I like the first book in the series, As Red as Blood, which I read last year in summer. I pre-ordered this part as soon as I finished the other first one. I wanted more. I did feel like the first book was just setting up the series though. I felt like there was more to Lumuikki than we got to know in the first book. And book two, this one, "As White as Snow", has more of her.

It's set in Prague where Lumikki is on vacation after the events of the first book. Soon she discovers that she is followed by a older girl, Lenka, which sets out a series of events that at least I wasn't counting on.
You again get to see how smart Lumikki is in many situation, many twist and turns in the story that made me just read on and on.

It's a page turner, I read it in a day and a half and it was just what I needed. To be engrossed in a story like that, that wouldn't let me go until I reached the last sentence. I found it better than part one and with more action
This book is a crime young adult novel which I guess you can read separately from part one, even though it would help and the ending made me want more (when will part three be out in a translation I can read?) even though the ending is satisfying.
Good work, Salla Simukka. I will read the next part as soon as a translation is out in a language I can read. Can't wait.

I am really enjoying this series so far. They are such easy and quick reads. This was a fairly short book with only 224 pages. It was a fast paced mystery. I really enjoyed the story and Lumikki is such an interesting and unique main character. There are little twists and turns that kept me interested throughout the entire novel. It also left me with a few questions. (I need answers now!)

You can read the full review and more on my blog!
http://brittanymariereads.wordpress.com

Tässä kirjassa hikoillaan. Paljon.

Salla Simukan Lumikki-trilogia olisi varmaan jäänyt kokonaan lukematta, ellei oltaisi sitä aikoinaan lukupiirissä aloiteltu ja ellei siitä olisi tulossa elokuvaa (ainakin tämän hetkisten tietojen valossa). Ensimmäinen osa oli ihan ok nuortenkirjaksi ja niin on tämä toinenkin, vaikka sitä ikävästi huomaakin kasvaneensa nuortenkirjoista yli, eikä oikein osaa edes sanoa, onko tämä lajissaan hyvä. Ainakin sen käsittelemät aiheet ovat tärkeitä ja ne tuodaan tässäkin hyvin esiin. Simukka ottaa kantaa.

Kirja on vähän yliampuva dekkariosuuksien suhteen (vaikka niin suurin osa dekkareista kyllä on), ehkä omaan makuuni hitusen "lapsellinen", mutta toisaalta niin suurin osa nuortenkirjoista nykyään on mielestäni. Ei sille mitään voi. Nämä olisi pitänyt lukea 10-12 vuotta sitten.

Mutta nyt jatkan kolmannen osan pariin ja punnitsen sitten taas uudelleen mielipidettäni.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

As White as Snow by Salla Simukka picks up a few months after the end of book one. Lumikki is on vacation in Prague, clearing her mind of all that happened to her and her friends when they tangled with Polar Bear. With only a few days left in her vacation, an older young woman approaches her claiming to be her sister. Confused and a little untrusting, Lumikki decides to investigate the girl's claims and finds herself in a heap of trouble.

So this book is more of what I was expecting out of the first one! It's a mystery/crime novel and I really enjoyed it. It's fast-paced, with lots of suspense. The characters are actually 3-dimensional AND I can tell you all about them :D

Lumikki is regrouping in this book. She's feeling a bit lost after the events that occurred in book one (please note that you DO NOT have to read book one to dive into book two, though it will enhance your reading if you read it first) AND she's nursing a heartbreak which was alluded to in book one as the reason for her cold/standoffish nature. I had a hard time connecting with Lumikki. She's not a very likable character, however the plot and other characters make up for it.

Lenka, the girl claiming to be Lumikki's sister, is twenty and involved in a cult. She's a little messed up in the head and very naive which is why I think Lumikki is drawn to her and her protective nature comes out. Jiri is a journalist doing an investigative report on the cult when he comes across Lumikki. I like Jiri! He's a bit arrogant but he's also passionate about his profession and it comes across in the author's writing.

The plot focuses on two things: one is Lenka really Lumikki's sister and two the cult. It's really is an intense read that I couldn't sit down! I read it in one sitting...it is that intense. I was intrigued as things were slowly revealed to Lumikki. And the author!!! She does an amazing job of giving different POV, revealing information to us the readers and NOT Lumikki, creating a great sense of irony.

Overall I enjoyed this book much more than the first. I was intrigued by the plot and it captured my attention. If you enjoy crime novels and young adult, I highly recommend this one. My only disappoint in the book is that it had all the young adult cliches that annoy me: absent parents (I mean really, do European parents let their teenage daughters go to another country by themselves?!), angsty teen drama which is why it got four instead of five stars.

This book fulfills #11 on the 2015 COYER Summer Scavenger Hunt

This was even shorter than the first book and it's not like I dislike short books, but I had the expression that sometimes things were rushed, especially the second half of the novel and the ending. Also, in my opinion the plot was a bit simplified compared with the first novel.

I don't wanna say that I disliked this one, because I enjoyed it and it was fast paced, easy to read and intriguing, but for me, being so short it cut from my enjoyment. And as I said the second half seemed rushed and some things didn't make sense. I felt like some stuff solved way too easily.

I still like Lumikki *surely I wrote this wrong* and her character but in this one I didn't sympathize so much with her.

All in all it was good, easy, fast and entertaining but didn't blew me away. Or maybe the "magic" from the first one disapppeared and now the writing style and L. don't charm me so much. We'll see how the third one will turn out!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this one!