The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
ISBN: 9780307454546
Publication: Vintage Books, Random House, 2008

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has become a national bestseller, and received rave reviews. I have to agree with the reviews with regard to a couple of things. The author certainly has an intriguing plot and thoroughly fleshed out characters, but that's where my agreement ends.

I normally finish a book of this length in a matter of days - I've been working on this one for over a week, and I'm not even half through. It's boring. Yes, the plot is great, but the pacing is off. True, the characters are well developed, but their interactions are stifled. Great effort has been made to detail odd props, while almost no effort has been made to trigger any senses beyond the visual. I know, I know: it's cold. That's nice. Show me what cold means, let me experience cold.

As intriguing and developed as the plot is, the story really plods along. I'm bored, and I don't bore easily. Besides my boredom - I am pretty sure I know what the "twist" at the end is going to be. If I really figured it out this early, if I am right, then that is really going to steam my carrots.

Maybe if I put the book down and come back to it in a couple of months my impression will differ.

Marked - House of Night Series

Title: Marked (House of Night series) Author: P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast ISBN: 0312360266, 9780312360269 Publication: St. Martin's Press, 2007

Marked, along with the rest of the House of Night series, was written by a mother/daughter team. At times (especially later in the series) it is clear that there are two voices represented in the narrative.

Criticisms aside, I have managed to read each of the books in this series. They are just scary enough to be interesting, without giving the reader nightmares. The series veers wildly away from traditional vampire lore incorporating elements of modern Wicca.

However, the series is mostly disappointing. The books are full of grammatical errors, and at times it seems that the authors have their own characters mixed up: they might say "Darius replied" when it was obvious that they meant Damien.

The main characters, all high school students, are charismatic and engaging but ultimately under-developed. The language, vocabulary, and plot are all tailored for a young teenage audience. The story drags in places, and is often unbelievable (in a bad way).

Ultimately I think this book was written and published right in time to ride the wave of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. If you need a young adult vampire fix, the House of Night series will do. Just don't expect too much depth.