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awebofstories's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, and Domestic abuse
mtnest's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
mademoisellemonalisa's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Domestic abuse
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
____emily____'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicide and Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
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
bookishnatalia's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Murder, and Medical content
katelindsay's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Snowblind by Ragnor Jónasson is the first in an Iceland noir series. Originally published in 2010, this book was translated and published in the United States in 2015. We follow our protagonist Ari Thor Arason from Reykjavik to a small town on the northern coast when he takes his first job as a police officer. When he arrives in town he’s told nothing ever happens there.
Not long after his arrive, an esteemed write and chairman of the town’s Dramatic Society appears to have fallen down the stairs. Ruled as an accident until a women is found close to death, bleeding in the snow, there may be more to the older man’s death than meets the eye. Without an ounce of delicacy, Ari Thor digs into the lives of townspeople who definitely do not trust the newcomer.
Jónasson uses the setting to create tension. Surrounded by mountains and the ocean, the town is only reachable by a small mountain tunnel. Snow falls frequently and the tunnel becomes cut off due to a small avalanche. Tensions rise as the down becomes isolated and everyone feels trapped with a murderer.
Nordic mystery novels have risen in popularity over the last decade. Although I’ve read a few short stories from a collection of Swedish crime stories, Snowblind is my first Nordic novel. Recommended for fans of Agatha Christie, this seemed like perfect foray into the genre. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for the story as much as I would have liked.
I appreciated that the plot and murders weren’t very dark or graphic, as well as the amount of information about the characters we received before the murders. However, I never felt invested in the story or characters. While the story was definitely well written, I prefer older mysteries and historical fiction mysteries.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Panic attacks/disorders
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