As Red As Blood - Book Review

As Red As Blood - Book Review

Salla Simukka

YA Thriller

(Lumikki Andersson #1)

UK Publisher: Hot Key Books

Synopsis:

In the Midst of the freezing Arctic winter,  seventeen year old Lumikki Andersson walks into her schools darkroom and finds a stash of wet, crimson-coloured money. Thousands of Euros left to dry - splattered with someone’s blood.

Lumikki lives alone in a studio apartment far from her parents and the past she left behind. She transferred into a prestigious art school, and she’s singularly focused on studying and graduating. Lumina ignores the cliques, the gossips, and the parties held by the schools most popular and beautiful boys and girls.

But finding the blood-stained money changes everything. Suddenly, Lumikki is swept into a whirlpool of events as she finds herself helping to trace the origins of the money. Events turn even more deadly when evidence points to dirty cops and a notorious drug kingpin best known for the brutality with which he runs his business. 

As Lumikki loses control of her carefully constructed world, she discovers that she’s been blind to the forces around her -and she’s running out of time to set them right. when she sees the stark red of blood on snow, it may be too late to save her friends, or herself…

Review:

When I picked up this book, I was under the impression that it was a fairytale retelling. However, while it has a couple of elements that sound familiar, I would have to say this book is only very loosely based on Snow White. There are no dwarfs, no poison apples, or any kind of Prince Charming. Yet it was still an enjoyable read.

When Lumikki enters the school darkroom, she finds herself surrounded by thousands of bloodstained Euros. Yet when she returns to the room a few hours later, the money is gone. Only the retreating footsteps of the schools bad boy give Lumikki a clue to follow, and only after an overheard conversation, an escape from some drug dealers and a fairytale themed ball in the woods, can Lumikki begin to unravel the mystery of the bloody-money…

I’m on the fence over how to rate this book, as I think what I enjoyed about it wasn't so much the story but the main character Lumikki. She is a loner with an interesting (possibly even abusive) past that is only hinted at every now and then. Because of this past she has learned the art of self-defence, and how to blend into a crowd and remain unseen. 

However on the other hand you also know she has two very loving and over concerned parents, so therefore I was confused at what made her past appear so dark, one of the main reasons I plan to read the next book. I just cant wait to find out more about how and why Lumikki became this tough and capable woman.

The other characters are all very normal (although quite self-absorbed) people and unfortunately I found most of them either stupid or annoying.  However the plot is quite action packed with lots of mystery that will keep you guessing. It kept me turning the pages as I wanted to know the reason behind the bloody-money among other things, and everything is brought to a very satisfying conclusion. Also while there is to be more books in this series, I was happy to see that this book didn't have a cliffhanger ending. 

A fast, intriguing read that ultimately, I liked. 3 stars!