The End of the Millennium

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
I can't believe I put off reading this books for so long thinking I wouldn't like them. Yet now, here I am finished, wishing for more.

I did enjoy this one, but I think it's probably my least favorite of the trilogy. I think the the first two you had to keep reading because you had to know how things worked out. But while there are a few smaller mysteries, the majority of the book deals with the consequences of what happened in the last book. It did still hold my interest, and I read through it very quickly considering the length. But still, don't think it was nearly as suspenseful as the first two.

I'm also not a huge fan of the title. With the first two, the titles are literal. Lisbeth does have a dragon tattoo. Her playing with fire, is what brought on a lot of the actions in the second. But while Lisbeth may have kicked a hornet's nest figuratively, unless I'm missing something, she doesn't kick one literally. And given how literal the first two titles were, I wish this one was too.

I was happy with the ending, even though it wasn't necessarily what I expected. I wouldn't say it ends on a cliffhanger, but you could easily see more could be told. And while Steig Larsson is no longer living, he has written something for I believe 4 more books in the Millennium series. So I'm hopefully that at some point, maybe in several years, but eventually we will see his other books.

If you're like I used to be, and think these books are too gruesome for you, I really would give them a chance. I wound up being pleasantly surprised by the entire trilogy, and have a feeling you're likely to feel the same.

4.5/5

Today I'm linking up with Blonde Undercover Blonde for Book Club Friday!