Movie Monday: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
As we all know, books turned into movies can either go really right or…horribly wrong. In fact, every time the rights to a beloved book series is sold to a major motion picture company there is a collective groan of apprehension across the world wide web. Who will they cast? What aspects of the story will they change? How can it ever do the writing justice?
I think that collective internet groan was especially loud when it was announced that MGM would be bringing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to the big screen. Well, for the second time. Why? Because the Swedish interpretations of novels written by Stieg Larsson are simply phenomenal and it is hard to imagine anyone doing better.
Let’s take a step back for a minute and talk about the books. This is where I get booed by book clubs across the country: I didn’t love the books. They were ok, good even in parts, but they were just too busy and scattered for my taste. The first in the series was by far my favorite, a solid 4 star read. However the remaining two felt disjointed and slow. I would have loved to see book two and three edited down to one novel.
All that said, if you haven’t read the series yet, it is worth taking a chance on. I mean hundreds of book clubs can’t be wrong, right? The story telling may not be perfect and the journey is slow in parts, but Lisbeth is a character that calls to you from the pages. I kept at it solely because of her and my need to know what happened to her. She is wounded, fragile, and yet…powerful. In a word, Lisbeth Salander is fascinating.
In 2009 the Swedish film company Yellow Bird released the first of three movies based on the books, staring Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth and Michael Nyqvist as the male lead. If ever there was a movie adaptation worthy of its origins, this was it. In fact I’m going to go so far as to say the movies are significantly better than the novels themselves. The distractions that slowed down the story are no where to be found in the films and the actors give the characters a depth and honesty that was missing from the text. Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth is perfection.
With the announcement of the U.S. remakes, I was …. nervous. Why do it?! The Swedish films are wonderful! Yes, you have to read subtitles but so what? We like reading! I was even more apprehensive when I saw the first of the promotional shots trickling out.
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What… the? Really? Anyone who has read the books knows that Lisbeth would never tattoo her last name across her chest. Additionally, why do we have to take a woman who is fascinating in her own right and reduce her to a naked body in order to sell tickets?
Then I saw the trailer.
And I got excited. Maybe MGM simply shoots a really great trailer, or just maybe they have found a way to adapt the books in their own way. Rooney Mara has certainly found her own take on Lisbeth and I do rather like Daniel Craig in the role of Mikael Blomkvist. I’m certainly not won over but I’m at least willing to give it a chance.
Review: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
Blood Bound
Rachel Vincent
Release: August 23, 2011
Purchase Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Nook Version | Kindle Version
Rating: 5 Stars
By blood, by word, by magic…
Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.
Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.
But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.
Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.
And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…
Rachel Vincent can do no wrong. Yes, I said it and I probably mean it. Over the years I’ve undoubtedly grown as a reader and reviewer, and sometimes my increasingly high expectation as to what makes a truly great urban fantasy novel leaves me feeling unsatisfied with what I come across. Yet, not once has Rachel Vincent fallen under that increasingly high bar. In some aspects I feel as if we have grown together. You know, as much as two people who don’t know each other can, and not in a creepy sort of way. Or maybe it is simply that her own development as a writer and continued success as a story teller has influenced the ‘standard of excellence’ I hold other novels and authors up to.
Who are these people?
Liv Warren is a tracker, capable of finding people (unofficially) within a 300 mile radius through even the smallest drop of blood. She is one of the Skilled, a subset of people born with special skills that go largely ignored by society. With the exception of criminal syndicates and the government, of course.
I’ve sat for at least ten minutes trying to think of one word that adequately describes Liv and nothing fits just right, except maybe desperate, or desolate, or confident, or defiant, or flawed, or empowered, or …see, the list goes on. She is complicated. She does what she has to in order to survive and keep her friends safe, even if they don’t realize she is doing it. Her world is full of black, white, gray, and boundary lines that were meant to be pushed up against and bent.
Cam Caballero, is the one she can’t have. There is certainly more to him and their relationship, but honestly Liv carries this story on her own. Their romance is secondary, if not unremarkable to the story as a whole.
What is this book even about?
Bound by a blood oath taken as a young girl, Liv is forced to help a friend find and kill a man in the name of revenge. Yet, when is revenge ever a simple and straight forward task? Coerced to work with a man she loves, but believes she is a danger to, Liv Warren finds herself neck deep in a complicated ring of criminal politics that threatens to expose her own secrets with every passing hour.
Trackers find people, Jammers keep Trackers from finding people. Travelers teleport through shadows and Binders can make promises a death sentence. There is an entire world of Skilled people officially ignored by society and the government, but unofficially used by both. The basic plot in itself isn’t revolutionary, it doesn’t need to be. Instead its a steady and well paced constant nestled among a rapidly shifting world and cast of characters.
What did I like love about this story?
The creativity. The innovation. The sense that this series would be unlike anything else I’ve read in urban fantasy so far. One of the things I enjoyed so much about Rachel Vincent’s previous Shifter series was that she didn’t just build a story resting on the back of traditional paranormal “shifter” lore, but instead created her own. She does the same with this new series, blazing a trail that is entirely hers and entirely unique to the genre. Not only is the world building creative and innovative, but it is believable. The characters, events, and dynamics of the Unbound world teeter along the line of credible possibilities in such a way that one can’t help being completely captivated.
