Reviews

Das Netz by Lilja Sigurðardóttir

griesskopf's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25

 This book just didn't click with me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and while I liked where the story is going, I would have preferred more closure at the end. 

The writing style was also not my cup of tea, but this could be an issue with the german translation.

All in all an okay read, but I have no desire to continue this series. 

abbie_'s review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

2.5

I’m making a fun challenge for myself where all the books I read for the StoryGraph’d 2024 Genre Challenge have to also be queer 🌈 So I found this one for ‘a crime or thriller novel in translation’. Snare follows Sonja, a newly single woman fighting for custody of her son while being entangled in a drug smuggling operation, plus a messy affair with a woman who is in denial about her sexuality. 

If I can just talk about Agla for a minute - I was in the closet as a lesbian until I was 26 (though out as ‘bisexual’ before then) so I get the denial. Being out can be hard. But Agla is so deep in denial it was painful - and I couldn’t help but wonder why Sonja continued to put up with it. It must be so difficult to be with someone who clearly loves you, yet refuses to acknowledge a core part of herself. 

Onto the drugs and smuggling and the like - this part did keep me guessing until a giant clue near the end and I was actually able to sort of work out who the kingpin was! I *mostly* enjoyed Sonja’s methods for smuggling

until she poisoned two sniffer dogs. That was awful.

I know she was pushed to the edge but I really had a bad taste in my mouth after that. It also felt a bit iffy that the only characters of colour that appear in the story are all drug dealers.

Probably the most compelling part of this book was Bragi’s storyline! A customs officer being pushed out of work due to his age, he’s desperate for a way to help his wife who has been placed in a subpar care-home due to severe dementia. Finding out what happens to those two would be my main motivation to pick up the sequel. 

The narrator, Suzannah Hampton, does a decent job, but I do wish publishers would make an effort to find narrators who at least speak the language a book was translated from, if not someone from that country altogether. Can’t help but think the Icelandic names were often butchered. 

Overall, I probably won’t be in a hurry to continue with the series, if I do at all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Drug use, Violence, and Dementia

feedon's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

kellyvandamme's review against another edition

5.0

Review to follow

bookguyinva2022's review against another edition

3.0

I borrowed this through Cloud Library and for some reason instead of 276 pages it only had 182. My rating may be skewed because of that since all of a sudden it seemed rushed after so much build up. This story had so much potential and turned out to be quite a disappointment.

rstumpp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

simoneclark's review against another edition

4.0

Ein Dankeschön an Netgalley für ein kostenloses Rezensionsexemplar dieses Buchs im Austausch gegen meine ehrliche Meinung.

Zunächst einmal muss ich sagen, dass das Buch an sich nicht schlecht war. Allerdings kann ich ihm trotzdem keine 5 Sterne geben. Das Buch hatte richtig gute Ansätze und es gab immer wieder Momente, wo es spannend wurde. Leider ließ mich dann das Buch ein wenig hängen. Von einem Crime Noir-Roman hätte ich mir mehr erwartet. Die Idee für den Roman war gut, die Umsetzung leider nicht so ganz 100% on point. Mir machten einige Reaktionen der Charaktere keinen Sinn. Nichtsdestotrotz hatte ich Spaß, diesen Roman zu lesen und werde offen in das nächste Buch in der Serie gehen.

booksandbikes17's review against another edition

A DNF for me.

**Spoiler Alert**

I got up to the point where the main character poisons a couple of dogs, and abandoned it. Wasn't great to begin with, and things like that just irritate me.

kirstyteacat's review against another edition

challenging dark tense

3.0

kadomi's review against another edition

4.0

I read this at breakneck speed, just like the novel somehow felt super-fast paced. It has very short chapters that just keep the ball rolling. Our protagonist is Sonja, a divorcee who does not have custody over her beloved son Tomas, and dreams of the day that she has enough money to file for custody. Money is a problem for her because she is in a 'snare'. Her divorce lawyer offered her a way to make money, by smuggling cocaine from Europe back to Iceland.

The novel has three main PoV characters: Sonja herself; her lover Agla, who is involved in a huge financial scandal. She also won't commit to Sonja as she is a closeted lesbian. And then there's Bragi, a customs officer who has spotted Sonja as a mule and is planning to catch her.

Sonja's snare gets tighter throughout the book, stakes are higher, and there are some twists. I didn't give it 5 stars only because the ending is rather abrupt, not even a good cliffhanger.

If you enjoy hardboiled crime, this is really really good.