Book Review: Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Hello again, readers! I told you I'd be back...here I am! :)

Today I finished another wonderful novel (that's my 7th novel this month!) and wanted to share my review with you before I get too busy or forget.

I received a copy of Ashes to Dust from the publisher through Goodreads First Reads program, in exchange for an honest review. I was ecstatic. The summary made it sound incredible. Here it is, courtesy of Goodreads:

In 1973, a volcanic eruption buried an entire Icelandic village in lava and ash. Now this macabre tourist attraction proves deadly once again—when the discovery of fresh bodies casts a shadow of suspicion onto Markús Magnússon, a man accused of killing his childhood sweetheart. His attorney Thóra Guðmundsdóttir finds that her client has a most inventive story to tell. But the locals seem oddly reluctant to back him up...

On the front cover of my copy is a declaration that this book is "Iceland's answer to Steig Larsson" made by The Telegraph (UK). This made it even harder for me to put in my TBR pile and wait patiently for its turn to be read. When the time did come for this to be the next in line, I snatched it up and cruised through the first third of it before even coming up for air. It's that good, and that addicting. 


I've never read any story that takes place in Iceland, let alone a work translated from Icelandic. Surprisingly, this was an easy read. As it's been compared to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, I often hear criticism from others who have read Steig Larsson's works that the names and locations can be a challenge. I think Sigurdardottir has kept everything reasonably simplistic and easy for Americans to understand. The characters were interesting, but the story line is what really got readers interested. I must admit that throughout the story I flip-flopped several times on "who-dun-it". The ending had an incredible surprise twist, right up to the very last page (literally).


This is actually the third novel in a series, by the way. I'm confident I'll be reading the other books in the series. Hopefully soon.

I highly recommend this read for anyone who loves a good thriller, particularly international works. Unfortunately, this book doesn't go on sale until March 27, 2012. Amazon has a pretty decent preorder price, at $17.63 for the hardcover edition.


Here are my stats for the book:

Ashes to Dust by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 360
2012 Reading Goal: 2,400/15,000


FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this novel from the author or publisher in exchange for an honest review.