What gave me pause….?
Truthfully, very little. I did find the romance subplot to be less interesting than the rest, but it certainly wasn’t badly done or in any way detrimental to the novel. It is likely my own disinterest in romance in general as of late, rather than the subplot itself. I’d like to speculate it could have been written without it, but I fear we’d lose character growth within Liv that manifested nicely because of the romantic entanglements. If you enjoy a good bit of romantic tension in your urban fantasy, this book has the perfect portion of it.
Favorite Quote
“But before you start officially asking me for help, you need to understand that there are certain requests I can’t carry out, and making those particular requests would be like pushing my self-destruct button. I’ll implode, like the fuckin’ Death Star.”
“Um, point of fact, I believe the Death Star exploded,” Cam said, leaning back on a bar stool, his elbows propped behind him on the counter. “Twice.”
“Congratulations. Your official super-nerd badge is in the mail,” Kori said, but I couldn’t get past the part about me accidentally pushing her self-destruct button.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit! “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means….”
Should you read this book?
Yes. In fact, if you only try one new series or one new author this year, Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent should be at the top of your list.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Review: Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Enclave
Ann Aguirre
Release: April 12, 2011
Purchase Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Nook Version | Kindle Version
Rating: 4.5 Stars
WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE
In Deuce’s world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed ‘brat’ has trained into one of three groups–Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms. Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember.
As a Huntress, her purpose is clear—to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She’s worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing’s going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade. When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce’s troubles are just beginning.
Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn’t like following orders. At first she thinks he’s crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don’t always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth. Her partner confuses her; she’s never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace.
As Deuce’s perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy… but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she’s ever known.
Oh how I loved this book. It is the first book I have read in entirely one day in a very, very, long time.
Who are these people?
Girl15, soon renamed “Deuce”, is a 15 year old girl, coming into her own as a Huntress. In her world, you don’t get a name or true validation until you live to the age of 15 and proof yourself capable of fulfilling your role. She is hardened, determined, and has just enough naivety to make you care for her. I wanted to wrap her in my arms and protect her. She is only 15! This isn’t fair! I shouted it over and over again at her, and not once did she acknowledge that or give in to it.
Fade, is a seasoned but un-respected Hunter in their Enclave. He came to them from questionable events and has always been an outcast, even after proving himself physically several times over. Deuce is skeptical when first assigned to be his partner, but comes to trust him… mostly.
What is this book even about?
Superficially, Enclave is about a girl who has her world shaken up and turned upside down. Everything she has grown up knowing and trusting is not what she thought it once was. Enclave is a story of survival. Can Deuce and Fade live through the unfair and unbelievable fate that has settled over their heads? Or will they simply be killed and eaten by the increasingly intelligent band of “Freaks” threatening their people?
But maybe, Enclave is about more than just survival. Just maybe it is a story of political injustice and the faults of humanity. It’s a story about the pull of power, who has it and what humans instinctually do to keep it. The world built in Enclave is so easily imaginable and plausible that it pushed my buttons and made me think…. is that what I would have done? At it’s core, Enclave is a story of human nature.
What did I like love about this story?
Everything? That is probably the easy answer, but it is mostly true. It is hard to pick out just a few things that I loved because the story is so cohesive and well written that it sits in my head as one fully functioning entity. The characters wouldn’t be what they are without the world they lived in. The world they lived in wouldn’t be anything interesting without the enclave of people inhabiting it. The “bad guys” would just be another group of blood thirsty killers without the contrast of Deuce and Fade to measure against. In short, everything. The universe and story of Enclave pulls you in and wraps around you like your favorite quilt. All encompassing and familiar, but slightly uncomfortable as things heat up. Which brings me to….
What gave me pause….?
The end. This book would have gotten an easy 5 star rating if not for the ending. There was a point towards the end where I felt the story drag a tiny bit and I knew something needed to happen, and yet I couldn’t imagine what could wrap it all up in a tiny bow perfectly. I was right that something was about to happen to end it, but it wasn’t perfect. It felt awkward and slightly rushed. The conclusion was satisfactory enough, but it lacked the same punch as much of the story. I hate to sound cliche, but…. anticlimactic. I get the feeling the story was just too big for the word count goal and I almost wish it had ended on a cliffhanger to be continued in the next book.
Favorite Quote
I highlighted so many passages, it really is hard to choose a favorite.
People’s value came from their actions. In the enclave, the strong and the physically perfect survived, but if you were strong, you protected the weak until they had an opportunity to grow into their own power. At least that was the ideal.
Anything I would change?
As I stated above, I’d have cut the book a bit shorter and ended on a cliff hanger, even tho I hate cliff hangers! The story just feels too big and ran out of space.
Should you read this book?
Yes. A resounding yes. There will be some that say … “I don’t read young adult…” My response? Enclave is not defined by its genre. It is young adult in that it’s characters are not quite adults, but the story has universal appeal. If you like action, adventure, with just a smidgen of romantic tension that has the promise to blossom as the series continues… pick up this book. If you want to read something that feels truly honest and reflective, pick up this book. Yes, it is dark, dreary, and violent, but sometimes the best of humanity is born from that.
FTC Disclaimer: This book was purchased by me
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin
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