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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Have you ever gotten the feeling that a book was written specifically for you? Like, if you made a list of everything you love in a book, this one book could check everything off the list?
I think Midwinterblood is that book for me. It seriously has everything I want: a remote setting, a lot of death, history, elements of traditional ghost stories, unusual religions, a complex plot, excellent writing, and a whole lot of creepy weirdness. It’s even a composite novel, so it’s structurally interesting. I had planned on reading a few chapters before bed one night, and I ended up staying awake all night to read this. It’s a beautiful book and a new favorite.
Midwinterblood is about a Scandinavian island where the residents get reincarnated in different forms every time they die. It focuses on two souls, Eric and Merle, who search for each other in every life. Sometimes they are lovers, sometimes they are siblings, sometimes one is much older than the other, sometimes they aren’t even human. The novel is told in 7 parts and moves backwards. It starts in 2073 and ends before the time of the Vikings.
I love the way that the stories are linked together. There are a lot of reoccurring images and themes. The book starts out mysterious, but everything comes full-circle in the end. I liked the suspense of not knowing how Eric and Merle would connect in each story. In some stories, they’re together right away, but in others, it takes a while for their paths to cross. I loved trying to figure out the connections.
I know that this is a short review, but I really think this book is best if you don’t know much about it before you start reading. The plot is so intricate that everything I want to rave about is a spoiler. I guess I can say that my favorite section of the book is “The Archaeologist.” A team of archaeologists excavate the ancient mounds on the island and meet a strange boy who knows a lot but can’t communicate very well.
I’ve seen this book labeled as horror, but it’s more eerie than scary. It probably won’t give you nightmares. If you like weird books, you need to read this one. Immediately.
I think Midwinterblood is that book for me. It seriously has everything I want: a remote setting, a lot of death, history, elements of traditional ghost stories, unusual religions, a complex plot, excellent writing, and a whole lot of creepy weirdness. It’s even a composite novel, so it’s structurally interesting. I had planned on reading a few chapters before bed one night, and I ended up staying awake all night to read this. It’s a beautiful book and a new favorite.
Midwinterblood is about a Scandinavian island where the residents get reincarnated in different forms every time they die. It focuses on two souls, Eric and Merle, who search for each other in every life. Sometimes they are lovers, sometimes they are siblings, sometimes one is much older than the other, sometimes they aren’t even human. The novel is told in 7 parts and moves backwards. It starts in 2073 and ends before the time of the Vikings.
I love the way that the stories are linked together. There are a lot of reoccurring images and themes. The book starts out mysterious, but everything comes full-circle in the end. I liked the suspense of not knowing how Eric and Merle would connect in each story. In some stories, they’re together right away, but in others, it takes a while for their paths to cross. I loved trying to figure out the connections.
I know that this is a short review, but I really think this book is best if you don’t know much about it before you start reading. The plot is so intricate that everything I want to rave about is a spoiler. I guess I can say that my favorite section of the book is “The Archaeologist.” A team of archaeologists excavate the ancient mounds on the island and meet a strange boy who knows a lot but can’t communicate very well.
I’ve seen this book labeled as horror, but it’s more eerie than scary. It probably won’t give you nightmares. If you like weird books, you need to read this one. Immediately.
So this book is the final book that I have to read for my YA Literature class and I was expecting more out of it. Being a Printz winner I thought it was going to be more profound in it's message. I did find the story to be engaging but because it was written in a format that gave sections of little stories I found myself wanting to know more about each of those stories. My biggest problem with the book is that the opening story was really lacking for me and it didn't help me feel for the characters. I was more angry with the characters at the beginning than anything else.
Interesting and weird. Can’t decide if I liked it or not.
Loved how the author tells this story! It keeps you on your toes.
I asked a teacher for a suggestion on what YA author to read. I've dabbled in quite a few YA authors, but I haven't read anything by Sedgwick. This book was my first of his, and to be honest, I thought it was pretty strange. But strange doesn't mean bad and it wraps up nicely at the end.
I would use this book in a junior high or high school setting to help teach students to look for themes in the things they read. I wouldn't recommend this book to people that have a hard time staying interested in reading, but I would recommend it to any teenager looking for a unique, interesting read.
Warnings
Drugs: sort of
Violence: yes
Sex: no
Language: no
Other: n/a
I would use this book in a junior high or high school setting to help teach students to look for themes in the things they read. I wouldn't recommend this book to people that have a hard time staying interested in reading, but I would recommend it to any teenager looking for a unique, interesting read.
