The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Summary (from the publisher): The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy.

Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I only decently liked the first novel, I liked the second book a lot, but I reallyyy liked this one. I didn't know going in to this trilogy that the first novel is its own stand alone story and the second two are a whole different story. In short, I liked the plot of the second two novels better than the first. Larsson has an extremely  detailed writing style. For example, he doesn't just say Blomkvist walked to the car. He says Blomkvist took his jacket from the hall closet, put it on, buttoned the middle two buttons, and then located his keys. He walked towards the car, while contemplating the work he still had to do that day. Blomkvist unlocked the car, made sure to put on his seatbelt before driving away, and headed home. In other words, Larsson is quite specific. Larsson is an observant writer, and his books lend themselves well for visual readers or for screen adaptations.  However, some of the details are just plain unnecessary and don't add much other than bulk to this already lengthy novel. 

I like this trilogy because Larsson created one of the most intriguing heroines I've ever encountered. Salandar is hard to like, but she's complicated and brilliant. I love her for being different and not making excuses or viewing herself as an object of self-pity. I also really enjoyed getting to know Erika Berger in this novel, and the sub-plot of Berger's stalker was compelling. 

My main complaint was some plot twists were a little too over the top to be believable. However, that's why this story is so enjoyable, right? Additionally, I really didn't like Figuerola and Blomkvist together. I didn't buy their relationship and it felt forced and not really fleshed out. 

All in all a highly enjoyable trilogy that had me reading feverishly to find out the conclusion. Super excited to watch the film when it comes out. 

Stars: 5