Showing posts with label marcus sedwick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marcus sedwick. Show all posts

Monday, October 24, 2016

Blood Red, Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick


*Blood Red Snow White will be released Tuesday, October 25th!*

Blood Red Snow White
Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick. Roaring Book Press, 2016. Ebook. 320 pages.

*I received a copy of Blood Red Snow White courtesy of NetGalley and Roaring Book Press in exchange for an honest review.*


Before I dive in, I would like to note my initial confusion over this title. I had not heard of this book when I came across it, and I assumed it was a new, unreleased upcoming book, but I soon realized that it has in fact already been published, and that this will be a re-publication. I am not sure why this is the case, but I am still glad to have had the opportunity to read it! Now, on to the review!

The first half of Blood Red Snow White was stunning and magical and I was immediately drawn into Sedwick's gorgeous fairy tale-like prose. His prose was dazzling and took me to a warm, cozy place that I looked forward to reading more of. This was the part that included the fairy tale retelling and, in my opinion, the best parts of the entire book.

However, once I hit the halfway mark when the fairy tale neared its end, the charm started to wear off and I found myself feeling lost and unsure if I was reading the same book that I was reading when I felt so charmed by it. Things got confusing, and I found myself feeling somewhat bored, almost wishing for the book to hurry up and finish. I no longer cared much for our main character - Arthur Ransome's - struggles and story. It felt like it was both stretched out and too hasty at the same time. I intended to write a bit more about Arthur's character, but I'm suddenly finding myself coming up short on things to say. That's not to say Arthur was a bad character - he had some redeeming quirks and qualities - but he wasn't exceptionally interesting, and sadly, he doesn't really stand out to me.

What I admire about Sedgwick is his courage and complete lack of fear. He seems unafraid to try out new stories and writing styles, and I admire and appreciate that about him; in fact, it is partly what drew me into this book and prompted me to continue reading it despite my occasional lack of interest. And despite my 'meh' feeling about the end of this book, I will definitely be looking into more of Sedgwick's works, as I would love to see what else he can do with his wonderful writing abilities.

Overall, I am giving Blood Red Snow White three-and-a-half stars.





You might also like:
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros - Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedwick

First Chapter Tuesday is hosted every Tuesday by Diane over at Bibiophile by the Sea. Join the fun by making your own post and linking up over at Diane's blog, or simple check it out to find more new books to read!


Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

Roaring Brook Press, October 2016. Hardcover | Kindle | 320 pages

I actually just finished this, but I really felt like sharing it because of how gorgeous the writing is

First paragraph:

"Once upon a time, beyond the sunrise, halfway to the moon, and so very far away it would make your feet weep to think about it, lies a land vast in size. From where we sit, on the far edge of history, we can see across Time itself, and yet this land is so big we struggle to see all of it at once.
Nevertheless, here it is: Here's a river as wide as a sea, and into it flows a stream as wide as a river. In summer salmon leap through the cool fresh water, in winter the ice is as thick as a house is tall."

What do you think? Would you keep reading? (And feel free to join in and make your own post!)
If you're enticed by this chapter, be sure to check out the full synopsis on Goodreads!


*Excerpt taken from the novel itself; I do claim to own any part of the excerpt.