The Girl Who Played with Fire

The second book in the “Millennium series” was also quite enjoyable.

One part that bugged me though was that the beginning started out very slowly and almost completely off topic for the rest of the book for no apparent reason. It seemed unnecessary, especially because the main cast of characters, not including some that would become more important, were introduced in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. The real problem is this slow rolling introduction does not even introduce the new important characters. I would have preferred a more direct jump into the action.

“The Girl Who Played with Fire” concentrates a lot more on Elizabeth Salander and her past, while not revealing too much of it until the end, and a lot less on Mikael Blomkvist.

This book was more interesting as there did not necessarily appear to be a protagonist who was dominating the book from their viewpoint. In many ways I would say Salander was the protagonist in this book but we often learn about what may or may not be happening to her through the eyes and narration following other characters who are entangled in her story. I liked this aspect a lot.

I would definitely suggest that anyone who has read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” should read “The Girl Who Played with Fire” as well.

Also, it should be noted that “The Girl Who Played with Fire” ends on such a strong note and cliffhanger that I really would strongly encourage having “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” on hand to read as soon as you finish the book.