Midwinter Folk

The protagonist of ‘Midwinter Folk' is Rowan. Her age isn't given but she's stated as being in Year Six at school, which makes her 10-11. Following her parent's divorce Rowan is disturbed when her older brother Luke becomes ‘cold and strange'. Then Rowan starts hearing voices. Is she going mad? With London in the grip of the coldest winter on record, Rowan and Luke are sent by their mother to York to visit their grandparents. Yet the countryside proves even stranger and then Luke goes off with a sinister group oblivious to his sister's concerns. Rowan learns of the dangers facing them and of her own destiny after she befriends Charli, a girl of her own age who is a member of the Wandering Folk. Charli's Aunt is a wise woman who is able to alert Rowan as to the nature of the danger facing Luke and sends both she and Charli on a quest into the Otherworld. There they make contact with Faerie and magical creatures and again are sent on a journey. This was a hard story to summarise though I was delighted at how artfully Rebekah Clayton embraced the folklore and mythology of Britain to weave this fantasy with its mixture of the modern and the timeless. I know that judging a book by its cover is dangerous but I loved this one by artist Amanda Clark and after reading the novel it was clear that it had well represented the enchantment within. I found that the descriptions were vivid and lyrical. Most of all ‘Midwinter Folk' evoked a sense of nostalgia for those classic works of British fantasy where young people stumble into a wider reality. The winter setting and the sinister hunters especially brought to mind Susan Cooper's ‘The Dark is Rising' sequence. Yet there were also reminders that it is set in the modern day with references to popular culture and technology. Still, I did have concerns. ‘Midwinter Folk' is listed on U.K.'s school reading list site as suitable for ages 12-16. Given its dark themes and some disturbing scenes, this feels right though Rowan's young age might well attract younger readers. In addition, that stunning cover feels more suitable for a children's book. Aside from the age appropriate issues, I also felt that there were aspects of the plot that weren't explained leaving me a bit confused. The ending also felt rather rushed and a bit disconnected. I wondered if this was intentional or if a sequel is planned to further explore Rowan's destiny. Overall I enjoyed it.

Rowan doesn't understand why her brother Luke has turned so "cold”towards her. They have always been best friends. When she goes skating with a friend on the Thames River, Rowan is followed and attacked by dogs. She doesn't get hurt but she is scared. Her mother gets a phone call and must have Luke and Rowan go stay with grandma. Grandma says yes but grandpa is ill. They take a train to the village. Rowan gets almost attacked by the same dogs but is saved by the conductor. When she and Luke arrive at the village no one is there to take them to grandma's home. After a short period of time a friend of Grandma's picks them up explains that they will stay at her place as she has more room at her home. It will make it easier for grandma to take care of grandpa. One day Rowan follows Luke to see what he is doing. Along the way Rowan gets a new friend named Charli. Charli takes Rowan to the healer in their gypsy camp. Charli and Rowan decides that they must discover where Luke went when he disappeared after doing a spell. They do the spell and go to follow Luke. Will they find him? Will they get back to grandma's friend? This was a terrific action-pack, adventure-filled story. It is good vs. evil. I loved following Rowan's journey to find her brother. The novel involves the whole family in different ways as they try to find understand what their role is after their parents divorce. It's also about learning to trust yourself and to do the right thing.

Readers who adore the old-fashioned Fairy Tales (prior to dilution for modern consumption) will adore MIDWINTER FOLK, a beautifully detailed and lyrically imagined panorama of a slightly near-future London and Yorkshire (think ICE DIARIES), in what appears a new Ice Age; and the "other worlds," those of the Fae and the Foul Folk--so close to mundane reality that if we could only "polish the glass" we could see. So close....that they can reach through and touch us...with their icy wintry fingers...and their blazing-eyed hounds....

This is a lovely, rather old fashioned children´s fantasy, in the sense that like many classic children´s tales it is heavily inspired by fairy tales, in this case celtic folklore. There is little focus on technology and more on relations between the characters as the main character is also dealing with her parents divorce, her mum is turning every penny and her father is not much around and her brother has become alienated from the family. Although of course in this case there turns out to be an underlying sinister reason for why all of this has happened to this family. I´m sure a lot of today´s children can relate with many of the every day challenges Rowan has to deal with and at the same time enjoy the fairytale that unfolds as well. I find it a bit hard to judge the proper age group for this book, the main character is still a child and thinks and acts as one, so I would say that on the whole this would be a suitable read for 9-12 years old, but at the same time there´s hinting about darker subjects that would suggest an older reading group.

I really enjoyed this magical book. I was able to get lost in the story for a few hours and that's how you know a book is good. I'm not sure I would label this a children's book, however. Can't wait to read more by the author.