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noirverse's review
3.0
I wavered between three and four stars for this story, but landed on three as I thought the middle parts dragged it down considerably. The opening was strong, and I loved the complicated relationship Victor had with his brother and Elizabeth, but a few things held it back from being a great story instead of a good one. The quest to find the ingredients for the elixir of life was a little too paint-by-numbers for me and lacked the punch that it needed. Henry in particular was underdeveloped as a side character, and I had the sense that the book could've cut him out entirely without changing anything major. That being said, I enjoyed how conflicted Victor was as a character and how he struggled with metaphorically being in his brother's shadow. The build up to the ending was great, and as a retelling it felt appropriately dark. I will be checking out the sequel to this book.
themandimonster's review
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was part adventure, part drama, and even had a little romance and comedy sprinkled in. I love the whole concept of teenage Victor Frankenstein and his beginnings in wayward science. I look forward to reading the second book!
harleyrae's review against another edition
3.0
This book was ok, not really what I was expecting. It was very slow feeling and wasn't at all memorable. I was bored for over half the book. I'm glad I have yet to read Frankenstein or I'd probably be really really upset with this. I will possibly continue on with the second book, since I already have it, but it will probably be sometime before I pick it up.
protoman21's review
4.0
I love Oppel's Airborn series, but I've never been a huge fan of Frankenstein, so it took me a while to decide to finally read this series. I should have had more faith in Oppel to turn this story upside down with his very fresh take on a young Victor Frankenstein. Victor shines from the beginning with the perfect blend of cockiness and cool. He is daring and exciting where his brother is level headed and patient. Konrad isn't boring, but he does tend to favor caution over adventure. They play off each other very well and it makes the inevitable love triangle between them and Elizabeth all the more compelling. To Victor, he doesn't understand why she would prefer Konrad over himself since they are so similar and Victor believes himself to be more of a catch. It is in his insistence for Elizabeth's affections where Victor shows his dark side.
The story moves along at a decent pace through most of the story, but where Oppel shines is in his action scenes. Many authors struggle to describe action in a way that gives enough detail to keep the reader on the edge of their seat without including so much detail that the reader is bogged down in language and no longer gets caught up in the moment. Oppel walks that razor thin line perfectly and it is no better illustrated than in the climax of this book where danger is piled upon danger and you can't catch your breathe or skip a word because life and death hinges on each one.
Very excited to find the second book!
The story moves along at a decent pace through most of the story, but where Oppel shines is in his action scenes. Many authors struggle to describe action in a way that gives enough detail to keep the reader on the edge of their seat without including so much detail that the reader is bogged down in language and no longer gets caught up in the moment. Oppel walks that razor thin line perfectly and it is no better illustrated than in the climax of this book where danger is piled upon danger and you can't catch your breathe or skip a word because life and death hinges on each one.
Very excited to find the second book!
renuked's review
2.0
Okay. So this book was a pretty good horror read but there were a lot of little things I didn't like. I'll start with what I did like. I liked Victor surprisingly. Even though he got darker and slightly twisted I was rooting for his endeavor to succeed (selfish as it was). However, there wasn't much else that hit me. Victor's love triangle seemed strange as Elizabeth was Konrad's cousin and his too. Both of them falling in love with her and fighting over her seemed like overkill especially as she didn't want anyone fighting over her (that said, I rather liked Elizabeth). It seemed unlikely that Victor would ever get to marry her in the original book because she was deeply in love with Konrad! It pains me to say this because I love love love Kenneth Opple's Airborn series but I just didn't like this one as much.
geekwayne's review
4.0
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a brilliant book about things that are relevant even into our modern age. Creating a prequel series would seem a daunting task, but Oppel handles it deftly.
The book has all the thrills and atmosphere of any great Gothic novel and provides a convincing backstory for young Victor Frankenstein. Other characters from Shelley's work are also here. Notably Elizabeth Lavenza (Victor's adopted cousin) and friend Henry Clerval.
Victor and his twin brother Konrad are inseparable until Konrad becomes ill. Then Victor embarks on a quest to save him that involves his father's dark library and matters of alchemy. This is strictly forbidden by Victor's father because of the danger and because of the family's reputation. Still Victor persists. Along to aid him are Henry and Elizabeth. They go on a series of seemingly impossible quests that will change them in unalterable ways.
Victor genuinely wants to save Konrad, but there is jealousy there as well. Konrad is the more likeable twin and school subjects come easier to him. And Konrad has the heart of Elizabeth. All of this makes Victor a brooding, impetuous character with a fierce drive to succeed, and foreshadow the tragic man he will become.
An interesting start, and I'm sure I'll read book 2 before too long. I may even re-read Frankenstein soon, and I hope this book inspires younger readers to discover a classic.
The book has all the thrills and atmosphere of any great Gothic novel and provides a convincing backstory for young Victor Frankenstein. Other characters from Shelley's work are also here. Notably Elizabeth Lavenza (Victor's adopted cousin) and friend Henry Clerval.
