Title: Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Release Date: February 5th 2013
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
Source: Publisher (Thanks Ksenia!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Summary:
Seven stories of passion and love separated by centuries but mysteriously intertwined—this is a tale of horror and beauty, tenderness and sacrifice.
An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking: the seven stories in this compelling novel all take place on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed where a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon grows. What binds these stories together? What secrets lurk beneath the surface of this idyllic countryside? And what might be powerful enough to break the cycle of midwinterblood? From award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick comes a book about passion and preservation and ultimately an exploration of the bounds of love.
There was an archaeologist, an airman, a painter, a ghost, a vampire and a Viking, but it all started with a journalist sent on a mysterious island for a story. These people all had their own stories of horror, tragedy and love told, but how are they all connected?
Markus Sedgwick's story telling filled me with awe. When I first started reading this book all I ever felt was confusion, and for the next three stories that feeling stayed with me. But then time rewinds itself, and where the horror started for a journalist named Erik, stories from Winter, Harvest to Blood Moons featuring different characters presented itself and the reader like me was left to wonder if everything will make sense in the end.
I had felt different feelings as I read through all seven of the stories. The first was utter confusion, the second provided hints but muddled the story a bit, the third made me feel skeptical, the fourth broke my heart a little bit, the fifth left me wide-eyed, the sixth made me feel afraid, and the seventh was just utterly tragic and that was what tied the other six together and gave way to such a great story in such a roundabout but surprisingly neat way. I rarely read nor have the patience to pick up subtle clues and connect one story to another but just when I was about to give up trying to put everything together for this book, by the time I was reading the sixth story, the author gave away hints that just opened up the story and widened my understanding of it and I suddenly realized how differently the way this story has been told and I felt really impressed.
Midwinterblood showcased a wide range of seemingly unrelated stories, filled with seemingly unrelated characters and even though they share the same names, or a variety of it, it will still make the readers wonder what the point is of showing stories all tackling the same topic: love in its various forms and the sacrifices one is willing to make to obtain it, if not now, maybe in another place, in another time. There was an odd sense of melancholic beauty in all the tragedies, deaths and horrors each and every character has encountered, and the readers brave and patient enough to march into the story further and further will get to experience the magic of Markus Sedgwick's writing. Different, but lovely. It's my first Markus Sedgwick book and I am just happy that my first had to be a unique story like this. Unexpected read, but I am delightfully surprised!
I wish I can describe the individual stories and the characters a little more, but giving general opinions about the book is the safest way to tackle this as anything else I say will give the whole story away. This, however, is a book that must be read in the daylight, especially if you are someone whose rich imagination runs wild at first and scary the next. It takes a while to get used to the feeling of confusion as you try to anticipate how the next story is connected to the previous one, but I promise you, the last 60 pages will be what makes this story such a worthwhile read. Is this recommended? Yes, definitely!
Content (plot, story flow, character):
A solid four! I can't give it a five mainly because the very story that will redeem this book after the perpetual state of confusion will take place towards the end. Readers who aren't patient enough might give up midway.
A solid four! I can't give it a five mainly because the very story that will redeem this book after the perpetual state of confusion will take place towards the end. Readers who aren't patient enough might give up midway.
Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!
Book Cover:
Let that be a warning of how scary this book can be.
Let that be a warning of how scary this book can be.
I've read another review of this book and reading your review just confirms that I have to read this book! I get bored easily if a book doesn't pick up soon but I think I'll resist the temptation to stop when reading this one, I love books where everything is all connected and intertwined. Great review :)
ReplyDeleteYou definitely should get your hands on this book! I promise it's good, but it's going to be a struggle to go through the first five stories! It will make sense towards the end! :)
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