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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maija and her family arrive on Blackasen Mountain to begin a new life. But the mountain is perilous and soon their fragile new world is disrupted when her daughter, Fredricka, finds the body of a murdered man on the mountain. As Maija attempts to find out what happened to him, Fredricka finds herself opening up to strange powers and experiences.
I actually really enjoyed this – more so than Cecilia Ekbäck’s second novel, [b:In the Month of the Midnight Sun|25766707|In the Month of the Midnight Sun|Cecilia Ekbäck|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466034423s/25766707.jpg|45613626], also set on Blackasen Mountain. I don’t know if this just worked for me a lot better or if I was in a better frame of mind to enjoy it, or whether it was just flat out better.
It’s moody, with elements of the gothic, which are some of my favourite things to read. The mystery is compelling and interesting. I really liked the characters that Ekbäck developed. Additionally, I found that the supernatural elements worked a lot better for me – possibly because I was expecting them this time, possibly because Ekbäck used a lighter, defter touch here.
The prose is sometimes a little awkward and confusing, but all in all, I found this a great read. Even weeks after I finished reading it, I sometimes think about the mood it invoked and want to submerge myself in that kind of world.
I actually really enjoyed this – more so than Cecilia Ekbäck’s second novel, [b:In the Month of the Midnight Sun|25766707|In the Month of the Midnight Sun|Cecilia Ekbäck|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1466034423s/25766707.jpg|45613626], also set on Blackasen Mountain. I don’t know if this just worked for me a lot better or if I was in a better frame of mind to enjoy it, or whether it was just flat out better.
It’s moody, with elements of the gothic, which are some of my favourite things to read. The mystery is compelling and interesting. I really liked the characters that Ekbäck developed. Additionally, I found that the supernatural elements worked a lot better for me – possibly because I was expecting them this time, possibly because Ekbäck used a lighter, defter touch here.
The prose is sometimes a little awkward and confusing, but all in all, I found this a great read. Even weeks after I finished reading it, I sometimes think about the mood it invoked and want to submerge myself in that kind of world.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
The setting and characters were very unique which matched with the plot to create a strange and unsettling book. It was definitely interesting but not sure if I liked that the ending boiled down to simple political intrigue rather than magic, which may just be because I prefer fantasy
Not sure if I’m just stupid or if the translation wasn’t great. Had a good time. Mostly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
Highly recommend. It is the type of book that keeps you going and wondering. I loved the change of pace between the perspective of the mother and the daughter. The narrative is such that you feel as though you are enduring their cold winter along side then.
Warming: if you are easily triggered by assault/violence/harm to children, it would be wise to avoid this one.
Warming: if you are easily triggered by assault/violence/harm to children, it would be wise to avoid this one.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is all about atmosphere. The setting of northern Sweden feels harshly beautiful. You can feel the chill of the wind, smell the pines, hear the crunch of the ice under your feet. The characters, however, felt unbelievable to me. I couldn't relate to their thoughts. Maija, the main character and a midwife, seemed to be more intellectually advanced than the bulk of the characters. Her husband seemed nothing more than a plot device, his sudden onset of cowardice something I never understood.
There may be layers here that I didn't get- I tend to read literally as opposed to looking for symbolic themes. The literal story and plot didn't do it for me. If you want to read some really pretty writing about a very cold place, enjoy.
This book is all about atmosphere. The setting of northern Sweden feels harshly beautiful. You can feel the chill of the wind, smell the pines, hear the crunch of the ice under your feet. The characters, however, felt unbelievable to me. I couldn't relate to their thoughts. Maija, the main character and a midwife, seemed to be more intellectually advanced than the bulk of the characters. Her husband seemed nothing more than a plot device, his sudden onset of cowardice something I never understood.
There may be layers here that I didn't get- I tend to read literally as opposed to looking for symbolic themes. The literal story and plot didn't do it for me. If you want to read some really pretty writing about a very cold place, enjoy.
slow-paced
Este es un libro que transcurre en Suecia, en un paisaje de montañas aisladas, de nieve y de noche eterna durante el invierno.
Sin duda lo mejor que tiene es la atmósfera: es un libro que te sumerge en la vida de los personajes, en este invierno de lobos, el invierno más largo, en los bosques y en los paisajes misteriosos y umbríos. Con un ritmo lento, toques de misterio y algún elemento sobrenatural, es un libro que está muy bien escrito y cuya calidad no se puede negar. No tengo problema con las historias lentas y este libro no se me ha hecho aburrido en ningún momento. Disfruté de la forma de escribir de la autora y los personajes no están mal.
