Midwinterblood Theme of Visions of Blessed Island

In Midwinterblood, Blessed Island is a beautiful and lush landscape where people delight in taking things a little slower. Nothing wrong with that, right? But it's also a place where the hills change direction, the sun shines past midnight, and the flowers might kill you. Not to mention they don't get the Internet. Ugh. We get to see the island over the course of many centuries, and the place slowly reveals itself to be a locale of both beauty and extreme creepiness. It's not easy living a normal life when you live on Blessed Island, no matter what century it is.

Questions About Visions of Blessed Island

  1. No matter what life they are living, Eric and Merle always seem to be tied to Blessed Island. Does the island have some kind of hold on them? Or do they need the island to keep being reborn into a new life?
  2. Why does the western half of the island seem to have more magical properties? And why does no one want to live there?
  3. Can you think of any other locations that are both beautiful and creepy at the same time?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Blessed Island isn't just the setting for this novel—it's also one of the main characters.

Periods of infertility are the island's way of righting the cycle of life when the islanders abuse the dragon orchid.