The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson enraged me more than I ever expected to be enraged by a book. I had to keep myself away from any social media in order to decompress first and only then to reform my indignation into a more coherent review.

Spoiler free story of The Darkness.

The Darkness is the first book in a series about a detective in Iceland. Her name is Hulda Hermannsdóttir. She’s about to retire but is given an opportunity to investigate one last case of her choice. She picks up an old case about a Russian immigrant found dead in the river.

What’s good about The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson.

The protagonist is well crafted. Hulda Hermannsdóttir is quite a likeable character. It’s easy to root for her and to sympathise with what she’s going through.

The writing (and I guess the translation) is decent. Nothing is too simplistic yet the story is easy to read.

All the elements of a good detective story are there. There are no holes in the plot, all dots connect in the end.  The plot did sometimes depend on the stupidity of some characters but this stupidity looks quite plausible.

There are two dramatic background stories, one of which had a very unexpected twist, that’s when I thought I might like the book eventually.

What’s really bad about The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson.

The ending of the story is a disaster! How could one tell a story like this?! Why?! Books are supposed to bring some level of satisfaction. Sure, not all books do. But this is the first book I’ve ever met that intentionally betrays the reader. Is it done for the novelty or the shock effect? It’s not only that your expectations are not met, it’s also the way the details of the betrayal are savoured. You are shown more than you need to see just to disgust you even more.

I’m seriously suspecting The Darkness started a phobia in me. How many books are out there that will use me this way?  How can I choose the right book if good writing, well-developed characters and a well-knitted plot are no longer indicators of a good book?

Final thoughts on The Darkness.

Obviously I cannot recommend the book as I wouldn’t want to put anybody through a similar experience. That being said, there are tons of positive reviews of The Darkness. I even saw readers being happy about being shocked this way. Thus, even though I will never pick up the second book in the series you might still like it. Consider yourself warned and choose for yourself .

Big thanks to the publishers for the copy in exchange for my obviously honest review!

Book bloggers.

Before I started my blog I didn’t know there was such a big and vibrant community. Reading seemed to be quite a solitary, lonely activity. As soon as I started blogging I found out how wrong I was. Book bloggers are very communicative, supportive and friendly people, and there are so many of them! They became my main source of information about good books, new releases, any important book events. Whenever I have a question I ask a blogger, or post the question on Twitter and I always get a reply. Book bloggers made me realise there’s a whole world out there, and this world felt like home as soon as I joined it.

Book authors.

The mere fact that you can actually thank an author is mind-blowing!

Imagine being able to thank Hemingway or Tolstoy! That’s how it feels for me every time I reach out to an author and thank her. And now imagine how it feels to get a reply! Since the beginning of my blog I’ve had some conversations with several different authors, from basic pleasantries to longer talks. I would have never had this experience without my blog.

Books themselves.

It’s been 2.5 months since I started my book blog. I’ve read 30 books since then. 

I’ve always loved reading but I would have never read that many books had it been not for my blog. The blog gave an extra purpose for my reading, something to look forward to after I finish the book: the chance to share my thoughts, to connect to reviewers and authors.

Writing about the books also helps me remember them, not only because of the eventual post but mainly because of the process of working on this post. When you let your mind work on something, you will remember it better.

I also started ordering physical copies because books became more than just stories. They became beautiful objects I want to surround myself with, admire and take photos of. I wouldn’t have all this beauty had I not started blogging.

And, of course, ARCs are my main treasure so they deserve their own paragraph.

Advance reading copies, also known as ARCs.

ARCs are the books from the future.

They are copies that publishers send to “readers of influence” so that the readers can read and influence, i.e. spread the information about the book before the book gets to the market.

Although I’ve read a good number of them already, it still blows my mind every time I get a new one. And just as I was writing this I got two new copies. They are The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson and The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. I will publish my reviews of them later but I can say they seem to be very scary stories that won’t let me sleep for a couple of nights.

An extra thought on book blogging.

For years I wanted to blog about books but was denying myself this opportunity. There didn’t seem to be a proper excuse to be having so much fun. Thankfully I understood early enough that no excuses are needed for doing something you love. The love is actually the primary reason for doing anything at all. Do what you love doing. That’s all that matters.