midwinterblood

midwinterblood
marcus sedgwick
ya/horror/supernatural
roaring brook press
published 2013

In 2073 on the remote & secretive island of Blessed, where rumor has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visitor arrives.  He is greeted warmly, but something is wrong.  Something is hidden on the far side of the island.  Something that, as if in a dream, he cannot reach.

And so it is that under the light of the waxing and waning moon, seven stories unfold: the story of an archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact; of an airman who finds himself far from home; of a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking.  And the story of a love so primal and passionate it slips the bonds of time. 

This is the story of Midwinterblood.

I found this book through my library's recommendation email that I get every couple of weeks.  It sounded so interesting and different so I went and picked it up.  It's a very short read.  I ended up reading it in just under and hour and a half, yet it took me forever to read it because I kept getting distracted by other stuff!

The book is set up in a series of short stories that start in the year 2073 and move backwards in time.  They are always on Blessed Island.  The stories are intriguing and captivating, but for many I just wanted more, which I suppose is what the author wanted!  It's one of those stories that when it's all over you find yourself piecing together moments you didn't put together while you were reading.  Everything is happening in a strange backwards foreshadowing kind of way.  Something is revealed, but there is no explanation for it and when the next story starts it takes place 50-100 years prior to the events you just read.

At times it feels confusing, incomplete, but what is happening is so interesting you have to keep reading.  Even at this point I wish there was more to it instead of just these glimpses into slices of time, but it was a good read nonetheless.