Not bad, decent writing, but way way waaaaaay too much going on thematically.

Already miles better than the first four books, and though Harry still has a Male Savior complex, it's written as a more natural character flaw and not just because that's the way men in urban fantasy need to be.

Number of times Harry notices breasts that aren't Susan's: 1/2 (it was a sly reference).

So much more than just another vampire novel. I watched the Swedish film over a year ago, and loved the chilly, quiet, terrifying mood the director infused into it. When I started reading this, I realized it wasn't just the director, but Lindqvist's writing that sets the tone. There's nothing overtly scary about this at first, and at its heart it's not really a vampire novel. It's a story about lonely people making their way through the cold before they, ahem, let the right person in.

There's also creepy vampirism and serial killer insights and pedophilia and bullying and vaguely connected side stories about other people that are probably more terrifying than Eli the little vampire that could and her human friend Oskar. Reading this mostly at night before bed was a bad idea, but I still enjoyed myself.

I happily devoured this novel, and though it had its problems, ultimately I had to give it the four stars.

Yes, the main characters are not that likeable. And most all of the secondary characters were used simply as mouth pieces for a certain topic, and at times it felt like those topics were simply an agenda being pushed by Adichie for no reason other than she had a soapbox and wanted to use it. And I hate cheaters and that ending was abrupt and resolved nothing.

But yet, as I read, I kept thinking, I know this. I've thought this. I feel this way.

I can't explain much more than that, because sometimes it's just gut feeling, and I appreciate the fact that this book exists and spoke to me on a level I haven't felt before.

Man, that blurb doesn't do the scope of this story justice. 4.5 stars rounded up because I enjoyed this so much.

There were moments when Agnieszka felt a bit like a Mary Sue at times, but the overall story, her character arc, and the world building was wonderful. I want to say more but I really can't force words out for a proper review, so whatever. Read this. Read it read it read it.