To Cook a Bear Review

To Cook a Bear was the perfect follow-up to reading Pine. More spook, more isolation, a serial killer. What’s not to love? I loved the setting in Arctic Circle Sweden. In that respect, it had a similar vibe to Midsommar. I also enjoyed the historical setting. It’s been a while since I read a historical setting, especially a time that I study for “real life.” I was thoroughly disturbed by the imagery of mangled dead bodies, so it’s the perfect book to read for October.

Since it is about a serial killer that makes their killings look like bear attacks, I would not recommend reading this if you are sensitive to gore. Trigger warnings: sexual violence, violence, death, assault, and blood. Also in keeping with an odd theme of my reading this year, it also has many references to and descriptions of poop, both animal and human. Why, 2020? All I want is a poop-free book.

My one criticism is that I found the perspective changes a little hard to follow and I found myself getting confused pretty often through the story. This might be because the ARC copy I have from Netgalley had some issues with formatting, though, so I encourage you to read it for yourself and come to your own judgment. Spooky reading!