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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
Since David Lagercrantz took over the Millennium series, I have had a tepid sentiment about things. This series was so impactful for me at the start and I have had issues with the transition in a post-Stieg Larsson world. This piece was a decent addition to the series, in which Lagercrantz redeems himself to some degree. With a strong story and utilising the two key protagonists throughout, series fans will have some enjoyment with what is taking place. Building up to a strong climax, the story keeps the reader hooked until the final pages. A decent recovery by Lagercrantz, but nothing spectacular.
While Lisbeth Salander has long been the adoring protagonist of this series and a hero to those who knew her, things have changed. Lisbeth has left the grid and seems to have disappeared. Gone from her Stockholm apartment, with no digital crumbs to point to her direction, Lisbeth seems to have chosen some nomadic life. Little does anyone know, she is outside the country, targeting her evil twin sister, Camilla, on the streets of Russia. The hunt is on and the end result could get messy.
Mikael Blomkvist, the anchor that kept Lisbeth sane and grounded, has been looking for her. Not only has he been worried, but he needs her tech skills to identify a man who died on the streets of Stockholm. His only possession is Blomskvist’s phone number in his pocket. While there is no record of the man, his last known words were rants about bringing down some of Sweden’s most powerful politicians. Was this simply the ravings of a mad man or could there be some substance?
Each with a problem the other can solve, Lisbeth and Blomkvist come together to help. The truth will be substantially more troubling than it appears at first glance, but these two have a way of making things right. When self-sacrifice is required, they are both willing to stand up to the truth, but the end results are sure to be devastating. As the story reaches its climax, the truth will leave the reader gasping and David Lagercrantz in complete control of both the protagonists’ lives.
While the series has come a long way, I have lost my burning interest in things of late, which is why I am so late to the party with this piece. While the narrative style seems solid, I find myself having a harder time connecting with characters and plots that Lagercrantz presents. I do not think it is the translation, but rather the style and narrative presentation. Still, there were some kernels of goodness in there, which helped me make my way through the book.
Character development was tepid at times, though I am always happy to see Lisbeth Salander and Michael Blomkvist back in fine form. These two are so connected and yet independent that I cannot help but want to know more about them. I used to thoroughly enjoy the development of these two in the early novels, complex and yet so highly relatable. While they have both settled in, I had hoped for something more, but will have to deal with what was provided to me. I am eager to see what comes of them as Lagercrantz left them in quite the state at the end of this book.
Plot development is key and I have always relied on its greatness to help me through Scandinavian noir novels. Lagercrantz appears not to have it in surplus to present a superior piece, but still limped along with someone passable. I am eager to o see what will come of the series once it is handed over to another author, as I like twists and turns that keep the series strong. I suppose I will have to reach for the next book to see if I really want to keep going one toss in the towel once and for all. Not sure Stieg Larsson would be as happy with how things have been going, but I cannot speak for him.
Kudos,. Mr. Lagercrantz, for keeping the series moving.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
I love this series and always find the stories to be entertaining. That beings said, something has been lost since Stieg Larsson stopped writing them. In Lagercrantz's hands the characters are less gritty and the action scenes are difficult to follow.
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just okay. Sometimes I had a hard time following some of the storyline. The resolution of the mystery of the homeless man's death was very anticlimactic and didn't really have much to do with what was going on with Salander either. Overall the story felt a little disjointed.
The Girl Who Lived Twice was a very plot-driven novel. It followed Lisbeth on another adventurous journey that showcased her genius. However, in comparison to the original Larsson books, this one fell a bit short when it comes to the characterization and plot. The beginning was not very exciting and there were some pages I just wanted to fast forward. They weren’t very strong, is what I mean. However, towards the end, as the author brings in the various narratives together and intertwines the plot, it gets so much better. You just have to push through a few pages. We also get to know a lot of things about Lisbeth’s past and her father (!) and it was exciting to see that about her. However, Camilla Lisbeth’s sister is no les tougher than her sister, albeit in a different manner. In this book, we also deal with a lot of emotions as Lisbeth races against time to stop her sister. She has feelings of guilt and shame and it is interesting to see her process these feelings.
Overall, it was an interesting read and I rate it 3.5/5 stars.
Overall, it was an interesting read and I rate it 3.5/5 stars.
This one was very meh. Pretty anticlimactic throughout the whole story. It almost feels like he’s writing this out of obligation and not that he cares about the storyline. Part of it could have been my fault for distracted reading, but really, it just didn’t capture my attention like the earlier books. I also don’t love what he’s doing to the characters. Lisbeth has a lot more emotional turmoil than she ever has before and Erica has basically been written out of the story. No way she’s divorce Gregor. Dumb.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thanks to this book, I've become fascinated by mountaineering. The writing style seems lousier than the rest of them but I still powered through most of it in 3 days (after ditching it for 2 months). Would love recommendations of books that are similar to this series!!
dark
slow-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