Sin embargo, le ha faltado algo para engancharme totalmente o que estuviera inmersa en la trama. Creo que, para empezar, la sinopsis plantea un misterio en torno a un asesinato que al final se queda un poco como... pues meh. No hay tanta intriga ni tanta tensión como pensaba en un e principio. No vayáis esperando un misterio increíble, pues es más bien un libro ambiental.
En general, es un libro que me parece que está bien y que no le puedo poner ninguna pega, pero que no me ha enamorado ni he encontrado ningún elemento sobresaliente o que realmente me atrapara, más allá de su fantástica ambientación.
Correcto, pero le ha faltado algo.
Sin duda lo mejor que tiene es la atmósfera: es un libro que te sumerge en la vida de los personajes, en este invierno de lobos, el invierno más largo, en los bosques y en los paisajes misteriosos y umbríos. Con un ritmo lento, toques de misterio y algún elemento sobrenatural, es un libro que está muy bien escrito y cuya calidad no se puede negar. No tengo problema con las historias lentas y este libro no se me ha hecho aburrido en ningún momento. Disfruté de la forma de escribir de la autora y los personajes no están mal.
Sin embargo, le ha faltado algo para engancharme totalmente o que estuviera inmersa en la trama. Creo que, para empezar, la sinopsis plantea un misterio en torno a un asesinato que al final se queda un poco como... pues meh. No hay tanta intriga ni tanta tensión como pensaba en un e principio. No vayáis esperando un misterio increíble, pues es más bien un libro ambiental.
En general, es un libro que me parece que está bien y que no le puedo poner ninguna pega, pero que no me ha enamorado ni he encontrado ningún elemento sobresaliente o que realmente me atrapara, más allá de su fantástica ambientación.
Correcto, pero le ha faltado algo.
No, he hadn't called on Jesus because at that moment, he had felt that Jesus was powerless on the mountain. As if on Blackåsen, there was no God. As if Blackåsen belonged to someone else.
This book is adored by many and I just... could not make myself care enough about the characters to be interested in their story. This feels like another book that wanted me to take much more from it than what it was actually giving.
The writing is certainly gorgeous and haunting. Cecilia Ekbäck is a skilled enough writer to not only develop a extraordinarily evocative and immersive scenes, but to both provide and withhold enough information to keep her reader on the edge of their seat. For the first half of the book, anyway.
But I can't help but feel that since Ekbäck had so much time in this book, and such an isolated cast of characters, it's a real problem that she doesn't manage to connect her reader to them. There's only so far you can take your reader on mood and feel alone. Yes, this is, at its premise, a mystery, and motivations are supposed to be murky. But we have three point-of-view characters - how do we know so much about what they are doing and so little about why they are doing it? Why do they draw conclusions without also leading the reader to those conclusions?
It drips of too much going on, and writing to meet a plan - maybe what was really needed here was an editor to cut a few of the threads and lop off about 100 pages.
As I said, though, beautifully written and atmospheric, and certainly gripping in places. Maybe I'm just disappointed because it ticked so many of my boxes and met so few of my expectations - go read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent if you emerge feeling the same way.
'Wolf winter,' she said, her voice small. 'I wanted to ask about it. You know, what it is.'
He was silent for a long time. 'It's the kind of winter that will remind us we are mortal,' he said. 'Mortal and alone.'
This book is adored by many and I just... could not make myself care enough about the characters to be interested in their story. This feels like another book that wanted me to take much more from it than what it was actually giving.
The writing is certainly gorgeous and haunting. Cecilia Ekbäck is a skilled enough writer to not only develop a extraordinarily evocative and immersive scenes, but to both provide and withhold enough information to keep her reader on the edge of their seat. For the first half of the book, anyway.
But I can't help but feel that since Ekbäck had so much time in this book, and such an isolated cast of characters, it's a real problem that she doesn't manage to connect her reader to them. There's only so far you can take your reader on mood and feel alone. Yes, this is, at its premise, a mystery, and motivations are supposed to be murky. But we have three point-of-view characters - how do we know so much about what they are doing and so little about why they are doing it? Why do they draw conclusions without also leading the reader to those conclusions?
It drips of too much going on, and writing to meet a plan - maybe what was really needed here was an editor to cut a few of the threads and lop off about 100 pages.
As I said, though, beautifully written and atmospheric, and certainly gripping in places. Maybe I'm just disappointed because it ticked so many of my boxes and met so few of my expectations - go read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent if you emerge feeling the same way.
'Wolf winter,' she said, her voice small. 'I wanted to ask about it. You know, what it is.'
He was silent for a long time. 'It's the kind of winter that will remind us we are mortal,' he said. 'Mortal and alone.'