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The Kiss of Death (My Swordhand is Singing #2)
Marcus Sedgwick's tale of Venice and vampires is a captivating companion volume to the bestselling My Swordhand is Singing. Marko and Sorrel meet in Venice for the first time. They must uncover the mystery of what has happened both to Sorrel's father, plagued by a strange madness that prevents him from sleeping, and to Marko's father, a doctor, who has mysteriously gone mi...more
248 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Orion Children's Books
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This sequel to the wonderful My Swordhand is Singing is set more than 100 years later and 900 kms to the west of the cold forests of Romania. At the north-west tip of the Adriatic Sea is a shallow lagoon, protected from the sea by narrow strips of land. And the jewel at the heart of the lagoon is Venice – a city unlike any other.
Marko has ventured to Venice, from across the Adriatic, in search of his missing father, and discovers that his absence is tied up with a curse on the Bellini family - t...more
Marko has ventured to Venice, from across the Adriatic, in search of his missing father, and discovers that his absence is tied up with a curse on the Bellini family - t...more
Jan 01, 2011
Yolanda Sfetsos
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya-contemporary,
vampire
After reading several Marcus Sedgwick novels, I couldn't wait to get stuck into this one. And when I found out that it's a companion to MY SWORDHAND IS SINGING, I was very excited. I love vampires, and absolutely loved the different take in that book.
Marko is a young man who leaves his home to go to Venice in search of his father. When he gets there, he meets up with a young girl called Sorrel. She's not very happy to see him, because when she sent Alessandro's letter to the doctor's house, it w...more
Marko is a young man who leaves his home to go to Venice in search of his father. When he gets there, he meets up with a young girl called Sorrel. She's not very happy to see him, because when she sent Alessandro's letter to the doctor's house, it w...more
I really struggled with starting the book, but only because the book has such a complex and mysterious story line which you gradually uncover to reveal the ending. The characters were so real and easy to relate to, and I like that it was a vampire novel that for once focused more on the story than on a love story or on the vampires or the main characters. The story was so short and yet you meet so many people. As a dreamer and one who wishes to travel and read english at Oxford, I really enjoyed...more
Venetsian dekadenssi sopii miljööksi maailman synkimpiin tarinoihin - olivatpa ne sitten Thomas Mannia, Donna Leonia tai Sedgwickiä.
Markon isä on lähtenyt kaupunkiin parantamaan vanhaa ystäväänsä, jonka sairauteen kaupungin omat lääkärit eivät löydä hoitokeinoa. Matkalla isä katoaa, ja perhe saa vain uhkaavan, pahaenteisen kirjeen.
Marko sonnustautuu matkaan tutkimaan mysteeriä, ja löytää ensimmäisen johtolankansa Kuoleman talossa asuvan sairaan miehen luota. Outo tauti estää uhriaan nukkumasta...more
Markon isä on lähtenyt kaupunkiin parantamaan vanhaa ystäväänsä, jonka sairauteen kaupungin omat lääkärit eivät löydä hoitokeinoa. Matkalla isä katoaa, ja perhe saa vain uhkaavan, pahaenteisen kirjeen.
Marko sonnustautuu matkaan tutkimaan mysteeriä, ja löytää ensimmäisen johtolankansa Kuoleman talossa asuvan sairaan miehen luota. Outo tauti estää uhriaan nukkumasta...more
Marko is summoned by a letter to Venice, in search of his father who has gone missing. He finds Sorrel, whose father has gone mad, and a mystery that appears hopeless to solve. He is determined to try, however and it is soon obvious that finding the one father is the only way to cure the other. But this is Venice, where a facade of elegance, sophistication and ritual tries to hide underlying decay, danger and corruption.
