This book went back to a slower pace. There were moments when it would pick up with some action, but it was tame for the most part. The plot centered around exposing corrupt members of the Security Police and getting Lisbeth acquitted of all charges against her. I think that’s what makes this one slow. I’m not particularly interested in the inner-workings of Swedish government or in courtroom dramas. I didn’t mind it as much here because I was already invested in all the characters.

Lisbeth grows a little more. She’s slowly learning to trust the people that want to help her. It’s obvious that it will take some time before she really gets there, but she’s putting forth the effort which is nice. It’s also great to finally know all the details of her story. She’s kept it all so secret her whole life. I think writing her journey is really what opens her up. I think this book serves as a great finale to Lisbeth’s story.

The movie was well done. It followed the book pretty closely (like the others). It was a little long. I’m not sure what they could have cut to shorten it, because there’s already a lot cut out. It just felt long. My boyfriend was about to fall asleep by the time it starting winding down. I really enjoyed it though.

I really enjoyed this series, as a whole. Sometimes it was a little slow, and Larsson wrote in so much detail it made my brain hurt occasionally. But I loved Lisbeth and Mikael (usually) so much that I didn’t mind trudging through. I’m really glad I read this series.

This volume is a little more action-packed so it moves faster. I blazed through this one. It kept my interest in every aspect. We learn a lot more about Lisbeth (who is, after all, the most interesting character).

Lisbeth grows a lot in this book. She takes a look at how she has treated others. She begins to realize her choices have an effect on those around her. She’s kept everyone at arms length, trying to keep them out of her personal life. She never opens up, but it doesn’t stop people from caring about her. I loved that she started to see that she affects these people whether she keeps them close or not. I think this thought is what finally gives her the resolve to finish the job she started as a child.

It’s wonderful to watch the plot of this novel unravel. I was so excited by every bit of information I found. The pacing was so much better than that of the first book. I was very pleased with this one. I had to begin the next one immediately, as promised by the guy who loaned the books to me.

I enjoyed this movie, as well. I’m still impressed with Noomi Rapace. She’s just perfect. I’m not sure I want another Lisbeth. She really is Lisbeth for me. Like the book, the movie was better-paced. It was also shorter, which was nice. The first one was a tad too long for me.

This is the kind of series I would never normally read, but my curiosity got the better of me. It was so popular I had to pick it up. It started out really slow for me, since I have no interest in the financial babble at the beginning. Once Lisbeth was introduced, my interest was peaked.

Lisbeth is a wonderfully complicated character. Her development in this book was minor, but it was there. I feel a lot like her boss about her relationship with Mikeal. How on earth did he gain her trust so easily? This tough-as-nails little girl who never trusts anyone, opens herself up (as much as she’s ever willing to) to a man old enough to be her father. Not that his age really matters. I kind of feel like Mikael and Lisbeth are the type of people that are beyond age difference issues. Mikael is cool enough, but nothing particularly special to me. He has a good eye and really pays attention to detail (probably a side-effect of getting screwed by Wennerström.

The plot, though very interesting, had a tendency to drag. I’m attributing this to Larsson’s detailed writing. He gives very in depth descriptions of everything. Sometimes it’s a little much, but other times I appreciate it. He does a great job with the element of suspense toward the end, then we’re left with a very surprising discovery at the end. I think the writing is good enough. It’s nothing special, but it really doesn’t need to be. It definitely could have been a little shorter.

The theme isn’t hard to find in this book. Especially since the original Swedish version was called “Men Who Hate Women.” The whole book is centered around hate crimes committed on women. Most of the crimes are committed for no real reason, just hatred. I think we can all agree that some of the things that go on in this book are just sick. There were a few particular scenes that seriously made me sick to my stomach. I guess, if you can’t deal with that kind of thing you might want to skip this one.