Warnings
Drugs: sort of
Violence: yes
Sex: no
Language: no
Other: n/a
This book threw me for a loop because it was nothing like I expected it to be. Half of the time that I was reading it I was confused because I didn't know what was going on. It wasn't until practically the end of the book that everything started to make sense. The book was creepy but good. My favorite story was the one where Eric was a famous painter and Merle was a little girl. It had a sad ending but it was good. The story where Tor was a vampire & the other story where Merle turned herself into a hare were the weirdest stories. I see why this book won the Printz award. It was really good.
Initial Impressions 1/17/15: Wow, that was really, really interesting. The book is told in seven parts, each part taking place in a different time period. At first I really wasn't sure how they would come together but the ending was really quite beautiful! It was very interesting to see how all of the stories really did tie into each other, both in the overall picture and in very specific ways.
That being said, it wasn't my usual cup of tea. I have difficulty sometimes with books that are split up into parts like that because I very much like to get into one plot with X characters and really get to know them. But then again, the beauty of this book is that the "big picture" really is sort of one plot... BUT I didn't quite know that or know how as I was reading each section.
I'm not sure if I would recommend it? While I did enjoy it while I was reading it, it's definitely quite unique and unlike anything I've ever read before. Gotta hand it to Marcus Sedgwick for putting this book together (which I read in the bonus content afterwards that it was the easiest book he ever wrote. Whew) and it's just very different. If you're looking for something unique, then yes! Pick this one up. I honestly don't even know how to categorize it... Fantasy? Sci-fi? Timeless.
Review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 2/2/15: MIDWINTERBLOOD was honestly unlike any book I’ve ever read. It was captivating, moving, and incredibly interesting. I wasn’t quite sure what it was about when I first started because I like to go into books totally blind so as to keep any and every possible “omg moments” still a surprise. I read the synopsis but still wasn’t quite sure exactly what that entailed so without analyzing it too much, I dove straight in.
The story opens in the year 2073 with a young man traveling to a mysterious island and what he encounters on this island as well as the people he meets both feel incredibly familiar, and this set of characters, feelings, realizations, and location set up the entire book. The book is broken down into seven parts of seven different stories, but they each share an echo of the important elements that span generations: a phrase, an item, a feeling — and I was reading, the connections between each story really started to give me not only a sense of the big picture but also a wonderful FEELING that all of the stories had such a deep connection and how it spanned beyond obstacles, beyond space, beyond time.
This story was just beautifully put together. I loved that MIDWINTERBLOOD was a tale about how strong the bonding of two souls can be and how when two souls are meant to be together, there is nothing on this earth to stop them from accomplishing that, no matter how many attempts it takes. This book was very much a love story but not necessarily a romance. Yes, there were stories in which the two souls experienced a romantic love, but the love in this book spanned much more than just a romantic kind and I loved how it was portrayed a little bit differently in each story. It was so beautiful to be reminded how many different kinds of love there are in this world and each one is equally important.
I also really loved how the book started in the future and worked its way backward in time. I think it meant that much more and held that much more weight once I got to the origin of the entire book and the last piece of history of these two characters/souls. It was just beautiful and I was totally in awe seeing every single piece of the puzzle and every clue really come together. I’ll admit that at times I do struggle a with books that are formatted into so many small, specific stories because I really like to get to know the characters and setting of the novel and short stories just don’t really allow that a lot of the time. The wonderful thing about MIDWINTERBLOOD is that I was getting to know them all along! I just really loved how everything fit perfectly together and I felt a real sense of wholeness and peace at the end of this book.
I think it’s a hard book for me to recommend to someone because it IS so different — I’ve never read a book like this before and I can’t even really classify it into a genre — but if you’re looking for a book that will transcend beyond the pages and really stick with you, I would definitely tell you to pick up MIDWINTERBLOOD. It was really beautiful and honestly so accessible for so many age ranges.
That being said, it wasn't my usual cup of tea. I have difficulty sometimes with books that are split up into parts like that because I very much like to get into one plot with X characters and really get to know them. But then again, the beauty of this book is that the "big picture" really is sort of one plot... BUT I didn't quite know that or know how as I was reading each section.
I'm not sure if I would recommend it? While I did enjoy it while I was reading it, it's definitely quite unique and unlike anything I've ever read before. Gotta hand it to Marcus Sedgwick for putting this book together (which I read in the bonus content afterwards that it was the easiest book he ever wrote. Whew) and it's just very different. If you're looking for something unique, then yes! Pick this one up. I honestly don't even know how to categorize it... Fantasy? Sci-fi? Timeless.
Review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 2/2/15: MIDWINTERBLOOD was honestly unlike any book I’ve ever read. It was captivating, moving, and incredibly interesting. I wasn’t quite sure what it was about when I first started because I like to go into books totally blind so as to keep any and every possible “omg moments” still a surprise. I read the synopsis but still wasn’t quite sure exactly what that entailed so without analyzing it too much, I dove straight in.
