A review by jmkvance
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

3.0

i debated between 3 and 4 stars, but ultimately i found the the book a bit too unsettling to deserve a higher rating. that's not to say it was not well-written or interesting. it was both. i enjoyed the short-stories narrative choice and also the reverse chronological order of the book. i feel that both those elements made it a stronger, more compelling work, giving it an almost esoteric vibe - which wasn't a bad thing either. i guess what it boils down to is that the book, though textured and nuanced and engaging, was in the end also very bleak. i don't mind an unhappy ending, but this was a bit too desolate even for my taste. by lacking any redemptive element to the ending, the book failed to connect with me on a deeper level than just an interesting read.