I loved this outstanding novel of love and sacrifice, which also has some fabulously 'Wicker Man' inspired moments The outstanding title of Orion's new teen/ crossover Indigo imprint: a devastating love story across the ages with Sedgwick gothic touches and brooding atmosphere. -- Fiona Noble THE BOOKSELLER This is a powerful book, rich in emotion and skilfully narrated, and without doubt many people will read it more than once in order to enjoy more fully the intricate mix of ideas and symbols it contains. It is a tour de force, and a thoroughly good read. THE BOOKBAG Another tour-de-force from Mr Sedgwick BART'S BOOKSHELF This book made me laugh, this book made me cry, this book made me want to purchase Sedgwick's entire backlist and race through it all in a matter of hours. I want to tell people about this book and see their reaction when they turn the final page, I want to read it again and again and enjoy it like I did the first time I read it. Honestly, this is a breathtaking book about sacrifice, identity and, most of all, love. Please read this book, it will leave your jaw on the floor, I promise. WRITING FROM THE TUB Beautifully imagined, intricately and cleverly structured, this is a heart-wrenching and breathtaking love story with the hallmark Sedgwick gothic touches of atmosphere, blood-spilling and sacrifice. LOVEREADING It is not often you read a book and want to go round hitting people over the head with it and saying READ THIS. And I'm sure it won't be necessary for me to do that as I think lots of people are going to read and fall in love with this book without me having to hit them. But that is just how I feel about this book - it is an epic, mythic amazing love story from a master craftsman BOOKS, BONNETS AND FULL FRONTAL BLOGGING Marcus Sedgewick is a master craftsman, carefully building up the layers of tension like the layers of oil paint on the painting that inspired him, until you are captivated by this gripping story. Each section has its own unique voice, be it futuristic, spy thriller or Gothic vampire, chilling you to the bone and giving you goosebumps. Fans of Sedgewick will not be disappointed and this will certainly win over new followers. DANDELIONGIRL01 A fast and enjoyable read SFX beautiful, haunting and unlike anything else I've read. the novel as a whole is like an orchestral suite, with different movements all sharing a key theme and a set of motifs which flow through the whole... Sedgwick's prose is relatively sparse yet beautifully lyrical. THOUGHTS FROM THE HEARTHFIRE Midwinterblood contains much that is riveting, strange and darkly enchanting. I read it in a single feverish sitting, late one evening, and drifted to sleep haunted by its vision of love and fate and history. -- Anthony McGowan THE GUARDIAN Midwinterblood is an amazing tale of seven individual stories that all come together to form a narrative of love and loss. The way the stories come together is incredible and I can assure you that reading it will make you lose hours of your evening! READARAPTOR The shorter stories are written beautifully. The descriptive writing leaves a lasting impression as you follow the characters from life to life. The book has the writer's trademark gothic feel which is very powerful, but the ultimate drive is love and sacrifice - both of which leave many heart wrenching moments. Compelling to read, dripping with emotion and truly enjoyable... It did not disappoint me in any way, another big thumbs up MR RIPLEY'S ENCHANTED BOOKS Midwinterblood is everything I have come to expect from a Marcus Sedgwick book. It's creepy, clever and keeps with you long after you finish reading it. Oh and you need to read every page before the whole thing finally clicks into place and fully makes sense. THE OVERFLOWING LIBRARY Eric and Merle are the real lifeblood of Midwinterblood: they transcend traditional definitions of love and in the process transcend death. Marcus Sedgwick has written a breathtaking love story with Midwinterblood that further cements him as one of the most talented authors writing for young adults today. An exquisitely executed read. ALTERNATIVE MAGAZINE ONLINE Midwinterblood is a novel that transcends genre and breaks pretty much all the rules. I can't help but think only Marcus Sedgwick could pull this off. This is a superb novel... There is a beauty in Sedgwick's language. It is economic and subtle and dare I say it, absolute perfection... Really this is the type of book that teenagers deserve to read: intelligent, compelling and thought-provoking. Yes, I am quite the fan. THE BOOKETTE Prize-winning Marcus Sedgwick's gift for powerful storytelling is at its very best in this emotionally charged, no holds barred novel... Eric's story leads easily into stories set at other times on this idyllic place which hides a dark and bloody heart. Unfolding the cleverly crafted and interwoven layers to their dramatic conclusion is a spell binding delight. -- Julia Eccleshare LOVEREADING This darkened romance with an outstanding twist is brutal in its attack on your emotions and senses and I cherished every page. I want to read all of Marcus Sedgwick back catalogue as soon as I can after reading this one book. I can't believe I haven't started reading his work sooner because it's brilliant. The writing is like a song that haunts you mind for days to come and even with the dark overtones and gothic like style there is light and hopefulness in the telling. SISTER SPOOKY The distinctive dark edge and clever craftsmanship that characterises Marcus Sedgwick's work is used to great effect here but the book also has a warmth that lights up the characters and pulses through the pages, sailing the reader forward. Midwinterblood exemplifies all that it is exciting about Young Adult fiction: the exploration of life's big concepts parcelled up in a pacey page turning story delivered without a spare word. -- Tamara McFarlane WE LOVE THIS BOOK I wasn't sure what to expect with Midwinterblood, but I certainly had no idea that I would love this book so much. Beautifully composed in seven parts, traveling backwards in time to the origin of Eric and Merle's tragic story, Midwinterblood is a reverse-palimpsest of sorts - wholly unexpected, haunting, and utterly memorable. I loved it. -- Thea BOOKSMUGGLERS Midwinterblood is a very short book, a quick read (seriously, I devoured it within 2 hours) but one that packs quite the punch. From the beginning it brims with tension and one can't help but to be engulfed by a suffocating sense of Impending Doom (making it a perfect Halloween read) but more than that, it is a story with heart and it's full of sadness and sweetness and beauty. I loved it. -- Ana BOOKSMUGGLERS Ingeniously working backwards from a futuristic sacrifice to its root cause, seven linked stories tell a tale of intrigue, power and resolution in a plot that goes from something like The Wicker Man to an ending the great Alan Garner might be proud of. Sedgwick has written fine teenage novels in the past, but this must be his best yet. -- Nicholas Tucker THE INDEPENDENT 20111223 This is a profound and engrossing work, which takes us from modern worldwide communications and relationships to atavistic tribalism. It should appeal to any discriminating reader aged 14 and over. BOOKS FOR KEEPS 20111101 Sedgwick is a past master at evoking sinister undercurrents that flow beneath apparently tranquil and harmonious beauty, and he has excelled himself here. NEW WELSH REVIEW BLOG 20120110
