asked to assist the family of a german student murdered. Got bogged down in the search for ancient documents; unrelated family issues and a rather lame romance. By the end of the book, I knew all about witchcraft in Iceland, but didn't care 'who done it'.
Started off well. A female lawyer asked to assist the family of a german student murdered. Got bogged down in the search for ancient documents; unrelated family issues and a rather lame romance. By the end of the book, I knew all about witchcraft in Iceland, but didn't care 'who done it'.
dark
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
The story of Harald Guntlieb's murder was an easy read which I stuck with, as I wanted to find out 'whodunit'. However I found the characters lacked depth, with Thora and Matthew's burgeoning relationship feeling too manufactured and the incidental characters being dropped before their stories were allowed to develop and embellish the main tale.
The final resolution to the story arrived on the very last page before the epilogue and seemed rushed - as if the author herself had got bored with the story and wanted to get it over and done with.
Not great literature - despite the claim of being an 'international best seller' - save it for after ski reading, and then leave it in the ski lodge...
The final resolution to the story arrived on the very last page before the epilogue and seemed rushed - as if the author herself had got bored with the story and wanted to get it over and done with.
Not great literature - despite the claim of being an 'international best seller' - save it for after ski reading, and then leave it in the ski lodge...
adventurous
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:
Complicated
First off, I read the German translation of this book.
I loved the mystery and was quite surprised about the plottwist, however I have some beef with the mc, Thora.
I really hate her, to be honest. She is so judgy, especially with other female characters.
I have been trying to read more literature written by women, which is how I found this book. But it is just disappointing, how Thora is body shaming and thinking about other characters.
The plot itself was fine, however,the romantic relationship of Thora was weird and the pregnancy thing with her son and his girlfriend were quite unnessessary. Like, why would they not talk about abortion when a 15-16 year old girl becomes pregnant by another teen?!
Overall a very nice read and I have continued in this series, hoping for more character developement😆
I loved the mystery and was quite surprised about the plottwist, however I have some beef with the mc, Thora.
I really hate her, to be honest. She is so judgy, especially with other female characters.
I have been trying to read more literature written by women, which is how I found this book. But it is just disappointing, how Thora is body shaming and thinking about other characters.
The plot itself was fine, however,
Overall a very nice read and I have continued in this series, hoping for more character developement😆
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I must admit I love a book that has content that connects me in with some of previous reads, adding layers of knowledge to topics that previously piqued my interest. Icelandic crime author, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s Last Rituals did exactly that. Last Rituals is the first in Sigurðardóttir’s Thóra Gudmundsdóttir series and has been on my TBR shelf for a few years. I hadn’t been able to source a copy but finally found one at a second hand book sale and totally enjoyed a classic Nordic Noir set in my favourite setting in the far north.
Last Rituals is a page turning crime drama revolving around theme of medieval witchcraft, linking 16th and 17th century Iceland to the modern day. The plot of the book consists of a particularly gruesome murder (think body mutilation, skin carvings, eye gouging and you’ve got the picture), university students, medieval witchcraft texts and historical Icelandic manuscripts. Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is a lawyer and finds herself embroiled in pseudo detective work as she works at the behest of a family to get to the bottom of their son’s brutal murder. Thóra is a generally likeable character and Sigurðardóttir provides just enough of her humanity to make her reasonably authentic.
I really liked the detail that Sigurðardóttir provides around the Icelandic manuscripts that historical figure and antiquarian, Árni Magnússon had collected and collated in the 16/1700s. I had previously learned about this and subsequently researched while reading Iceland’s Bell by Halldór Laxness. Sigurðardóttir goes to great lengths to provide great detail about these manuscripts, including historical characters central to some of these. Events in Skálholt where Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson collected historic manuscripts is detailed and unanswered mysteries form the basis of the intrigue that I loved throughout the book.
At times I felt there may have been too much detail, and I found myself reading and rereading sections to make sure I understood all the content. The book was a great balance between a good Scandi Noir crime with some excellent historical fiction as the basis.
A great first book to a series I’m looking forward to reading more of. This is the Sigurðardóttir that I love. 4.5 stars.
Last Rituals is a page turning crime drama revolving around theme of medieval witchcraft, linking 16th and 17th century Iceland to the modern day. The plot of the book consists of a particularly gruesome murder (think body mutilation, skin carvings, eye gouging and you’ve got the picture), university students, medieval witchcraft texts and historical Icelandic manuscripts. Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is a lawyer and finds herself embroiled in pseudo detective work as she works at the behest of a family to get to the bottom of their son’s brutal murder. Thóra is a generally likeable character and Sigurðardóttir provides just enough of her humanity to make her reasonably authentic.
I really liked the detail that Sigurðardóttir provides around the Icelandic manuscripts that historical figure and antiquarian, Árni Magnússon had collected and collated in the 16/1700s. I had previously learned about this and subsequently researched while reading Iceland’s Bell by Halldór Laxness. Sigurðardóttir goes to great lengths to provide great detail about these manuscripts, including historical characters central to some of these. Events in Skálholt where Bishop Brynjólfur Sveinsson collected historic manuscripts is detailed and unanswered mysteries form the basis of the intrigue that I loved throughout the book.
At times I felt there may have been too much detail, and I found myself reading and rereading sections to make sure I understood all the content. The book was a great balance between a good Scandi Noir crime with some excellent historical fiction as the basis.
A great first book to a series I’m looking forward to reading more of. This is the Sigurðardóttir that I love. 4.5 stars.