Midwinterblood

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick is a gothic horror YA novel. Having read Sedgwick's novels before I was expecting a beautifully written, thought provoking novel and I wasn't disappointed. The convoluted but simple story was bitter sweet and addictive.

It would appeal to readers who want something other than the generic YA novel and it is interesting to read a horror novel that is less gore and more spooky goth. It is wonderfully odd and beautifully crafted. (I realise that I keep using beautiful as an adjective but it is just that - Sedgwick has an amazing technique that brings the images he is writing about vividly to mind.)

-They link their fingers, intertwine them as they twist, already half-crazed by the music, half-crazed by their fear. Emotions streak across their faces; terror and ecstasy mingle on their lips, shine wildly in their eyes-

To be brutally honest I didn't think the book had an overall plot line, other than Eric and Merle were bound by a everlasting love that would be reborn seven times, however when I think about it in terms of enjoyment and author's skill it really didn't matter. The seven individual love stories are beautifully (again!) written, each reincarnation of Eric and Merle strikingly original but still similar. I loved how Sedgwick teased the meaning of love, the seven stories featured different kinds of love, from the love of a brother and sister, to the love of forbidden lovers. To give away any more details on the seven stories would ruin the pleasure readers will gain from discovering and reading them themselves. I am certain that Midwinterblood is a novel in which each reader would take something different from, a favourite story or a favourite description. I am also convinced that it would be mightily difficult for any reader to not appreciate and fall in love with Sedgwick's lyrical simple writing style as well as his breathtaking love story. I read a review on Midwinterblood where the reviewer described reading this novel in 'a single feverish sitting, late one evening, and drifted to sleep haunted by its vision of love and fate and history'(Guardian). I think the use of feverish describes how I read this book, I was desperate to read each different love story, as I've said discerning which type of love Sedgwick was portraying in each story was part of what I loved about it.

The seven stories go back in time and the first story which is finished in the epilogue resembles the sacrificial story of the Wicker Man, and is told in the same passionate bizarre manner.

Midwinterblood is one of those novels you are left feeling slightly shell shocked after; you feel that in order to be able to really describe the novel you would need to re-read and re-read it. And as I feel I am going to have to do the same (re-read and re-read) I will give Midwinterblood a 4 out of 5. It is a credit to Sedgwicks already amazing collection of books and is published by Indigo, a division of Orion House.

You can purchase Midwinterblood from Amazon.co.uk for £5.24 and if you want your literary senses blown I strongly suggest investing in it!

Viel Spaß beim Lesen (hopefully that's German for Good Reading!)

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