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lesora's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
elizamakepeace's review
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? No
2.0
mirisch's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
andrew61's review
3.0
Fourth in the series about Icelandic lawyer Thora Godmundsdottir finds her recruited by her boyfriend bank security consultant Matthew to revisit a site in Greenland of a mysterious disappearance leading to a mining companies operatives downing tools and a potential insurance claim.
The author captures with skill the bleakness of Greenland and the oppressive nature of the weather, the inhospitality of the locals and forbidding nature of folkloric tales.
there were certainly some creepy scenes and it was definitely a story well told.
The author captures with skill the bleakness of Greenland and the oppressive nature of the weather, the inhospitality of the locals and forbidding nature of folkloric tales.
there were certainly some creepy scenes and it was definitely a story well told.
ohhkatrina's review
2.0
I keep reading these books because they’re set in Iceland but I think I’m done after this one. It was so slow and the only point of Bella as a character is to make fun of her and I just don’t get it. She serves absolutely no purpose.
gavreads's review
It’s not much of a summer I know but it’s been warm enough that reading parts of The Day is Dark made me shiver. We start off in Iceland but we quickly move to Greenland following Thora Gudmundsdottir as she joins the investigating team looking in to disappearance of two Icelanders working on the sparsely populated northeast coast.
This is Thora’s fourth outing and my first accompanying her. And to be honest I’m not much more the wiser who she is at the beginning than at the end. This isn’t a bad thing as such but it does illustrate that the main focus is on the events surrounding the missing men rather than developing Thora or her relationship with Matthew.
That isn’t to say she isn’t an enjoyable or colourful character, she is. But her personality doesn’t have time to shine. Instead through Thora we are taken to a mining station near a village that is only accessible via boat or helicopter and are trapped with her as she helps investigate.
It is a great and claustrophobic setting and Yrsa is good at keeping the tension tight and the story moving as not only does the place itself bring external pressures but slowly the layers are peeled back and you discover that people in isolation need a certain personality traits to thrive in this environment. And the original crew here definitely seemed to have slowly festured.
It’s also an insightful commentary on isolated communities like the indigenous people, as the doctor in the group keeps saying things like ‘normally they welcome us’ as they again get ignored by the villagers when they come asking questions and seeking information that’ll find the missing men.
What is fascinating is how old superspicions effect so much and Yrsa challenges the readers belief in how much they are old wives tales and how far they extend into reality.
As I’ve said The Day is Dark is tightly written. The twists and turns keep on coming but Yrsa manages to spend time exploring the more spiritual and human experiences in this harsh environment and even though it pushes Thora away from centre stage she is a catalyst for several key moments and she is an enjoyable pair of eyes to see events through.
Highly recommended. I certainly intend to go back and see what else Thora Gudmundsdottir has been up to.
This is Thora’s fourth outing and my first accompanying her. And to be honest I’m not much more the wiser who she is at the beginning than at the end. This isn’t a bad thing as such but it does illustrate that the main focus is on the events surrounding the missing men rather than developing Thora or her relationship with Matthew.
That isn’t to say she isn’t an enjoyable or colourful character, she is. But her personality doesn’t have time to shine. Instead through Thora we are taken to a mining station near a village that is only accessible via boat or helicopter and are trapped with her as she helps investigate.
It is a great and claustrophobic setting and Yrsa is good at keeping the tension tight and the story moving as not only does the place itself bring external pressures but slowly the layers are peeled back and you discover that people in isolation need a certain personality traits to thrive in this environment. And the original crew here definitely seemed to have slowly festured.
It’s also an insightful commentary on isolated communities like the indigenous people, as the doctor in the group keeps saying things like ‘normally they welcome us’ as they again get ignored by the villagers when they come asking questions and seeking information that’ll find the missing men.
What is fascinating is how old superspicions effect so much and Yrsa challenges the readers belief in how much they are old wives tales and how far they extend into reality.
As I’ve said The Day is Dark is tightly written. The twists and turns keep on coming but Yrsa manages to spend time exploring the more spiritual and human experiences in this harsh environment and even though it pushes Thora away from centre stage she is a catalyst for several key moments and she is an enjoyable pair of eyes to see events through.
Highly recommended. I certainly intend to go back and see what else Thora Gudmundsdottir has been up to.
francesmthompson's review
3.0
Definitely my least favourite of this series of books so far. Just oh so bleak, which is no surprise considering it's set in remote Greenland in the middle of winter. Lots of interesting elements to the story, but just didn't hold my attention in the same way and it felt like a slog to a slightly underwhelming "big" reveal too.
cclaytonr's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lberestecki's review
3.0
Plot: I found it difficult to care what had happened to the missing employees. In some ways it seemed like the book was written more as a way to talk about how we treat the environment than to actually present Thora with a mystery to solve. It wasn't predictable though, which was a positive.
Characters: Thora is definitely flawed, but I really like her as a character. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see much of her kids in this book, because I think they're really entertaining characters.
Overall: This was definitely my least favorite book in the series. I do hope book 5 is translated into English, as I really did enjoy the first 3 books, but this installment was a let down.
Characters: Thora is definitely flawed, but I really like her as a character. I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get to see much of her kids in this book, because I think they're really entertaining characters.
Overall: This was definitely my least favorite book in the series. I do hope book 5 is translated into English, as I really did enjoy the first 3 books, but this installment was a let down.
dorthepedersen_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Knap så god som de øvrige bøger i serien - men hele scenen er også flyttet ud og væk, og personerne fremstår knap så klart som tidligere. På plussiden tæller en følelse af 'suspense' igennem bogen, men til gengæld løses plottet lidt på 'hovsa-måden', synes jeg - der afsløres vigtige faktorer til allersidst.