Venice is perfectly suited to Sedgwick's Gothic sensibilities and the city h...more
Venice is perfectly suited to Sedgwick's Gothic sensibilities and the city h...more
the cover of the book fasinated me. it was something that brought my eyes to attention and at the back of my mind for some reason i thought i was going to regret reading this book but i havent. it was quite confusing at first and i was going to put the book down but then small series of adventure took place. they were well colided together. it was not my types of adventure but i stayed hooked till marcus unravelled the mystery. i liked the vampire touch and i liked the names e.g sorrow-suites he...more
As soon as I read the first page of this book, I became hooked on the story and willingly stayed up throughout the night (oops) to finish it. I honestly didn't expect the twists that are included within this book, and I think Sedgwick cleverly combines use of character and a great storyline to create something I believe most readers will enjoy. At times, I feel as though it's a bit too graphic for some more sensitive readers, but for me, it simply added to the atmosphere of the book. Overall, I...more
Aww man! I feel so rotten giving this only two stars, but it was just such a chore to slog through :( And I love Marcus Sedgwick enough to list him as one of my top ten favourite authors, and My Swordhand is Singing is one of my absolute favourite books. So I was all excited to read this sequel-slash-companion book, but then the first time I picked it up I barely made it to the end of the first chapter (which is all of three pages long) before growing bored. This happened the next several times...more
"Death can come in many forms but in Venice, death comes by water." It was a refreshing book to read - even if it's about death and loss. This book helped me remember why I love reading so much. :)
I enjoyed it. I just feel bad that this is the second book of the "My Swordhand is Singing" series. :| Just found this book on sale. :(
Good luck finding the other books of this series.
Anyway, you can take the book as it is. :)
Awesome read.
I enjoyed it. I just feel bad that this is the second book of the "My Swordhand is Singing" series. :| Just found this book on sale. :(
Good luck finding the other books of this series.
Anyway, you can take the book as it is. :)
Awesome read.
I just love Marcus Sedgwick range as an author. He writes incredibly well on a variety of different themes and subjects, and his Kiss of Death is a wonderful example. He captures the evil and menace that lurks beneath the gaudy surface of Venice in the 17th century, where the evil Shadow Queen is plotting her next move. Great characters in Marko and Sorrel and a welcome but sad appearance by Peter from My Sword Hand is Singing. Chilling and haunting - a great read
A sequel to "My Swordhand is Singing", set many years later and with the appearance of only one of the main characters from the first book.
I was a little disappointed with this as a sequel because I would have liked to have read about the many intervening years between the events of this book and the first.
However I still enjoyed this novel very much.
I was a little disappointed with this as a sequel because I would have liked to have read about the many intervening years between the events of this book and the first.
However I still enjoyed this novel very much.
I love Marcus Sedgewick's stories for many different reasons but one of the things I enjoy most about them is the handling of death and how its seen by the characters. He is brilliant at making both the characters and the reader come to terms with it's inevitableness without making the reader feel hopeless.
This book is a sort of sequel to my sword hand is singing but it isn't necessary to read it to understand this one.
This book is a sort of sequel to my sword hand is singing but it isn't necessary to read it to understand this one.
A really interesting story, Marcus Sedgwick has a wonderful way of spinning tales and crafting a cast of characters so fascinating that it'll keep you reading. One chapter in particular, about Venice, completely blew me away. I'd tried to read My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick just a year before this book, but this is something different. Well worth the read.
May 11, 2011
Iskreads
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
evryone
Recommended to Iskreads by:
my parents
Shelves:
6th-mohan
This turned out to be my favorite book since i red it. i love how the author descries all the characters(their looks, and their personalities). it is a really good book as i said before, and i hope you get some time to read it yourself!!!!!!
signed, Yatir Grinberg
signed, Yatir Grinberg
Excellent sequel to My Swordhand is Singing. Marko, Seller & Peter are excellent characters...the author Marcus Sedgwick does a great job of connecting the reader to them very quickly. Sedgwick is a master of concise storytelling...perfect blend of pace and detail.
Was awesome it is scary, exciting and it has a sort of ghost and vampire theme.
Nothing really special, but fine to keep me occupied during today's rain.
Loved how it was written :)
i like this alot
Jun 12, 2011
Emily
added it
Found out this is a sequel/companion to My Swordhand is Singing, a book I've never read, but from the first page I already love Sedgwick's writing and so I will pick up the book before I finish and review this one.
I like the fact that is so different from what I've been reading. A refreshing change. Marcus Sedgwick is definitely a pro writer and it speaks through his words.
Amazing!! I don't think it is quite as good as My Swordhand Is Swinging, but is oh so very close.
May 14, 2013
Anita Apasiekoe
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Aysha
marked it as to-read
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Marcus Sedgwick (b 1968) was born in Kent, England. Marcus is a British author and illustrator as well as a musician. 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).
More about Marcus Sedgwick...
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