cornerfolds
Written on Jan 1, 2016
DNF @ 75%
*Review to come!*
Have you ever had the feeling that you've lived another life? Been somewhere that has felt totally familiar even when you've never been there before, or felt that you've known someone even though you are meeting them for the first time? In a novel comprising seven parts each of them influenced by a moon - flower moon, harvest moon, hunter's moon, blood moon - and travelling from 2073 back in time to the dark of the moon and the days of Viking saga, this is the story of Eric and Merle who have loved and lost one another and who have been searching for each other ever since. In the different stories the two appear as lovers, mother and son, brother and sister, artist and child as they come close to finding each other before facing the ultimate sacrifice. Beautifully imagined, intricately and cleverly structured this is a heart-wrenching and breathtaking love story, but it also has the hallmark Sedgwick gothic touch with plenty of blood-spilling, a vampire and sacrifice.
- ISBN10 1250040078
- ISBN13 9781250040077
- Publish Date 22 April 2014 (first published 6 October 2011)
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Square Fish
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 288
- Language English
Reviews
DNF @ 75%
*Review to come!*
celinenyx
Written on Jan 12, 2015
Our first glimpse into the story of Midwinterblood is in 2073, when main character Eric is on a plane to the mysterious island of Blessed. It seems as if the people living on Blessed don't get old - and as a journalist, Eric is looking for the next big scoop. However, the longer he is at the island, the more he starts to forget what he has come intended to do.
This is the second book I've read by Marcus Sedgwick, and I recognised some of the imaginary he uses in Midwinterblood from White Crow. I feel like the settings were very similar, and both combine a historical story into a contemporary one. Especially when the climactic scenes of both books involve old crumbling churches, I feel like the author is trying to make some sort of point. Some writers connect their books in certain ways, be that in themes, characters, or places, and Sedgwick does something similar.
Character-wise, Midwinterblood and White Crow aren't close at all. The main character of Midwinterblood is a grown man, where in White Crow we follow a teen girl. The fact that the main character of the book is a grown-up threw me off. Although the book is categorised as a young adult book, I don't necessarily see a reason to do so. The language felt juvenile (more like a middle grade book), yet the characters are adults. The themes explored have nothing to do with being a teen. I think the book was more about being ageless rather than being YA, but the end result was weird. It's not a bad thing not to fit in any box, but it's not particularly admirable in itself either.
The plot of Midwinterblood meanders through the ages, made up from seven nearly separate stories. All of the stories are connected in some ways, some more obviously than others. It took me a few stories until I fully understood what the author was trying to do. It was nice to find out the similarities and differences in all of the stories, and fitting together the pieces of the puzzle was satisfying.
The rather abrupt nature of both the writing and the plotting made that the book left less of an impression than it could have. The characterisation was too thin in some stories, and nearly non-existant in others. Reading Midwinterblood was a strange experience - not scary per se, but rather unsettling. It's an unique book, and I have no idea what kind of readership to recommend it to.
leahrosereads
Written on Aug 20, 2014
^^I took off .5 Star because of the second story and .5 Star because I didn't get completely interested into the story until around page 60.^^
Midwinterblood started a little slow for me. I didn’t realize that I’d be seeing multiple stories within one novel, but once I realized that, I ended up understanding the novel a little bit better and enjoying it more fully.
The story follows two characters, Eric (spelled differently in different stories) and Merle as they meet up in different lives, but never for long. At it’s basics, ultimately Midwinterblood is a tragic love story. There's also mystery and a little bit of light horror in there, but this story is centered around the love between Eric and Merle.
So, first, what I liked about the novel:
Loved the two main characters in almost all of the stories.
The times that they meet are spread out over several centuries, and I liked seeing each of the different settings.
I liked the mystery surrounding the Blessed Island.
Writing was relatively well done.
The ending.
What I didn't care for too much:
Second story has two minor characters named Edward and Isabella. Freaking threw off my reading.
There were times that both the main characters made really, really stupid choices.
Umm, it was a love story (so the cover flap said), but there were times that Eric and Merle met up in past lives that wouldn’t allow for them to be lovers. So, at first I thought that was awkward.
However it did end up adding to this story as being more than just a love story, by adding in family and friendships between the two, so yay!(toss this one up in the good section)
Although the ending was upsetting, with both the MC's dying. I really loved this novel as a whole. The stories end up all coming together, and Marcus Sedgwick did a great job at giving the reader an ending to these lovers’ multiple lives. I even think how it ended was necessary.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and I’m definitely going to look into other works created by this author.
nightingalereads
Written on Jul 5, 2014
wyvernfriend
Written on Apr 12, 2013
Inspired by the Midvinterblot painting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midvinterblot by Carl Larsson, it includes a cameo by him in the story. Next time I am in Sweden I will have to see the painting in person. I have been to Upsala and to Gamla Upsala and I am still sorry I missed the May Eve bonfire there. The Swedes have a thin layer of Christianity over an undercurrent of paganism, making this story ring quite true.
The story is about sacrafice and about blood but it's sacrafice for greater good in most instances and as the stories wove their way it was a compelling read. I had to put it aside after each story to think about them and about some of the implications.
Marcus Sedwick is worth watching.