Thursday, January 10, 2013

Book Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest


Review:  #296
Title:  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Series:  Millennium Series - 3rd and final book
Author:  Stieg Larsson
Read Before:  no
My Comments:  The reason why the last book ended so abruptly is clearer now, this book continues immediately when it finished.  As a result, it was a rush reading it from the start til finish, while stalling just a bit in the beginning, it picked up so much momentum that you cannot stop until you get to the end.  The plot doesn't sound too exciting at first, it tells the story of how a small faction of the Swedish security police is trying to cover up the true nature and events regarding Salander’s father.  They try to subject her to an unjust trial and fate.  However, it was written very well, and fast paced.  Most things felt relevant (though there were still some sections that didn’t feel like it belonged there), you could feel the tension building up towards the climax, waiting to explode.  There were some shocking moments (in a very good way), you couldn't wait until the bad guys were apprehended, yet you would fear that something would go wrong before that happened.  This was especially excruciating in the last few days before the trial, in which everything just hinged upon the other party not finding out the protagonists’ real plans.  The trials were very satisfying, especially the questioning of Dr Teleborian, as he got what he deserved.  You have the feeling that the Section (the antagonists) was initially formed with a good intention, but that they eventually got corrupted with their ideals.  Sometimes, you would think to yourself, that the author went overboard with some of the stuff, to the point where it’s implausible.  Salander isn’t such a likeable character, but you feel somewhat proud when she does things that the other characters cannot do.  It was a blast reading it, it feels incredible, and leaps and bounds above the previous two books.
Rating:  8/10
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