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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Seven lives for 2 people. Written backwards it comes full circle and ends so that every part of the story is understood. They do not always have the same relationship, but they always find each other. And there is always a form of sacrifice from one for the other.
So it is.
So it is.
3.5 not bad just a little bit, I don't know, obvious? This is pretty much like diet Cloud Atlas for youth. I really liked the vignette format, it made the story quick to read but allowing for time to digest. It was interesting to see the motifs carried from story to story, like the hare, the whole saying about the devil appearing, etc. But by the final story it was like OKAY I GET IT! The weaving of the stories was done nicely though, in a form that the younger readers will easily be able to catch the unity. Magical, mystery, fountain of youth,memory eraser plant is still a wha???? for me. Apparently it can do anything. hmmm. I loved the reincarnation of Eric and Merle and how the continued to find each other but not always in the same relationship; mother/son, siblings, etc.
One last thing: MERLE?!?! really bad name.
One last thing: MERLE?!?! really bad name.
**Spoilers**
The story lacked the right kind of continuity to make the underlying premise believable. Frankly the way the "couple" reincarnated over time did not make the together for eternity bit plausible. They were lovers, siblings, mother/son, lovers. It felt more like seven attempts at starting a story in different historical settings lumped together with some reoccurring phrases and symbolism to make "a book." I would have given it only one star except that each story/part started off good, like it could have been a story had the author just wrote about that period; for the decent starts, I gave it two stars.
The story lacked the right kind of continuity to make the underlying premise believable. Frankly the way the "couple" reincarnated over time did not make the together for eternity bit plausible. They were lovers, siblings, mother/son, lovers. It felt more like seven attempts at starting a story in different historical settings lumped together with some reoccurring phrases and symbolism to make "a book." I would have given it only one star except that each story/part started off good, like it could have been a story had the author just wrote about that period; for the decent starts, I gave it two stars.
Connected stories seems to be a bit of a theme with Mr. Sedgwick. This I found to be more successful than The Ghosts of Heaven. I liked that each story took a step further back in time, and I also enjoyed the fact that the relationship between the main characters who threaded through all of the stories changed so that it wasn't always a romantic connection. It is a decidedly dark book, but I didn't find it depressingly so.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The atmosphere here was my favourite part. It was moody and chilling and gothic but also somehow comforting and I loved that. The writing had me swooning- each line was utterly magnificent.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I thought the combination of vikings and vampires would make for an interesting read--plus this is a Printz winner so it must be a good read, right? It wasn't for me. It's well written, no doubt about it. But it's more a combination of short stories that fit together to form a narrative, and I do not prefer this format. Still, it might be a great read for some!
It took some time to get into but once I did I enjoyed it. It was a bittersweet heartbreaking interwoven collection of stories of two doomed lovers searching for each other throughout several lives.
So the writing this is absolutely beautiful, and the way the plot tied together was thoroughly brilliant, but there wasn't much character development. Which I guess was fine, really, considering how ingenious the rest of the book was? It was refreshing, really, to read a book that knows love isn't solely romantic. Lastly, while the book was confusing at first, eventually everything makes sense in a way that just ignites a lightbulb in your head, because Sedgwick had the brilliant idea of telling the story backwards.
It had an interesting premise, but the narrative and the plot was... stagnant. If you've read the blurb, you know that it chronicles seven different time periods and lives. I thought this would be an interesting touch, but no. It ended up being repetitive. I loved Sedgwick's other book, White Crow, so I'm at a loss as to why this one didn't work for me. Maybe I needed to be more of an angsty teen like when I read the other, but really, this one isn't much of a YA at all. There aren't many children involved, and that's one of the plot points, even. The premise could have been taken a lot further, but it just seemed like so much was to be done in such a short book.
There was also the narrative problem of switching from present tense to past tense and then back to present time. Some might argue that this works as narrative style, with the consideration of the story and the time periods, but to me it just seemed tacky and confusing. Present tense books rarely ever work for me. The numerous mentions of gore and 'spooky' things also didn't do it for me, because the narrative was sprinkled with short sentences like "The others talk." or "The flowers." or "Thousands." Please stop doing this, it doesn't give your story depth, it just stutters the storytelling. Oh, and the main 'whoa' factor of this book relies on the meaning of the word 'blessed'. I already knew this one before reading the book, so it ended up coming across as bland and overdone.
Also, the blurb mentions "a love so primal and passionate". Well, that is just hilarious. Yes, there are two characters whose love is one of the plot points, but they hardly ever show why this love is so passionate or primal. There is also no character development to speak of.
I would give this 1 star, but the interesting premise and the nice setting of Blest/Blessed/Blod Island and the promising but underdeveloped idea of the dragon orchids were pleasant, at least. Oh, and the library copy I had wonderful smelling pages. Sedgwick can be macabre and fascinating, but not this time.
There was also the narrative problem of switching from present tense to past tense and then back to present time. Some might argue that this works as narrative style, with the consideration of the story and the time periods, but to me it just seemed tacky and confusing. Present tense books rarely ever work for me. The numerous mentions of gore and 'spooky' things also didn't do it for me, because the narrative was sprinkled with short sentences like "The others talk." or "The flowers." or "Thousands." Please stop doing this, it doesn't give your story depth, it just stutters the storytelling. Oh, and the main 'whoa' factor of this book relies on the meaning of the word 'blessed'. I already knew this one before reading the book, so it ended up coming across as bland and overdone.
Spoiler
Blessed, apparently, comes from an ancient word, 'blod', that means to sacrifice in blood. I'm serious. The word 'bless' comes from the Old English 'blēdan', to bleed.Also, the blurb mentions "a love so primal and passionate". Well, that is just hilarious. Yes, there are two characters whose love is one of the plot points, but they hardly ever show why this love is so passionate or primal. There is also no character development to speak of.
Spoiler
Just because their love goes through seven periods, which isn't very hard to figure out from even the summary alone, doesn't make it a great story. And that doesn't even consider the fact that they are sometimes reincarnated as old man and little girl, or brother and sister. Sure, love goes beyond the romantic, but this just seemed awkward and too try-hard at being transcendental. The love of Erica/Merle was the only one described in the story as a 'love story', and I have to agree. The original incarnations didn't even explain why they were in love, just that she was the king's third wife and was 'cool' enough. The forbidden Erica/Merle pair was the only one that showed any love at all between the two, but then one of them just had to be mad. Of course. Then at the end, naturally, they "become love itself". What the fuck, are you serious? I cringed.I would give this 1 star, but the interesting premise and the nice setting of Blest/Blessed/Blod Island and the promising but underdeveloped idea of the dragon orchids were pleasant, at least. Oh, and the library copy I had wonderful smelling pages. Sedgwick can be macabre and fascinating, but not this time.
Okay. I'm mad.
That was bullshit.
The writing was beautiful and captivating. The premise and the concept was unusual and refreshing. Midwinterblood was weird and wonderful, but the end pissed me off.
For me personally, going through a journey that spanned lifetimes and centuries just to get to an ending that felt unsatisfying, was so infuriating I did this afterward for several minutes:
Everyone else seems to love it, so whatever.
That was bullshit.
The writing was beautiful and captivating. The premise and the concept was unusual and refreshing. Midwinterblood was weird and wonderful, but the end pissed me off.
For me personally, going through a journey that spanned lifetimes and centuries just to get to an ending that felt unsatisfying, was so infuriating I did this afterward for several minutes:
Everyone else seems to love it, so whatever.