Book Review: As Red As Blood by Salla Simukka
In the midst of the freezing Arctic winter, seventeen-year-old Lumikki Andersson walks into her school’s dark room and finds a stash of wet, crimson-colored 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. Lumikki ignores the cliques, the gossip, and the parties held by the school’s 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 swirling 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.
So let’s call Lumikki Andersson what she rightfully is, shall we? She’s a bad-ass. Seriously. When I read the synopsis for this book I was definitely hoping for an action packed story. For something raw and intriguing. While I didn’t exactly get everything that I was waiting for, I did fall unexpectedly in love with Lumikki’s character. This isn’t a girl who lets others take advantage of her. Oh, no. She’s quick-thinking, cunning and all around interesting. If there’s one thing I can take away from this book, it’s that I’d follow Lumikki into danger any day.
Her fellow characters, on the other hand, I think I could have done without. I actually did a dual-read of this book. Half the time I was listening to it on audio, and the other half of the time I was reading the ebook. Sometimes an audio is a saving grace for me when I’m not exactly in love with a story. The narrator has the opportunity to make or break things for me. In this case, both felt about the same. Lumikki’s so called “friends” were exactly what you’d expected the rich to be. Bratty, self-involved, and really tough to like. I never felt a true connection between them and Lumikki, and so I couldn’t really invest myself in her willingness to put everything on the line for them.
Which brings me to the story itself. As Red As Blood fell in middle ground territory for me. While there were definitely parts I enjoyed, it never took me over the top. When things were moving quickly, I’d find myself start to ease into the story. The entire time that Lumikki was in the heart of the action, I was absolutely ready for more. Then things would pan to the other characters, or a flash back would sneak its way in, and I was once again just waiting for more action. The fast paced portions felt the most vivid, the most well fleshed out, and I craved more.
It’s a definite possibility that the next book in this series will have more of the forward movement I wanted. Truth be told, I liked Lumikki enough that I’d be willing to give the sequel a chance. Although this wasn’t my favorite read of the year, there’s quite a bit in As Red As Blood that holds promise. I’d say giving it a shot if it’s on your TBR.
