Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Verblendung by Stieg Larsson

14 reviews

gagne's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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ellensmith's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective 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? Yes

3.75

It was good but unsure why everyone has to sleep together 

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rrkreads's review against another edition

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

4.5

I have been hearing of this series for quite some time now and I knew it was insanely popular, but never realized I would love it so much. I like crime thrillers, police dramas, etc so I was expecting to enjoy this book as much as the next person. What I was not expecting was the airtight plot, amazing characters, and the speed/interest levels of the story.

Usually, good thrillers are anywhere between 300-400 pages. This book is a chunker of almost 540 pages. So I was a bit skeptical about how info-dumpy and descriptive the narration will be. But it was none of those.
The narration was exceptionally good with small chapters broken into digestible paragraphs. The narrative style is breezy though the subject matter is quite intense.

Plot-wise I cannot give out much except what's already mentioned in the synopsis. I haven't seen the movie so I have no reference for comparison.
I must warn though, there are every trigger warnings possible in the story. Sexual assault, abuse, murder, gore, mental health issues, etc.
But, what really surprised me was the brilliance of the author. This book was written in 2005 and the technological know-how was exceptional. I am not sure if I could find such a tech-savvy fictional novel even today in 2021. It's not futuristic but he has taken the latest up-to-date technology of his time and has put them to good use in his story, which for me is an impressive feat. I despair at the loss of his talent.

If it is not obvious by now. I must tell you that I really was surprised and taken by the story, narration, and characters of this book. I did find the sexual references to be a distraction in parts but they were just minor irritations rather than a major complaint.

RRKReads Objective Grading - Invest Grade - Book worth buying and adding to your collection. 
RRKReads Subjective Grading - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰

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camillesuzannes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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