Midwinterblood, by Marcus Sedgwick

Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Release Date: February 5, 2013
Format: Hardcover; 272 pages
Series: N/A
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
Avg. Rating: ★★★✩✩

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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.

Midwinterblood is one of those books that you have to let stew in your head for a little while before actually judging - or, in my case, reviewing. As the description says, there are seven stories in this book. All of these stories revolve around two main characters - the same main characters - and what happens to them in each time period. The stories go from the future to the past in order to tell a more clearer account of the events that unfold during each life. 

Now, it sounds a little confusing.. but it's not all so bad. A perk to this book is that the same characters are used in each story, although who they are and who they are to one another changes from story to story. The overall feel and theme to Midwinterblood is a little tragic, as all stories are centered around the idea of love requiring some type of sacrifice. There is also a plot that intertwines each story to one another that really ties everything together, although the stories could actually be read separately.

This book has a great gothic feel to it and the island itself is ten shades of creepy. The writing was nothing short of fabulous and it definitely kept me reading from the beginning to the very end in one sitting. Books that are compiled of multiple short(er) stories are usually harder to grasp since they're like novellas - where you don't get as invested in the characters and you don't get as much background information as you think you need to really get into the stories. Since these stories are tied together, there was more that was fleshed out.

If I had to say anything "bad" about this book, I would say that there was still a little sparseness to the information you receive in the writing. I don't think it will deter anyone from the story, it just leaves the reader a little curious on a few points throughout the book.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. I think it's a wonderful read that deserves more recognition than it may receive, considering I haven't seen much about it on the internet. 

Rating: ★★★★✩
Source: Purchase

Marcus Sedgwick (b 1968) was born in Kent, England. Marcus is a British author and illustrator as well as a musician. He used to play for two bands namely playing the drums for Garrett and as the guitarist in an ABBA tribute group. He has published novels such as Floodland (winner of the Branford Boase Award in 2001) and The Dark Horse (shortlisted for The Guardian Children's Book Award 2002).

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Review: Of Bees and Mist, by Erick Setiawan

This book and its review on this site are part of a blog tour hosted by TLC Book Tours. For a complete list of the sites participating, as well as information on the author, please visit the tour page.






Of Bees and Mist
Erick Setiawan
Paperback, 416 pages
Simon & Schuster
July 6, 2010

(Goodreads) Raised in a sepulchral house where ghosts dwell in mirrors, Meridia grows up lonely and miserable. But at age sixteen, she has a chance at happiness when she falls in love with Daniel-a caring and naive young man. Soon they marry, and Meridia can finally escape to live with her husband's family, unaware that they harbor dark secrets of their own. There is a grave hidden in the garden, there are two sisters groomed from birth to despise each other, and there is Eva-the formidable matriarch and the wickedest mother-in-law imaginable-whose grievances swarm the air in an army of bees. As Meridia struggles to keep her life and marriage together, she discovers long-buried secrets about her own past as well as shocking truths about her new family that inexorably push her love, courage, and sanity to the brink.

Of Bees and Mist is an engrossing fable that chronicles three generations of women under one family tree over a period of thirty years-their galvanic love and passion, their shifting alliances, their superstitions and complex domestic politics-and places them in a mythical town where spirits and spells, witchcraft and demons, and prophets and clairvoyance are an everyday reality. Erick Setiawan's astonishing debut is a richly atmospheric and tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak that is altogether touching, truthful, and entirely memorable.

I don't know if I can put into words what this novel has invoked in me, but I have to tell you that this is as close as I've come to a grown-up fairytale in a long time. Set in an unknown land that is similar to our own yet full of magic, Of Bees and Mist takes us on a journey in the lives of three generations of women in one family. The story is primarily told from Meridia's perspective, who is born to parents that soon fall out of love after she is born. She is raised in a house that is constantly cold, with visiting mists and elongating staircases. Meridia never really fits in and stays to herself for the most part, until she meets a handsome young man named Daniel. Soon, she is head over heels in love and abandons her cold home and eccentric parents to marry and live with Daniel and his family. At first exciting and new, Meridia quickly learns all that glitters is not gold in Daniel's family with two sisters at odds, a somewhat lazy father, and a mother (Eva) who can summon bees in heated arguments to tear down her opponent's resistance to get her way. Without even realizing it, Meridia becomes Eva's biggest competition and ultimate opponent of wits and in keeping Daniel's heart.

Even though this story is set in a fantasy land, Setiawan makes it feel very familiar to our own ordinary world. Through the magic, you have a story full of very real, very normal human problems. It's a story about family drama and all of the ups and downs that come with it. Competition, right and wrong decisions, consequences, betrayal, adultery, neglect, and the oh so dreaded "evil mother-in-law" are all common themes in this book. All of the characters face dilemmas, and all have very specific ways with dealing with their problems. Some you sympathize with, some your heart aches for, and some you just want to smack.

The characters are all unique and definitely their own persons. Meridia is the most prominent character and I empathized with her a lot. Though she sometimes made rash decisions that I didn't particularly agree with, she is a worthy character full of life, love, and spirit. I admire her strength in dealing with her mother-in-law, her own family, and all of the strains that her marriage to Daniel went through. Daniel is a good match for Meridia in some ways, but he is one of these men that takes the term "Momma's Boy" to an extreme ... and not in a good way. Hannah is a character that I don't think we got to see enough of, but she came in at the right moments and gracefully made her depature(s) once her job was done. Eva ... well, she's evil and I was starting to lose hope when it didn't seem that she was never going to have to face any consequences for any of her actions. I was overjoyed when some of the characters finally came to their senses. There are many more characters and all stand out on their own, but I think it's good for the readers to have a little mystery going into the story.

Overall, this is a very engaging story. I went in slightly skeptical because of the subject matter, but it quickly won me over. Once I started getting into the story (which was very soon into it), I didn't want to stop and was still reeling over it long after I was done reading. Although it's not labeled as Young Adult, I have no doubt that some young women would actually love this book. I would most definitely recommend it to any and all that love fantasy or just a good family drama with a little bit of magic in it.

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