The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl Who Played With Fire

Author: Stieg Larsson

Published: January 2006

Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about sex trafficking in Sweden are murdered, and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, does not believe the police. Using all his magazine staff and resources to prove Salander's innocence, Blomkvist also uncovers her terrible past, spent in criminally corrupt institutions. Yet Salander is more avenging angel than helpless victim. She may be an expert at staying out of sight - but she has ways of tracking down her most elusive enemies.

Rating: 5 Stars

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was very plot focused, however I found I preferred the character focused style of The Girl Who Played With Fire. This installment focuses on the character of Lisbeth Salander, and we learn a lot more about the way she works. Not only that but we finally learn what All The Evil is. And from learning about that particular scenario I have to say Salander certainly had balls at the age of twelve. 

This installment is set two years after the previous one, and we can see how the characters have developed over that period of time. Bjurman is still an arse, Salander has matured a bit but is still as reckless as ever, and is there anyone who Blomkvist isn't shagging? Seriously why throw Harriet Vangar into the mix as well. 

The villain this time is a mastermind, who just so happens to have the perfect muscle for any job. Dumb, and suffering from a genetic condition meaning he can't feel any pain, as well as being built like a mountain makes Ronald Neidermann a pretty formidable opponent in a fight. And of course the end gives us some beautiful plot twists as well as a great cliffhanger. 

I found the storyline much more interesting this time, although that might have something to do with the fact that Salander was the primary character. 

The only thing that really bugged me is that Salander is a billionaire now yet she furnishes her flat with stuff from Ikea. 

Would I recommend this book? Most definitely. This was a great read, and the final cliffhanger means I'm about to buy the last book now. 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson

Published: August 2005

Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family.

He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet's disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history.

But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.

Rating: 4 Stars

Overall this was a very enjoyable read. Solving a murder mystery forty years on, for which a body has never been found was never going to be an easy task. This murder has driven one man to his wits end, and he eventually hires a journalist to see if he can unearth some new material and discover the truth about what happened to Harriet. 

Until about halfway through when Blomkvist and Salander finally meet, the book feels as if its two separate stories. Out of those two stories I find myself more involved in Salander's story, and only gain a proper interest in what happened to Harriet once Salander and Blomkvist team up. This second half of the book though is where we suddenly see a lot more action so that's when I really started to become involved with the story. 

Characterisation wise I absolutely adored Salander. She is a bit of an enigma and I get the feeling that we still have a lot to learn about who she is, and what happened to her as a child. We know that there was a big event known as All The Evil, but we haven't explicitly been told what this is. Blomkvist on the other hand didn't really appeal to me. He's shown as having a very strong moral backbone and a very black and white outlook of the world, yet he's a ladies man who even when he is in a committed relationship is having this on off thing with Erika. So hes more than a bit of a hypocrite in my eyes. 

There are a few bits of book that I really don't agree with including details of Salander being raped, the truth of what happened to Harriet (you'll know what ai mean when you get to that point), and the detail with which particularly grisly murders are described. 

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes, this is well worth a read. Now I'm off to see if the other books in the trilogy live up to this one. 

Live Wire by Harlan Coben

Title: Live Wire

Author: Harlan Coben

Published: March 2011

Over the years, Myron Bolitar has walked a tight rope between sports agent, friend, problem solver and private eye, his big heart quick to defend his clients' interests so fiercely that he can't help but jump in to save them, no matter the cost to his own happiness.

So when former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off, and Suzze - at eight months pregnant - asks Myron to save her marriage, and perhaps her husband's life. But when he finds Lex, he also finds two people he wasn't looking for: his sister-in-law, Kitty, wife of Myron's estranged brother, and her teenage son, Mickey, who is achingly familiar. But this boy that he has never met blames Myron for everything that has happened to his parents.

As Myron races to locate his missing brother while their father clings to life after a savage heart-attack, he must face the lies that led to the estrangement long ago - including the ones told by Myron himself. He must also answer the questions that Mickey's arrival has thrown up. Who is Myron Bolitar really? And can he heal the damage of the past?

Rating: 4 Stars

This is the first Myron Bolitar book that I have read and after a while I found it to be fairly enjoyable. However I'm not sure that I entirely buy into the whole idea of Myron being an agent and some crime solving sleuth. I don't know but I really don't think that the two careers mesh together very well.

