Seven stories of passion and love separated by centuries but mysteriously intertwined—this is a tale of horror and beauty, tenderness and sacrifice.
An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking: the seven stories in this compelling novel all take place on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed where a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon grows. What binds these stories together? What secrets lurk beneath the surface of this idyllic countryside? And what might be powerful enough to break the cycle of midwinterblood? From award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick comes a book about passion and preservation and ultimately an exploration of the bounds of love.
(Summary from GoodReads)
I went into Midwinterblood with very few expectations. I had never read Marcus Sedgwick’s books before, and I don’t read a lot of horror. Many reviews have commented on how the author expertly weaves a variety of storylines together. For me, the plot points themselves and construction of the story led this book to feel like a YA version of , but in a bad way.
At first, I was really intrigued by the storyline of this book. The characters that Sedgqick introduces are fascinating people, but it was hard for me to care about them. I don’t think this is really a fault of the book, because there’s a certain chemistry that happens when a reader adores a book and connects with the characters, and that wasn’t there for me. It was also really cool that the story took place over several different periods.
After this, the book kind of lost its appeal for me. I don’t want to highlight what plot points made this t.v. show feel like Lost, because it would provide a lot of spoilers. If you’ve also read this book perhaps we can chat about it and decide whether or not my analysis is crazy. By the time I finished the story I was just sitting there with my book going, “Uh, is this really how this should end?!” Sedgwick wrapped up his story with a lot of drama and emotion, but I picked up a lot more on the drama, and it all felt like too much for me.
Midwinterblood was not the book for me, but I think it boils down to a question of my specific tastes as opposed to literary values. Sedgwick isn’t a bad writer, the way he told this story didn’t work for me. I’d be willing to give his other novels a shot in the future.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
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