Book reviews: The Cuckoo's Calling | Stolthet och fördom | Ædnan

Title: The Cuckoo's Calling
Author: Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
Original title: The Cuckoo's Calling
First published: 2013
Genre: Crime, Adult
Series: Cormoran Strike #1
Publisher: Sphere
Format: Paperback
Pages: 550
Finished: 27/07/2020
Summary: When a troubled model falls to her death from a snow-covered Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts, and calls in private investigator Cormoran Strike to look into the case. A war veteran, wounded both physically and psychologically, Strike's life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial lifeline, but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model's complex world, the darker things get - and the closer he gets to terrible danger.

My thoughts: I read this together with some friends over the course of a few weeks. Unfortunately, we were all very disappointed in it. The writing style is definitely Rowling's, and that's good when we're talking Harry Potter. However, it did not work as well in this context. Rowling mixes in crude words and attempts a harsher style, which doesn't go naturally with her normal style. The clash wasn't pleasant. Another thing is the change in perspective. We switch from Cormoran to Robin now and then, but they both have the exact same narration. The POV would also change in the middle of a chapter without warning, which was confusing and lead to annoyance. Overall, the characters had little depth. I think part of the fault here is the sheer amount of characters explored in the murder investigation. There were so many that most of them became only shallow figures based on stereotypes. Then there's Rowling's way of describing black people as opposed to white. She only described skin colour when observing a black character, and many times such characters would be described with words like 'exotic'. Also, the only characters who had written out accents were black. Need I say more?
What of the mystery? Well, the investigation was mostly tedious and to someone like me who has read close to no crime novels before, this was not the one to make me more interested in the genre. In the end I became too bored to feel any curiosity. I stopped wanting to know who was the murderer, if there even was one. The resolution was unsatisfactory. I didn't buy the motivation for certain things.
Overall, I don't recommend the book, but it could've been worse. I liked most of Robin's character, and Cormoran was okay at times. I will most likely never continue with the series.

Rating: 2,5/5

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Title: Stolthet och fördom
Author: Jane Austen
Original title: Pride and Prejudice
First published: 1813
Genre: Classic
Series: --
Publisher: Albert Bonnier
Format: Danskt band (??)
Pages: 462
Finished: 31/07/2020
Summary: Mrs. Bennet has but one aim in life: to find a good match for each of her five daughters. Mr. Bennet, a mild and indolent man given to witty cynicisms, refuses to take this vulgar project seriously; he ridicules his wife instead of giving her support in her schemes. One of the daughters, Elizabeth, becomes prejudiced against her future suitor, Darcy, because of his arrogance and his uncalled-for interference with his friend Bingley’s courtship of her sister Jane. In interfering with Jane and Bingley, Darcy is influence by Mrs. Bennet’s undisguised husband-hunt and her impropriety in general; he mistakenly believes that Jane is only seeking an advantageous match and that her feelings are not sincere. In spite of his disapproval of the Bennet family. Darcy cannot keep himself from falling in love with Elizabeth, and he proposes to her. The tone of the proposal (it is evident that his love for Elizabeth is a blow to his pride) and her own prejudice cause Elizabeth to coldly reject him.

My thoughts: Probably one of my new favourite classics, and definitely one of the best books I've read this year. Austen writes characters and relationships in an expertly manner and I instantly felt at home in the historical setting with its balls, intrigues, and minor scandals. I loved the bond that Elizabeth had to her sisters and parents; it actually felt like a real family. Each sister was their own person, and her parents were truly polar opposites of each other. There's also a lot of humour in this novel, and I had to laugh out loud at several points while reading. To think that the wit of a British lady who lived two hundred years ago is still funny! Furthermore, this is of course an iconic work of romance. Reading about Mr Darcy and Miss Bennet was exciting and romantic. However, I want to point a finger to the wonderful feminism that's sprinkled over the story, even despite of the time it was written. Elizabeth is a woman with an independent mind and will, with obvious feminist values that were thoroughly refreshing for a classic. If all this sounds intriguing to you, I highly recommend you pick up this book soon!
Note: 'Danskt band' is a format for which I can't find any proper translation. It means 'Danish bind' and is a mix between paperback and hardcover. It has the shape of a hardcover but the soft bind of a paperback.

Rating: 4,5/5

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Title: Ædnan
Author: Linnea Axelsson
Original title: Ædnan
First published: 2018
Genre: Historical, Poetry
Series: --
Publisher: Albert Bonnier
Format: Hardcover
Time: 760
Finished: 
Summary: A mother and her youngest son rest with a few other women, elders, and children in a goahti. Ahead of them on the migration route, her husband and elder son push the herd of reindeer. They're headed for an island in northernmost Norway, where they will find pasture for summer. Nobody suspects that the border to Norway will close for them in a few years; that they will be forced to leave their home, and that future generations will face difficulties of a new kind.

My thoughts: Ædnan is old sámi and means the land, the ground, and the Earth.

This is a brick of a book, but it's read quite swiftly. I'm unused to reading in verse, which this is written in, but it was interesting to try it out. I think I've concluded that the format isn't really for me, or perhaps I should begin a search for a verse novel that suits me. Either way, I feel that the format was somewhat to this book's disadvantage. Being poetic can come at the cost of making the content of the story more difficult to understand and interpret. Whilst I feel that I grasped what the story was meant to tell, I fear a lot was still lost on me. Another factor to this was the way the storytelling switched constantly back and forth on the timeline, as well as between points of view. Had the story not been written in verse, I think it would have been easier to keep track of the different characters and their stories. However, I could never quite grasp who was who and what relationships the characters had to each other or what happened when and what consequences things had. I wish we'd just followed a maximum of three characters the entire book, and not jumped back and forth on the timeline. Like I said; a lot was probably lost on me because of the way the story is told.