The story opens in the year 2073 with a young man traveling to a mysterious island and what he encounters on this island as well as the people he meets both feel incredibly familiar, and this set of characters, feelings, realizations, and location set up the entire book. The book is broken down into seven parts of seven different stories, but they each share an echo of the important elements that span generations: a phrase, an item, a feeling — and I was reading, the connections between each story really started to give me not only a sense of the big picture but also a wonderful FEELING that all of the stories had such a deep connection and how it spanned beyond obstacles, beyond space, beyond time.
This story was just beautifully put together. I loved that MIDWINTERBLOOD was a tale about how strong the bonding of two souls can be and how when two souls are meant to be together, there is nothing on this earth to stop them from accomplishing that, no matter how many attempts it takes. This book was very much a love story but not necessarily a romance. Yes, there were stories in which the two souls experienced a romantic love, but the love in this book spanned much more than just a romantic kind and I loved how it was portrayed a little bit differently in each story. It was so beautiful to be reminded how many different kinds of love there are in this world and each one is equally important.
I also really loved how the book started in the future and worked its way backward in time. I think it meant that much more and held that much more weight once I got to the origin of the entire book and the last piece of history of these two characters/souls. It was just beautiful and I was totally in awe seeing every single piece of the puzzle and every clue really come together. I’ll admit that at times I do struggle a with books that are formatted into so many small, specific stories because I really like to get to know the characters and setting of the novel and short stories just don’t really allow that a lot of the time. The wonderful thing about MIDWINTERBLOOD is that I was getting to know them all along! I just really loved how everything fit perfectly together and I felt a real sense of wholeness and peace at the end of this book.
I think it’s a hard book for me to recommend to someone because it IS so different — I’ve never read a book like this before and I can’t even really classify it into a genre — but if you’re looking for a book that will transcend beyond the pages and really stick with you, I would definitely tell you to pick up MIDWINTERBLOOD. It was really beautiful and honestly so accessible for so many age ranges.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A haunting, clever and richly complex story of love and loss which takes its readers on a journey back through time, from the near future to the tenth century. Inspired by a Swedish painting of the same name, Midwinterblood follows the many reincarnations of Eric and Merle, a pair destined to meet and love each other seven times. Such is the strangeness of Midwinterblood that it was impossible for me to decide how I felt about the novel until I reached the final page. I can now safely say that it’s a new favourite.
Sedgwick has received a lot of critical acclaim for Midwinterblood recently, and rightly so. It’s brilliantly original and impossible to categorise in terms of genre - it’s the perfect combination of historical fiction, science-fiction, horror and fantasy. Midwinterblood is divided into seven parts, each of which could be read as a separate short story, but are all intricately linked together. As Sedgwick delves back into the murkier, more distant past, his story grows stranger and harder to define. Midwinterblood moves from seemingly typical snapshots of the past to gothic tales of witchcraft, vampires and ritual sacrifice.
While Midwinterblood is a love story, it’s not a romance. Sedgwick’s characters appear throughout the ages as lovers or strangers, adults or children. Their relationship is never the same, but they are always drawn to each other. Eric and Merle are the heart of Midwinterblood and through their many incarnations, Sedgwick is able to twist a seemingly tragic tale of betrayal and sacrifice into something meaningful and uplifting.
Having now read and loved two of Marcus Sedgwick’s young adult novels, I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author. I’ve already borrowed a copy of She is Not Invisible and I’m looking forward to reading it!
Publisher: Orion Books
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★★★
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
Sedgwick has received a lot of critical acclaim for Midwinterblood recently, and rightly so. It’s brilliantly original and impossible to categorise in terms of genre - it’s the perfect combination of historical fiction, science-fiction, horror and fantasy. Midwinterblood is divided into seven parts, each of which could be read as a separate short story, but are all intricately linked together. As Sedgwick delves back into the murkier, more distant past, his story grows stranger and harder to define. Midwinterblood moves from seemingly typical snapshots of the past to gothic tales of witchcraft, vampires and ritual sacrifice.
While Midwinterblood is a love story, it’s not a romance. Sedgwick’s characters appear throughout the ages as lovers or strangers, adults or children. Their relationship is never the same, but they are always drawn to each other. Eric and Merle are the heart of Midwinterblood and through their many incarnations, Sedgwick is able to twist a seemingly tragic tale of betrayal and sacrifice into something meaningful and uplifting.
Having now read and loved two of Marcus Sedgwick’s young adult novels, I’m definitely interested in reading more from this author. I’ve already borrowed a copy of She is Not Invisible and I’m looking forward to reading it!
Publisher: Orion Books
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★★★
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd