Dark and creepy with an interesting past lives plot. A lot of death, but not overly gruesome. I was initially turned off to learn it would fit in a horror genre, but found it to be spooky and interesting without being disturbing. I never really understood why these two people were so deeply connected, but I think the story still held firm. ( )

This book has some really good things going for it and some not so good, so I'll just do a pros and cons list.

Pros: The story is broken up into 7 sections and each of the sections is a different story but connects to the overall story (though you don't know how until you get to the end of the book). So it's like reading 7 short stories yet it's still one story and I liked each story. Though there are different characters in each story, 2 of the characters (Merle and Eric) are seen throughout each section and the story between them each time is different and really good. In one story they are mother and son, in other they are brother and sister, in another they are lovers. Their relationship is different in each story and it shows the different types of love there is; friendship love, family love, romantic love, etc. Even though Merle and Eric are brother and sister in one story and lovers in another it's done in a way that it doesn't feel weird or creepy. Another thing I liked was the different time periods. It starts off in the future in the year 2073 and then progresses back in time to 2011, 1944, 1902 and so on. This was a creative and original story and I haven't read anything like this. This was a really quick read and you can just fly through this book.


Cons:
Since each story had different characters and each story was pretty short it was hard to connect and form an attachment to the characters. I liked all the characters but I didn't attach to them like I would characters in another book. Even though Merle and Eric were in all of the stories it was still hard to connect even with their characters because they had different roles in each story. I really didn't understand the whole sacrifice to bring more kids to the island. I didn't get why there had to be a sacrifice or why there were no more kids on the island. I feel like that part should have been explained better. The ending also felt too quick; I felt like there should have been more to the ending.

Overall I did enjoy this book but I didn't love it. I would give it a 3.5 stars. ( )

This book was a bit of a trip. First, pay no attention to the description on the book jacket. After reading that I thought this was going to be a paranormal something or other book about vampire vikings who perform ritual sacrifice. This book is not that. It definitely deserves the Printz award for being one of the most literary books I've ever read. It is such a strange story, and I'm not sure I completely understand it. It's one of those books you have to finish before you can comprehend most of what is happening. There are clues, but they don't fit together until the end. Really great and interesting book and well worth the read. ( )

Midwinterblood is a fairly quick read, with short chapters within the short stories. While confusing at first, once a few of the stories are read, it is easy to get a feel for the writing and following the story backwards through time. It is not often that a book is written in reverse chronological order, so this is a fairly unique concept, and one that makes for a new and interesting reading experience.

While I liked the book, and I have several people in mind to recommend it to, I’m not completely sure why it was marketed as a YA novel. I think teens would enjoy reading it, but there isn’t anything in particular that tells me this is definitely a YA book written with teens in mind.

That being said, I think this is a book that can be enjoyed by all ages, teens and adults. There are a lot of different themes and topics in this book that can be used as discussion points, from Viking lore to reincarnation beliefs to different times throughout the history of the world. It is easy to see why it was awarded the Printz award. ( )

Midwinterland comprises 7 stories retreating by leaps of time into the past. They become very repetitive. The great reveal is, they are supposed to be all about the same people, soulmates fated since the beginning. "I will live seven times, and I will look for you and love you in each life." No wonder it was repetitive. ( )