Still, this book has some powerful scenes. And I did learn some things. It was emotional to read about the sámi people being forced to alter their lifestyle by the cruel ambition of Swedes. They were stripped of their land, their rights, and their dignity when the Swede decided through 'scientific racism' that sámi were beneath them, inferior and undeserving. It's a dark and despicable time in history, and the sámi deserved so much better. The book does a good job of explaining what the sámi people have been exposed to and how they're still affected today by the actions of the Swedish people. I dearly wish that whatever steps can be taken for the sámi people to regain their rights, their land, and their former lifestyle will be executed as soon as possible. They deserve respect and love. I'd like to read more fiction or books by sámi people and about sámi culture and history. Perhaps I will have a greater chance at understanding the message of a book written in traditional prose.

Also, wtf Vattenfall? Rude!!

Rating: 3,25/5

Book reviews: Chanslös | Crash & Burn | I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Title: Chanslös (Devoid of Chance)
Author: Gail Carriger

Original title: Changeless
First published: 2010
Genre: Steampunk, Fantasy, Adult
Series: Parasolprotektoratet #2
Publisher: Styxx
Format: Hardback
Pages: 376
Finished: 04/03/2019
Summary: Spoiler alert! Alexia Maccon, the Lady Woolsey, awakens in the wee hours of the mid-afternoon to find her husband, who should be decently asleep like any normal werewolf, yelling at the top of his lungs. Then he disappears; leaving her to deal with a regiment of supernatural soldiers encamped on her doorstep, a plethora of exorcised ghosts, and an angry Queen Victoria.
But Alexia is armed with her trusty parasol, the latest fashions, and an arsenal of biting civility. So even when her investigations take her to Scotland, the backwater of ugly waistcoats, she is prepared: upending werewolf pack dynamics as only the soulless can. She might even find time to track down her wayward husband, if she feels like it.

My thoughts: Well, this didn’t live up to my expectations…
Having read and loved “Soulless” a few years ago, I was looking forward to reading more of Carriger’s books. I realize now that I should have abandoned this series and maybe tried something else by her.

So was this book a disaster? No, it wasn’t. The main reasons I didn’t enjoy this book are quite clear. One is that I loved the first book… as a standalone. I knew from the moment I finished “Soulless” that it should’ve ended as a standalone. At least in my mind. On that front, I think the experience can vary a lot from reader to reader, so don’t let yourself be shunned by my preferences. Secondly, I felt that several characters that we got to see a lot in this book really got under my skin. At times, I just didn’t want to pick this book back up because these characters were just so annoying and it felt unmotivated to even keep them in the plot. They barely did anything or contributed in any way to either the progression of the plot or to the enjoyment of the reader. Thirdly, the book never had me hooked on the story. Honestly, most of what happened, exciting or not, was depicted in a way that to me seemed anticlimactic or even dull.

There are of course good aspects of the novel. For one, the writing really sticks out. It’s quirky, original, and sometimes very funny. It’s like a parody on itself, almost. However, I’d go so far as to say that this good aspect of the book is also one of its downsides. By having the writing always be over the top and dramatic, there’s no way to enhance critical points in the plot with extra explosive language, because it can’t get more dramatic than it already was. Therefore, it fell quite flat at several points.

I sound super negative. It’s not a super bad book; it just was not for me.

Rating: 2,5/5

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Title: Crash & Burn
Author: Abigail Roux
Original title: Crash & Burn
First published: 2015
Genre: Romance, Crime
Series: Cut & Run #9
Publisher: Riptide
Format: Paperback
Pages: 321
Finished: 13/03/2019
Summary: Spoiler alert! It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together. Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve, while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear. There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground. Squeezed between the Vega cartel, an unknown mole, and too many alphabet agencies to count, Ty and Zane must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust.

My thoughts: Last book of a long series, this one. Tbh, the “Cut & Run” series has been a guilty pleasure, but not necessarily one I’m too embarrassed about. The main characters, Ty and Zane, are special to me in the sea of fiction I surround myself with, and for that I’m thankful to both Abigail Roux and Madeleine Urban (who co-wrote the first books in the series with Abigail).

The series as a whole has been really enjoyable and emotional, in my opinion. This last book didn’t quite cut it for me like I’d hoped, though. Things got a bit confusing, there were jumps in the timeline that seemed rushed and unnecessary, and too made scenes were made to be very dramatic and emotional for the absolute end to really stand out and make a special impact. It’s not the best book in the series, but it was worth reading. This will sound a bit strange with the context of a series labled as erotica and crime, but I feel content, and a bit sentimental, about now leaving the series behind, keeping it as a fond memory.
PS. I read this for the reading theme of March; "Borta bra, men hemma bäst"!

Rating: 3,5/5

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Title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
Author: Ally Carter
Original title: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
First published: 2006
Genre: YA, Mystery
Series: Gallagher Girls #1
Publisher: Orchard Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 309
Finished: 19/03/2019
Summary: The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school - that is, it would be if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it's really a school for spies. Cammie Morgan is a second-generation Gallagher Girl, and by her sophomore year she's already fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways (one of which involves a piece of uncooked spaghetti). But the one thing the Gallagher Academy hasn't prepared her for is what to do when she falls for a boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, and track him through town without his ever being the wiser - but can she have a relationship with a regular boy who can never know the truth about her? Cammie may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she's beginning her most dangerous mission - falling in love.

My thoughts: This didn’t leave much of an impression on me. It’s a quick and easy read that checks all the Mainstream Chick Lit Trope boxes. Parts of it stands out, like the spy school aspect, but not enough the book itself very special. All in all, I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t particularly enjoy it.

Rating: 2,75/5