Stephanie Jane reviewed Season of the witch by Árni Þórarinsson
Lighter than expected
3 stars
Season Of The Witch was a surprising read for me. Its chatty style felt more like a cosy mystery than the Scandi-noir I was expecting from the cover art. The novel is written in the first person from journalist Einar's point of view so we get to understand his character pretty well. Other people aren't so completely portrayed and some, such as the editor back on Reykjavik, felt stereotyped. The central mystery is an interesting idea, but it is intertwined with other personal storylines that I felt were included more for padding than necessity. The dog's disappearance for example leads into deep emotional territory, but this isn't explored more than superficially.
For a light post-Christmas read, Season Of The Witch fulfilled its purpose. It is entertaining and gives an idea of life in small-town Iceland - very different to that of the city! I didn't need to have read the …
Season Of The Witch was a surprising read for me. Its chatty style felt more like a cosy mystery than the Scandi-noir I was expecting from the cover art. The novel is written in the first person from journalist Einar's point of view so we get to understand his character pretty well. Other people aren't so completely portrayed and some, such as the editor back on Reykjavik, felt stereotyped. The central mystery is an interesting idea, but it is intertwined with other personal storylines that I felt were included more for padding than necessity. The dog's disappearance for example leads into deep emotional territory, but this isn't explored more than superficially.
For a light post-Christmas read, Season Of The Witch fulfilled its purpose. It is entertaining and gives an idea of life in small-town Iceland - very different to that of the city! I didn't need to have read the earlier books in the series as the story here stands well alone. I just would personally have preferred less cosiness!