The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Genre: Adult Fiction, Crime thriller

Author: Stieg Larsson

Publisher: Knopf

Here are my previous reviews: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Well, this has been a very long journey. I started this trilogy back in June and just completed the third and final installment of the Millennium trilogy a few weeks ago.

I've also finished watching all three Swedish films as well.

I'm at point where I feel a little lost without Lisbeth Salander but at the very least, I have the American version of the films to look forward to. Yeah!

Hornet's Nest was just what I had expected it to be. More or less, it is a continuation of the events that happened in the second novel. Without revealing spoilers, I can say that I am very pleased with the way the book ended and maybe a little surprised by how convoluted the plot had become.

When it comes to the final book in a series, it's nearly impossible to write a proper review without giving away too much. So I'll do my best to break down my thoughts on the entire series.

Author's writing: I'd be a liar if I didn't say that at times Larsson's writing was so intricate and so full of fact that it was overwhelming. But strangely, this is what I came to love as well. When I watched the Swedish films, I found myself saying "Hey they forgot to show this..." or "Why did they leave that out?" Obviously, the films are slightly condensed but in general do a pretty good job of depicting the novels. I was just surprised at myself for being so involved with Larsson's story that when people say they've seen the films, I have the urge to tell them to read the books too! There is important information in the books that was not depicted in the films. Not with relation to the plot, but more to character development. So I guess it's safe to say, I love Larsson's writing.

Character Development: Flawless. What you don't get in the films, is just how bad ass and intelligent the main character Lisbeth Salander really is. She's probably one of my favorite female heroines. Do I think that Larsson did a good job developing his characters? Abso-freaking-lutely. When you first start with Dragon Tattoo, you think your reading a murder mystery. But as you get into Fire and Hornet's Nest, you see that it is more than an intense plot about political corruption and violence against women. It's the history of Lisbeth Salander and all that she has had to endure. The films in this case, just do not do Larsson's characters justice. You also don't get the sense of the relationship between Mikael and Lisbeth. In the books, there is a devotional friendship that is deep--far deeper than what is portrayed in the films. These are very complex characters and Larsson does an outstanding job of creating layers.

Scenery: I need a second apartment in Sweden. Enough said. Skarsgard family and great writers. I declare my love for the country.

Plot: Oh, sweet 8lb baby Jesus. I can't tell you how shocked I was to be reading a murder mystery in the first book (which was full of very dark subject matter), only to be thrust in a political battle arena of sorts, with secret spies, drug rings, sex trafficking, bureaucratic exploitation... I just have to say, this is the first time I've read books like Larsson's Millennium trilogy. I'm not normally into reading thrillers of this nature, but this story was great. I'm only sad that Mr. Larsson passed away and we will not see his fourth novel, which I assume is still unfinished and unpublished.

In the end, I was very pleased by all three books. Yes, it took me sometime to read them and watch the films (I do have a life!) but it's well worth the time. Stieg Larsson was a very brilliant writer. I give the final book The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest five stars.