Midwinterblood

Midwinterblood 
by Marcus Sedgwick

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? (Description from Amazon.com) 

I've never read anything of Sedgwick's before, but I'd heard nothing but good things, and now, I'm not surprised.  His writing is...sophisticated? I'm not sure if that's exactly what I mean, but this book was definitely intricate and beautifully dark.  In fact, while I was reading, I kept thinking that this book is what I usually define as a "YA/A crossover" book...one that is meant for the oldest, most sophisticated teen readers and for adult readers. 

I really enjoyed this book, but it read "adult" to me themewise.  I loved the intertwining stories of the reincarnated characters.  I thought that the theme of sacrifice was really well done and things were revealed at just the right points in the stories.  I would definitely recommend this book, though, not to the audience I had originally expected. 

Full disclosure: Borrowed through interlibrary loan 

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker
by Leanna Renee Hieber

Six young men and women are called to protect the living world from the dead in Hieber's Gothic romance debut. Mysterious powers give Alexi and his peers the mission of keeping the restless dead in line and seeking a prophesied seventh guardian. Miss Percy Parker, an albino orphan with a talent for languages, fills none of their expectations, but Alexi is drawn to her all the same. Hieber draws Victorian London as beautiful and grim, with depictions of Jack the Ripper as a nightmarish many-headed hound alongside charming descriptions of the Athens Academy, Percy's boarding school, and Greek mythology that smartly draws together various elements of the story. (description taken from Publisher's Weekly)

I picked this book up after reading a blog review about it and becoming intrigued. It sounded like a fantastic, almost steampunkish paranormal romance.

It was well written. I like Hieber's style; It's fluid and lyrical. Percy Parker is a great character, as is her love interest Alexi. My favorite characters, though, actually turned out to be two of the secondary characters who were exceedingly well drawn. Though this book didn't really turn out to be what I'd expected, it has a very novel mythology.

*Spoiler Alert* Percy is the reincarnation of the Roman goddess Persephone, parted from her love when Hades takes her, attempting again to find him...and save the world. The Ripper was an awesome hell-hound type demon that terrorized London.

It was an awesome blend of history and mythology. The fantasy is light, but thoroughly entertaining. This was not my favorite book, but it was good.