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alba_marie's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Knife sharp, clipped and dark – exactly what you'd expect from a Nordic noir type story. Maybe the problem was that I wasn't in the mood for such as story? Or that I was listening to an audiobook full of names and locations I couldn't get straight because I don't know much about Scandinavia? I don't know. But whatever it was, I struggled to engage with this book at all.
I couldn't keep the characters straight, and for the most part, I didn't care about most of them. To me, Ari Thor was selfish, short-thinking, impulsive and quite frankly a frustrating person. His girlfriend has communication problems – ffs say what you mean! – and most of the characters felt a bit flat and boring.
Ari Thor takes a new job up north, in a tiny fishing town that gets snowed in and covered in perpetual darkness all winter. It sounds like a miserable place. And then a series of murders and accidents happen, and it is confirmed to be a miserable place. Ari Thor is a new police officer and wants to prove himself. So he moves up north without consulting his girlfriend, and decides to spend two years there. Shortly after, he starts up a friendship that leads to more with his music teacher. Which just makes you respect him so much, right.
A local elderly writer takes a fatal fall down the stairs at the drama club just before opening night. Later, a half clothed woman is found bleeding out in the snow. Chapters with Ari Thor are interspersed with a woman held at knifepoint by a masked man who has broken into her house demanding cash and jewels. How are these connected? Are the they connected? Random? Murder or accidents?
Anyway, I wanted to read something seasonally appropriate – Snowblind popped up in my library's winter list. As a translated work, it helps me achieve some of my book goals this year as well. But would I recommend it? Eh, not really. Not even all that keen to keep going with the series tbh.
Also the end was unsatisfying. Turns out the woman threatened and killed at knifepoint actually died years ago. Killed by one of the other guys in Siglufjörður today. The bad guy gets away. He doesn't get the insurance money, but also doesn't get caught. Ari Thor cheated on his girlfriend, whom he thought indifferent. His girlfriend seemed indifferent but was actually in love with him and too tragic to say so. She was hoping a grand gesture of moving north would do it, but Ari Thor's already decided to end the relationship. The book ends there, which sucks. And the writer, turns out he's a plagiarist, and the son of the guy he plagiarised gets in trouble for his manslaughter. That's crap!
I couldn't keep the characters straight, and for the most part, I didn't care about most of them. To me, Ari Thor was selfish, short-thinking, impulsive and quite frankly a frustrating person. His girlfriend has communication problems – ffs say what you mean! – and most of the characters felt a bit flat and boring.
Ari Thor takes a new job up north, in a tiny fishing town that gets snowed in and covered in perpetual darkness all winter. It sounds like a miserable place. And then a series of murders and accidents happen, and it is confirmed to be a miserable place. Ari Thor is a new police officer and wants to prove himself. So he moves up north without consulting his girlfriend, and decides to spend two years there. Shortly after, he starts up a friendship that leads to more with his music teacher. Which just makes you respect him so much, right.
A local elderly writer takes a fatal fall down the stairs at the drama club just before opening night. Later, a half clothed woman is found bleeding out in the snow. Chapters with Ari Thor are interspersed with a woman held at knifepoint by a masked man who has broken into her house demanding cash and jewels. How are these connected? Are the they connected? Random? Murder or accidents?
Anyway, I wanted to read something seasonally appropriate – Snowblind popped up in my library's winter list. As a translated work, it helps me achieve some of my book goals this year as well. But would I recommend it? Eh, not really. Not even all that keen to keep going with the series tbh.
Also the end was unsatisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
enchantressreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Bullying, and Suicide
petitemass15's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Self harm, and Child abuse
Minor: Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Suicidal thoughts
georgiesutton's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Having read the Hidden Iceland series it was interesting to read about a totally different kind of bleak and I thought the description of claustrophobia provided another dimension to the murder mystery. I did enjoy the twists and turns but couldn’t help but feel as though Ari Thor has some growing to do. I’m interested to read more though as I would like to learn more about these characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
silver_valkyrie_reads's review
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
2.5
This fell perfectly in that zone in between cozy mystery and thriller for me--neither cheesy nor gory. Other than that, I found it disappointing, mostly in that the mildly likeable characters at the beginning never improved, and sometimes became even less likeable as the story progressed.
It would have been three stars, but it lost another half star because the ending wasn't *quite* satisfying for me.
The main plus to this book is that I've now read a book set in Iceland...
It would have been three stars, but it lost another half star because the ending wasn't *quite* satisfying for me.
The main plus to this book is that I've now read a book set in Iceland...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, and Death
Minor: Bullying, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Addiction, and Death of parent
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