Saturday 8 December 2012

Review: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)
Name: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Series: Millennium, #1
Author: Stieg Larsson
Publication: September 2008, by Knopf
Source: Indigo's 

 Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo. 




This book took me a littleee longer than expected, but I did very much enjoy it. It was a slow paced story with great detail (which we could have done without at times), and a rapid page turner once you hit the middle. It's one of those books where you have to really think about & stick with to truly appreciate. I really loved Blomkvist & Salandar, and they definitely make a sensational team. This book is an exellent mystery, romance, page turner and nerve gritter all in one. A must read.

It was interesting to watch Blomkvist grow and struggle as he attempted to solve the mystery. His life was already hectic, and getting inside his head really made the story so much better. How he felt about the mystery, His relationship with Berger-- and when he meets her-- Salander. I loved how the story progressed at the same pace that Blomkvist & Salander's relationship did... it really put them on the same level, and added bonus points to the ending. I just wanted to tear the damn pages out after reading the last line! 
I would get a little pissy at Salander for being so self conscious & stubborn, and Blomkvist for being so damn oblivious! But it adds to their character overall, which i'm sure will pay a major role in the next installment. 
I did love the atmosphere that came up with the conflicting personalities of Salander & Blomkvist. She was dark and brooding, while he was all smiles and brains while solving the crime. She definitely made the story more kick ass.... the fact that she beat up the bad guy at the end, and did so much in the book yet gave off such little emotions. Although she was constantly sexually abused, which was quite disturbing, she is a head strong girl that likes nothing more than vengeance to the men who harm her. Feminists will love her!
  
There were definitely some details that the story could have done without, and would have lessened the bore factor in some scenes, but I definitely felt the suspense and surprise near the end when all was revealed. This is one mystery you wont wan't to out down until it's solved!!!

I heard that the next book is totally kick ass, can't wait to read it!



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