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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tremendous. Not quite as shocking as TGWTDT but still terrific. Will be reading the next one tomorrow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Stieg Larsson really topped himself with this one.
The Girl Who Played with Fire once again follows Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist on their tangled journeys to take down corrupt and evil men. This sequel wisely chooses to make Lisbeth the focal point of the story instead of Mikael, and it goes a long way towards fixing the issues of the last book. We get to dive way deeper into Lisbeth’s character, her motivations, her thought processes, and especially her past- which is great, because she’s by far the best thing about these books. Mikael still figures prominently in the story, but more as a supporting character this time. The plot of this book is also more interesting because it directly involves all the main characters, unlike last time where Blomkvist spent the whole time researching a cold case for a rich family you don't care about.
The pacing in this one is also better, though still follows the same basic structure from [b:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327868566s/2429135.jpg|1708725]. Last time the story dragged along as 1) you learn all the many intricate details of the case, 2) spend way too much time watching characters make no progress on the mystery while eating sandwiches and drinking a dangerous amount of coffee, and 3) gasp in shock as everything suddenly ties together brilliantly in the last 150 pages and becomes a gripping thriller that you simply can’t put down. That’s kind of exactly what happens here, except that it’s an improved and more consistent experience. And when the s**t finally hit the fan in the climax and certain twists were revealed, I literally gasped and had to take a break so I could process the craziness of what I was reading. It’s truly wonderful when books can do that to you.
I don’t know what else to say. This was just a great book, and a superior sequel. I was very tempted to start Book 3 immediately after finishing this one, and it was already almost 2 AM on a weeknight. 9/10.
The Girl Who Played with Fire once again follows Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist on their tangled journeys to take down corrupt and evil men. This sequel wisely chooses to make Lisbeth the focal point of the story instead of Mikael, and it goes a long way towards fixing the issues of the last book. We get to dive way deeper into Lisbeth’s character, her motivations, her thought processes, and especially her past- which is great, because she’s by far the best thing about these books. Mikael still figures prominently in the story, but more as a supporting character this time. The plot of this book is also more interesting because it directly involves all the main characters, unlike last time where Blomkvist spent the whole time researching a cold case for a rich family you don't care about.
The pacing in this one is also better, though still follows the same basic structure from [b:The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327868566s/2429135.jpg|1708725]. Last time the story dragged along as 1) you learn all the many intricate details of the case, 2) spend way too much time watching characters make no progress on the mystery while eating sandwiches and drinking a dangerous amount of coffee, and 3) gasp in shock as everything suddenly ties together brilliantly in the last 150 pages and becomes a gripping thriller that you simply can’t put down. That’s kind of exactly what happens here, except that it’s an improved and more consistent experience. And when the s**t finally hit the fan in the climax and certain twists were revealed, I literally gasped and had to take a break so I could process the craziness of what I was reading. It’s truly wonderful when books can do that to you.
I don’t know what else to say. This was just a great book, and a superior sequel. I was very tempted to start Book 3 immediately after finishing this one, and it was already almost 2 AM on a weeknight. 9/10.
Takes the story of Lisbeth Salander even deeper. Has a nifty series of twists and turns. All in all, a very fun read.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes