NAQUOYA'S BOOK REVIEWS - The Girl Who Played With Fire - Steig Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire – Steig Larsson
I recently wrote a review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and as brilliant as that book is, and as much as it can stand on its own as a story, it is ultimately a part of a broader trilogy. And that trilogy incorporates the intricacies of that first part, and adds yet further layers, and deeper complexities. The trilogy is, in a nutshell, an example of masterful storytelling.
The second in the series - The Girl Who Played With Fire - continues on from where part one ends, taking the now firmly established character of Lisbeth Salander and delving deeper in to the depths of her true nature and background. She has been written as a person of extreme mystery, someone who wears her suspicion of authority and other people's prying eyes as a badge of honour. She is paranoid, and clearly has reason to be so. And here we start to find out what those reasons are.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo brought Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander together, and painted a picture of a relationship both fragile and unexpected, and ultimately fraught with danger. Having cut contact with Mikael, events unfold that sees Lisbeth under suspicion for a series of murders. Circumstantial evidence leads police to point the finger at her, and everything about the case seems cut and dry. Until Mikael, knowing Lisbeth couldn't have committed these murders, starts to investigate the matter for himself.
Those murdered include a couple about to release a hard hitting investigation into underage prostitution, and many figures in authority are starting to feel the heat from it. But of interest to the report's author, and eventually to Mikael (who takes over completing the report after the author's murder) is one name on the list – someone by the name of Zala. Just who is he, and why do all the emerging facts lead to him? And more importantly what is his relationship to Lisbeth Salander?
The Girl Who Played With Fire sees Lisbeth, Mikael (and his Millenium magazine) as well as the police all embarking on their own searches to uncover truths, discover hidden secrets, and find the missing pieces of a mystery that defies explanation. A mystery that involves secrets dark enough to end lives, and possibly bring down the Government. A mystery that ultimately leads to a man named Zala.
Steig Larsson has written another spellbinding tale of intrigue and complex relationships. Slowly peeling back the layers to reveal a deeper and more mysterious story line, the reader is brought along on a well paced ride, and prevented from putting the book down and taking a break. It is too good for that. Just as in the first book, the characters are well developed, and relationships and connections revealed in ways that enhance and further the plot.
The ending will leave you satisfied, yet demand your attention move quickly to the concluding third instalment. As is the norm in second episodes of trilogies, the story is brought to a conclusion in its own rights, yet so much more is yet to be revealed. In that sense, to me, the second and third sections of the trilogy work best together, as opposed to the first, which does work work as a stand alone story.
This book is worth a read, but I ultimately recommend you read the complete Millennium trilogy and give the full story its opportunity to leave you spellbound.
This is post 30 in @dragosroua's January 30 day writing challenge.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you liked it then please like, comment, and follow.
@naquoya
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Awesome review you got here. I will try read it a to completion @naquoya
Thank you.
Cool, I'm looking to get into book reviews and read more fiction too!
I try to put up a new book review every Tuesday, so hang around if you like :)
Thanks for dropping by.
Why does the cover feel like that of a smut book? Haha! Even though I've enjoyed the first story, I have yet to read this one. I was going to get to it just in time for the movie. I'm kicking myself for not getting back to it ever since. Mate, you're killing it with the challenge, you've once again completed 30 days. So, congrats! It was a well-fought challenge for sure :D
Yes, completed the 30 days. Feel like I came out of it with a more coherent strategy this time around. We'll see where I go with it from here. But whilst I have the ideas and the energy I'll keep posting.
And yes that cover is, well, interesting isn't it? Not one of the better ones, but the story inside makes up for it. Listen to us, judging a book by its cover!
Definitely. That translated into your writing as well. Last time around, it felt like you were struggling near the tail end. This time, everything felt more fluid from start to finish. Proud of you, mate!
I feel like cover makers have the right to judge books based on covers, no?
I read the first and was spell bound by it, and now I really want to read the other parts of the trilogy. Well I did before, but forgot about it for awhile. Definitely room for some attempted vengeance on our two protagonists. Of course it's a deep world changing conspiracy behind it all .... But I guess I'll have to read to find out more about its nature. Thanks for the lovely review.
Yes, it's a complex web of intrigue and conspiracy. And so well written. If you loved the first one then I am quite confident you'll enjoy the next two instalments. Thanks for your comment.
Sounds like I need to move this book up on my to-read list. Great review.
Thanks, glad you liked it. The whole series is mind blowing. I've got one more review in the series to come (not sure when I will deliver that one), but it will basically say [spoiler alert] damn good book.
Beautiful one!
Having read the girl with the dragon tatoo that brought mikeal and lisbeth together in a relationship, i enjoyed it.
Now the girl who played with fire when she revealed her true nature.
The way u painted the story is a great one and i commend you for this.
This makes it easier for every reader to understand the story line.
Thank you, very glad you enjoyed the review. It's not easy to talk about a book but not give away the plot, so I hope I achieved that.
Yes u did achieved that.
I must commend you .
Thank you kindly.
wow , i have seen that movie , the girl with dragon tatto, is this a same book... ;-)
@adityajainxds #thealliance
Yes, this is the same series. The author wrote three books, with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo being book 1, and the one I talk about in this post The Girl Who Played With Fire being book 2. I have one more review to go if you want to know any more then stay tuned :)
Thanks for sharing @naquoya, actually didn't know that there was a sequel. Never read Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, did see the movie. And know I want to know how it unfolds. :D