Victor and his twin brother Konrad are inseparable until Konrad becomes ill. Then Victor embarks on a quest to save him that involves his father's dark library and matters of alchemy. This is strictly forbidden by Victor's father because of the danger and because of the family's reputation. Still Victor persists. Along to aid him are Henry and Elizabeth. They go on a series of seemingly impossible quests that will change them in unalterable ways.
Victor genuinely wants to save Konrad, but there is jealousy there as well. Konrad is the more likeable twin and school subjects come easier to him. And Konrad has the heart of Elizabeth. All of this makes Victor a brooding, impetuous character with a fierce drive to succeed, and foreshadow the tragic man he will become.
An interesting start, and I'm sure I'll read book 2 before too long. I may even re-read Frankenstein soon, and I hope this book inspires younger readers to discover a classic.
brianb71's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this tale of young Frankenstein. It had all the elements of a successful story; rich characters, thrilling action and a wonderfully twist on a legendary character.
ptothelo's review
4.0
Really fascinating take on the idea of how a person like Frankenstein comes to be. In this case, there is a twin involved.
4saradouglas's review
2.0
I tried for over two weeks, but I just couldn't read this book. I loved the concept (Frankenstein in his teens), I loved the cover, and I heard Oppel is a great author. Nope. Just didn't do it for me. I stopped at page 123. I was halfway through the book and nothing had happened at all. Someone got sick, and they decided to look for a cure using ancient alchemy. That could be a good plot, but it was all so slow and tedious! It just really wasn't for me.
yosoykimpossible's review against another edition
4.0
Una oscura obsesión fue algo que definitivamente no me esperaba, y es que ni siquiera sé qué esperaba jaja
Acabo de leer la historia original, así que como tenia frescos los hechos y los personajes decidí que era hora de leer este libro también, que ya llevaba demasiado tiempo en mi librero.
Es algo así como una precuela del clásico. Se desarrolla cuando Víctor tiene 15 años, al igual que su hermano gemelo Konrad, su amigo Henry y Elizabeth. Estos chicos se embarcan en una aventura cargada de misterio para ayudar a uno de los hermanos Frankenstein en una difícil situación, sin importar lo riesgoso, alocado y oscuro que pueda llegar a ser. Incluso se ven involucrados en cuestiones relacionadas con la alquimia, cosa que es ilegal y es una práctica penada.
Me gustó que todo el tiempo esta pasando algo, y también los personajes porque creo que su personalidad estaba bastante clara. Konrad es el encantador y amable, Elizabeth la valiente y apasionada, Henry el leal y cauteloso, y Víctor el tenaz y ambicioso, pero lo que más me gustó de este protagonista es que es un personaje gris, que tiene pensamientos malvados pero lucha contra ellos…a veces, y otras se deja llevar.
Es cierto que hubo una que otra cosa predecible y también alguna que otra que me parece que estuvo de más, pero en general es un libro bastante entretenido y vaya que hubo cosas que me sorprendieron, pero me gusta como mientras avanza la lectura y se van descubriendo más cosas, todo va encajando.
Debo confesar, y espero que no me condenen al calabozo del castillo Frankenstein por esto, que me gustó bastante el clásico, pero esta versión me gustó más, y creo que mas que nada se debe al estilo de narración más contemporánea y sin tantísima descripción aburrida e innecesaria. Además conecte más con los personajes porque aquí si vi un desarrollo de ellos.
Acabo de leer la historia original, así que como tenia frescos los hechos y los personajes decidí que era hora de leer este libro también, que ya llevaba demasiado tiempo en mi librero.
Es algo así como una precuela del clásico. Se desarrolla cuando Víctor tiene 15 años, al igual que su hermano gemelo Konrad, su amigo Henry y Elizabeth. Estos chicos se embarcan en una aventura cargada de misterio para ayudar a uno de los hermanos Frankenstein en una difícil situación, sin importar lo riesgoso, alocado y oscuro que pueda llegar a ser. Incluso se ven involucrados en cuestiones relacionadas con la alquimia, cosa que es ilegal y es una práctica penada.
Me gustó que todo el tiempo esta pasando algo, y también los personajes porque creo que su personalidad estaba bastante clara. Konrad es el encantador y amable, Elizabeth la valiente y apasionada, Henry el leal y cauteloso, y Víctor el tenaz y ambicioso, pero lo que más me gustó de este protagonista es que es un personaje gris, que tiene pensamientos malvados pero lucha contra ellos…a veces, y otras se deja llevar.
Es cierto que hubo una que otra cosa predecible y también alguna que otra que me parece que estuvo de más, pero en general es un libro bastante entretenido y vaya que hubo cosas que me sorprendieron, pero me gusta como mientras avanza la lectura y se van descubriendo más cosas, todo va encajando.
Debo confesar, y espero que no me condenen al calabozo del castillo Frankenstein por esto, que me gustó bastante el clásico, pero esta versión me gustó más, y creo que mas que nada se debe al estilo de narración más contemporánea y sin tantísima descripción aburrida e innecesaria. Además conecte más con los personajes porque aquí si vi un desarrollo de ellos.