And whilst Myron is the main character it really seems to me that the brains behind the entire operation is his friend and colleague Win. Now that might not necessarily be a bad thing, but it does lower the attraction of Myron somewhat. Then again Myron seems to be good at everything so I'm pretty glad that Coben gave him the flaw of wanting to help everyone out, no matter how much he despises them. 

I have to admit that the plot turned in a completely different direction than what I first imagined, and I always enjoy it when a book manages to surprise me. However this was mainly because of the introduction of so many smaller characters who appear to be pulling the strings. My favourite twist though has to be the one with Lex and Gabriel, but I won't say anymore as I don't want to give the game away. 

Would I recommend this book? I would indeed. It may not be the hardest mystery to solve, but this was an enjoyable read nonetheless. 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Title: Me Before You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Published: December 2012

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Rating: 5 Stars

I'm sat here on my hospital bed in tears after reading this book. Wait no scratch that I've been crying for the last few chapters ever since I realised how this was going to end. And while a part of me always knew it would end that way, I still wasn't prepared for the emotion it would evoke within me. 

I really really enjoyed this book, I can't put into words just how much I enjoyed it. Will, despite being a bit of an arse in the beginning, actually shows himself to be a lovely guy and Lou it transpires actually has a crazy quirky nature. We even see her sister Treena mature as a character, and when we read the chapter from Treena's point of view I grew to respect her a bit more as a character. Patrick on the other hand seemed dull and very two dimensional to me. Okay he was probably intended to be that way, but I honestly can't see how he managed to keep hold of Lou for seven years. 

The storyline is in itself brilliant. There are plenty of twists and turns, none that I feel I can reveal without ruining the ending for you, but they are all brilliant. One thing that is for sure is that this isn't your conventional love story and you'll want your tissues handy. 

Would I recommend this book? Most definitely. I really enjoyed this read, even if my heart was crushed by the end of it. 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published: August 2010

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge...

Rating: 5 Stars

Mockingjay is the final installment in the Hunger Games trilogy and it certainly lives up to expectations. In some ways Mockingjay is a lot darker than the other books; we encounter torture and many gruesome deaths in the Capitol. And there's one death in particular which hits Katniss really hard. 

However that said there are happy moments too. We get to see a wedding and see Katniss finally make her choice between Gale and Peeta. 

Mockingjay is much more action packed, something I really enjoyed. Right from page one we are thrown into the military lifestyle of District Thirteen. I think this is where we finally get a feel for who Gale really is, and what surprised me was that I started to feel sympathetic towards Johanna of all people. 

This was a brilliant way to end the series and I hope Suzanne Collins brings us something new soon. 

Would I recommend this book? I'd recommend the entire series which has captivated me for the past week. 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published: September 2009

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Rating: 5 Stars

Catching Fire is a brilliant sequel to The Hunger Games. Set a few months after Katniss and Peeta have become victors we now get to see them embark on the Victory Tour, and President Snow gives Katniss an ultimatum. The ultimate twist though, the perfect revenge for the Capitol is that as this year is the seventy fifth year of the Hunger Games, it's a Quarter Quell. And what better way to celebrate the Quarter Quell than by reaping the tributes from existing victors, meaning that Katniss will be headed back into the arena once more. 

I liked that Suzanne Collins kept things somewhat strained between Peeta and Katniss in the beginning, adding a reality to their relationship. It helps with the continuity of how the last book ended. And it was also brilliant how the Hunger Games are still as brutal as ever despite the unity of the victors. However I think the best part of the book for me was the bombshell of the final chapter. It's defintely one to watch out for.

Would I recommend this book? Oh yes defintely. I'd say go out and get a copy now because if you enjoyed The Hunger Games you'll love Catching Fire. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Published: September 2008

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

Rating: 5 Stars

I absolutely loved The Hunger Games. I first read the series a few years ago when I was at uni and I've seen both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. So I already knew what was going to happen. Luckily though this is one of those books that you can pick up and enjoy time and time again. I still get emotional at particular parts of the book and still always cry over Rue. 

The character development is brilliant and by the end of the book we see Katniss struggling to work out whether or not she has feelings for Peeta, or if it was all just a part of the Games. 

The Games themselves are quite a barbaric concept, teenagers fighting it out to the death on television, but I think the worst part of the Games for me is how brutal some of those teenagers are. We aren't given ages for the majority of the other tributes but I'm choosing to believe that most of them are towards the older end of the scale. 

Would I recommend this book? Hell yes!!! Go get yourself a copy now.