Blog Tour, Review, Playlist, Interview & Giveaway: Blood Red Snow White by Marcus Sedgwick

Title: Blood Red Snow White
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Release Date: October 25, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction

It is 1917, and the world is tearing itself to pieces in a dreadful war, but far to the east of the trenches, another battle is breaking out - the Russian Revolution has just begun... 

Blood Red, Snow White captures the mood of this huge moment in history through the adventure of one man who was in the middle of it all; Arthur Ransome, a young British journalist who had first run away to Russia to collect fairy tales. 

Told as three linked novellas, part one captures the days of revolution but retells the story as Russian Fairy Tale, with typical humour and unashamed brutality. Part two is a spy story, set over the course of one evening, as Ransome faces up to his biggest challenge, and part three is a love story, full of tragedy and hope, as every good Russian love story should be.

I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author via The Fantastic Flying Book Club.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. I anticipated a Russian fairytale of sorts and it is written like a fairytale, but this was not a fairytale. This was more like a retelling or reimagining of historical events. 

The rich history in this book is really what stands out most to me. While reading this, you can tell just how much research, blood, sweat, and tears went into the creation of this story. The historical aspects were authentic and just flat out phenomenal. I really felt engrossed in the time period and the events that unfolded. However, I did feel a little lost at times since I am not familiar with this particular part of history. The book didn't really ease into anything, just stuck you right into it. Needless to say, I learned a lot.

The plot was really solid. While I admit that I felt bored at moments, I never failed to want to find out what happened next. The world building was just fantastic! Very atmospheric and beautifully written.

I didn't really connect with the characters in the book. They felt very flat and outright dull. 

This book is marketed as Young Adult, but I did not find it to be a young adult book. The main character was outside of the traditional age range for a young adult story. The themes in this book didn't really align with those of other young adult books. This book felt more like a regular historical fiction novel to me.

Overall, I think that this is a fabulous read for just about anyone. It is a charming book with a lot of history locked inside its pages. If you are a fan of historical fiction then this would definitely suit your tastes. I would definitely give it a try!

1. Violet Hill by Coldplay

2. "Warrior" by AURORA

3. Deep End by Ruelle

4. When The War Came by The Decemberists

5. Holes In The Sky by M83, HAIM

6. Til It Happens To You by Lady Gaga

7. Beautiful Pain by Eminem, Sia

8. War of Hearts by Ruelle

9. The Keeper by Kina Grannis, Marie Digby

10. Bittersweet by Apocalyptica, Ville Valo, Lauri Ylonen

11. "Dead Air" by CHVRCHES

12. Up In Flames by Ruelle

Follow the Blood Red Snow White Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.

Marcus Sedgwick was born in Kent, England. Marcus is a British author and illustrator as well as a musician. He is the author of several books, including Witch Hill and The Book of Dead Days, both of which were nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award. The most recent of these nominations rekindled a fascination with Poe that has borne fruit here in (in The Restless Dead, 2007) the form of "The Heart of Another" - inspired by Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." Of his story, Sedgwick says, "This was one of those stories that I thought might be a novel originally but actually was much better suited to the tight form of the short story. I had the initial idea some years ago but was just waiting for the right ingredient to come along. Poe's story, as well as his own fascination with technique, provided that final piece of the puzzle."

He used to play for two bands namely playing the drums for Garrett and as the guitarist in an ABBA tribute group. He has published novels such as Floodland (winner of the Branford Boase Award in 2001) and The Dark Horse (shortlisted for The Guardian Children's Book Award 2002).

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