I saw the movie soon after I read the book. I think they did a stellar job. I was thoroughly impressed with Noomi Rapace. She is Lisbeth Salander. I just don’t think the American version will live up to this. Michael Nyqvist did an excellent job as well. I think he’s just perfect as Mikael. I do not think that Daniel Craig is the right choice, but we’ll just wait and see. I will say it will be a relief to be able to watch without reading subtitles the whole time. I don’t really mind all that much, but it gets a little tiresome. All in all, two thumbs up for the Swedish version.

In the end, the plot and main characters won out over any qualms I had with this book. By the end of it, I was in love. I just had to get there first. One question, why is Mikael such a hit with the ladies? I don’t see it. He’s cool and all, but I’m not jumping into bed with him over it.

I was so excited about this book when I finished Shiver. I just could not wait for it to come out. By the time it got here, a lot of the excitement had worn off. By the time I actually started reading I had to remember what was even going on in this story. None of that is really bad. I just said that to say that it took me a little bit to get invested. I’ll blame part of that on the beginning of the book too. I found the first half a little boring.

The addition of Cole was a wonderful decision of Stiefvater’s part. Without him, there wouldn’t be much of a story. Since Sam and Grace are already together it took a long time for me to get really interested with their part of the story. I wasn’t sucked into what was happening with them until the last sixty pages or so. Cole helped keep me in the book until that point. He’s a great character. I’m eager to see more of him in the next book. He’s the guy you love to hate, but it’s so difficult when you can see into his tortured head. He really loathes himself and it’s so sad. I want him to get better so very bad.

It was also interesting to see inside Isabel’s head. After finding her rather unfeeling in the first book, I like her a lot now. I got to see what’s on the inside and I feel similar to the way I feel about Cole. I really want her to face her problems and get better. She’s become crucial to the story line as well. I’m so glad there’s more to this book. I was a little worried about what this book would be like.

Again, I really like Stiefvater’s writing. She takes some great cues from Rilke and all the other poetry she loves. She paints some very lovely pictures, and sometimes some very sad pictures. This book felt a little less lyrical though. It seemed a little more real and gritty and I think Cole and Isabel had everything to do with that. Especially Cole, whose the grittiest character in the book. He really brought something new to the story. But, I’m talking about writing right now, not Cole. I admit, inShiver, I was sometimes a little overwhelmed by the lyrical passages. I didn’t feel that way about this book. The writing stayed out of the way a little more.

I have to give props to Stiefvater for not ending things quite the way I expected. I mean, I saw what was coming. I just didn’t expect it to happen the way it did. It was a little twist that made the book much more interesting to me. Now, the characters are faced with a whole new plethora of problems that I really need the answers to. That’s what a good plot is. Reel us all in, then leave us hanging on the last words so that we’ll be begging for the next book.

It didn’t blow me away, like I expected it to. I did really enjoy it though. This is a great series.

I was immediately drawn to Incarceron after I read the synopsis. It sounded wonderful! It didn’t quite live up to my expectations, but it was still a pretty good book. It did take me a little while to get used to the narrator. It wasn’t quite what I expected. I always have certain expectations for a book after I read the synopsis. This book wasn’t bad, it was just different.

I expected Claudia and Finn to be the most important characters. Though, they were important, they could not compete with Incarceron. The prison itself is a very interesting character. I didn’t expect it to have such a presence. I’m glad Fisher wrote it this way though. It makes for a much more interesting and original story. Most of the other characters were well-developed, though I couldn’t stand Keiro. I also expected a little bit more out of Claudia. I wasn’t a huge fan of her, though I appreciate there being such strong females in the story.

The plot was well-paced for the most part. The beginning is full of long, complicated descriptions of the prison that I, quite frankly, didn’t understand. This could be because I was listening, rather than physically reading. I probably could have worked it out if I’d had the book in my hands. The other thing I never grasped was why the prison was created in the first place. I was confused about that. Now that I think about it, this needs a re-read before Sapphique comes out.