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A review by midnightbagel
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
4.0
*4.5 stars*
I liked this a lot ! Wow it was definitely unlike anything I've ever read before, and it had a lot of interesting themes / symbolism going on. This book was just an experience unlike anything I've ever read before and I want to keep this review kind of short, because I think half the fun of this book is finding out what's going on along the way.
Plot- This is definitely a plot centered book. It's composed of many short stories, but they're all related and connected to one another. The threads he weaves throughout this book all end up coming together in the end, and slowly throughout the book you understand what's going on. Usually, I don't like when a book is this confusing, but it really worked for this one. It was confusing enough to keep you intrigued, but you knew enough to follow along what was happening, and pick up on any important clues. The planning that this novel must have taken is very admirable, and stories where seemingly unconnected things come together in the end are some of my favorite stories, so I really like it. I can probably say it was one of the most unique plots I've ever read as well. It was riddled with themes and symbols throughout, which I also very much appreciated, I thought it added more to the interwoven-ness of the stories, if that makes any sense hah.
Writing- The writing in this was very removed, but it worked well. It gave an almost grim tone to the story, and it made it feel like you were watching it all happen, but not directly involved. I think it worked very well, and even though I'm having a tough time describing it, just know that, like almost everything in this book, it was very unique.
Characters- This was the books biggest downfall for me, and why I can't give it five stars. I really didn't feel any connection to the characters. I only took off half a star though, because it didn't really bother me while reading, as I was so enthralled into the story. I think the characters were important yes, but the circumstances surrounding the characters were much more integral to the story than amazingly well developed characters were, so I'm glad he decided to focus on the well-crafted plot, rather than characters.
Overall- This was such a different read, that I highly enjoyed. I read this with a friend, and we flew through it in one day. The whole time I just wanted to figure out what was going on, while also just enjoying the single stories as they were. I definitely want to read more Sedgwick after this.
Recommend?- Yes, I think anyone would enjoy this.
I liked this a lot ! Wow it was definitely unlike anything I've ever read before, and it had a lot of interesting themes / symbolism going on. This book was just an experience unlike anything I've ever read before and I want to keep this review kind of short, because I think half the fun of this book is finding out what's going on along the way.
Plot- This is definitely a plot centered book. It's composed of many short stories, but they're all related and connected to one another. The threads he weaves throughout this book all end up coming together in the end, and slowly throughout the book you understand what's going on. Usually, I don't like when a book is this confusing, but it really worked for this one. It was confusing enough to keep you intrigued, but you knew enough to follow along what was happening, and pick up on any important clues. The planning that this novel must have taken is very admirable, and stories where seemingly unconnected things come together in the end are some of my favorite stories, so I really like it. I can probably say it was one of the most unique plots I've ever read as well. It was riddled with themes and symbols throughout, which I also very much appreciated, I thought it added more to the interwoven-ness of the stories, if that makes any sense hah.
Writing- The writing in this was very removed, but it worked well. It gave an almost grim tone to the story, and it made it feel like you were watching it all happen, but not directly involved. I think it worked very well, and even though I'm having a tough time describing it, just know that, like almost everything in this book, it was very unique.
Characters- This was the books biggest downfall for me, and why I can't give it five stars. I really didn't feel any connection to the characters. I only took off half a star though, because it didn't really bother me while reading, as I was so enthralled into the story. I think the characters were important yes, but the circumstances surrounding the characters were much more integral to the story than amazingly well developed characters were, so I'm glad he decided to focus on the well-crafted plot, rather than characters.
Overall- This was such a different read, that I highly enjoyed. I read this with a friend, and we flew through it in one day. The whole time I just wanted to figure out what was going on, while also just enjoying the single stories as they were. I definitely want to read more Sedgwick after this.
Recommend?- Yes, I think anyone would enjoy this.