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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
A bit torn, because I really enjoyed the premise and the twists... but Victor is a thoroughly unlikable character and it's a bit hard to get behind him.
Dark and Gothic. Very authentically true to the inspiration, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein with a nice nod to the language of the period, without being ponderous and heavy.
I would take three stars away for the animal death, but I’m not that petty.
Book Rating: PG
Violence: PG (Like I said, ANIMAL DEATH)
Language: PG (A** was the only noticeable one, but maybe I just wasn’t paying attention)
Sex: PG (“I felt tears on her cheeks, and tasted their salt against my tongue” is about as raunchy as it gets. Pretty innocent overall).
Drugs/Alcohol: G (Alcohol is used on one of the characters as a numbing agent).
What an interesting take on the early life of Victor Frankenstein! I greatly enjoyed this read. It was dark at times, filled with adventure spurred by bonds of friendship, and was driven by well-rounded, engaging characters.
I really enjoyed the back story which served as the kindling for Victor Frankenstein’s alchemical interests. Victor sought to save his twin brother, Konrad’s, life after he falls fatally ill with an unknown sickness. Victor immediately turns to the ancient books of alchemy to find a cure. That cure is found in the Elixir of Life.
Despite Victor not being particularly likable—he’s jealous and self-absorbed—I managed to still enjoy him. He was likable to me, despite his flaws, which is a sign of excellent writing. Authors sometimes struggle to make their characters likable despite their flaws and sometimes they fall into the trap of creating a character without any whatsoever. Victor’s personality isn’t what you would typically see for a main character in fiction. He’s the brother caught beneath his older brother’s more charismatic, more successful shadow. It was refreshing.
And can we talk about the magical settings of Geneva and the Frankenstein Manor?? Gorgeous. Enchanting. Loved it all. It felt like a fantasy land within a historical world and it was everything I wanted. Victor, Konrad, their distant cousin Elizabeth, and friend Henry were separated from the real world through the manor as they produced plays and went on adventures throughout the grounds. It felt like a whole other world.
I was also smitten with Victor and Elizabeth as a pair. I’m not sure if they’re great as a couple, but their chemistry was palpable which made their relationship all the more exciting. Victor’s passion combined with Elizabeth’s was powerful and they both knew it, but because of Elizabeth’s love for Konrad, (yes, a love triangle), it was suppressed. And honestly, the love triangle wasn’t terrible. It was actually well-written.
Just the relationships and the bonds between family were really a selling point for me. It’s rare to find a YA book where the parents of the children are ever present parts of the children’s lives.
There were very few things I didn’t like about this book. My main issue was that it was written in a very simple manner. There was just a lot of he said, she said throughout, without much diversity in speaking actions. For example:
“Of course,” she said, entering the cell and looking at the table. “Is it done?”
“It is,” I said, stoppering the flask and shaking it vigorously.
“You are very clever, Victor,” she said.
“Anyone might have done it,” I said, pleased by her praise.
Honestly, it’s nothing too bad; I just would have liked some diversity in the speech. Maybe throwing in an asked or exclaimed would have been nice every once in a while.
I’ll be giving this book to my mom to read as soon as I take all of my sticky notes out of it. It’s a good mix of fantasy, history, and gothic romance—everything I (and my mom) love. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who has a deep love for gothic romances.
"These past weeks, during Konrad's illness, my mind--awake and dreaming--had been filled with dread and cobwebs and darkness. I wanted the sun to burn them all away."
Book Rating: PG
Violence: PG (Like I said, ANIMAL DEATH)
Language: PG (A** was the only noticeable one, but maybe I just wasn’t paying attention)
Sex: PG (“I felt tears on her cheeks, and tasted their salt against my tongue” is about as raunchy as it gets. Pretty innocent overall).
Drugs/Alcohol: G (Alcohol is used on one of the characters as a numbing agent).
What an interesting take on the early life of Victor Frankenstein! I greatly enjoyed this read. It was dark at times, filled with adventure spurred by bonds of friendship, and was driven by well-rounded, engaging characters.
I really enjoyed the back story which served as the kindling for Victor Frankenstein’s alchemical interests. Victor sought to save his twin brother, Konrad’s, life after he falls fatally ill with an unknown sickness. Victor immediately turns to the ancient books of alchemy to find a cure. That cure is found in the Elixir of Life.
Despite Victor not being particularly likable—he’s jealous and self-absorbed—I managed to still enjoy him. He was likable to me, despite his flaws, which is a sign of excellent writing. Authors sometimes struggle to make their characters likable despite their flaws and sometimes they fall into the trap of creating a character without any whatsoever. Victor’s personality isn’t what you would typically see for a main character in fiction. He’s the brother caught beneath his older brother’s more charismatic, more successful shadow. It was refreshing.
And can we talk about the magical settings of Geneva and the Frankenstein Manor?? Gorgeous. Enchanting. Loved it all. It felt like a fantasy land within a historical world and it was everything I wanted. Victor, Konrad, their distant cousin Elizabeth, and friend Henry were separated from the real world through the manor as they produced plays and went on adventures throughout the grounds. It felt like a whole other world.
I was also smitten with Victor and Elizabeth as a pair. I’m not sure if they’re great as a couple, but their chemistry was palpable which made their relationship all the more exciting. Victor’s passion combined with Elizabeth’s was powerful and they both knew it, but because of Elizabeth’s love for Konrad, (yes, a love triangle), it was suppressed. And honestly, the love triangle wasn’t terrible. It was actually well-written.
Just the relationships and the bonds between family were really a selling point for me. It’s rare to find a YA book where the parents of the children are ever present parts of the children’s lives.
There were very few things I didn’t like about this book. My main issue was that it was written in a very simple manner. There was just a lot of he said, she said throughout, without much diversity in speaking actions. For example:
“Of course,” she said, entering the cell and looking at the table. “Is it done?”
“It is,” I said, stoppering the flask and shaking it vigorously.
“You are very clever, Victor,” she said.
“Anyone might have done it,” I said, pleased by her praise.
Honestly, it’s nothing too bad; I just would have liked some diversity in the speech. Maybe throwing in an asked or exclaimed would have been nice every once in a while.
I’ll be giving this book to my mom to read as soon as I take all of my sticky notes out of it. It’s a good mix of fantasy, history, and gothic romance—everything I (and my mom) love. I’d highly recommend this to anyone who has a deep love for gothic romances.
"These past weeks, during Konrad's illness, my mind--awake and dreaming--had been filled with dread and cobwebs and darkness. I wanted the sun to burn them all away."
Overall I liked this book. I found a lot of the tropes to be the same that are in all the other YA books these days -- Love triangle? Check. Faulted (anti)hero? Check. Comedy relief side character? Check. But I did like it! I liked it enough to read the second book next because I want to know what happens. I'm invested in these characters. The story line is somewhat cliche, but was done in a way to keep my attention. I would recommend this book. 4 out of 5 stars.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
an interesting twist on the story of young Frankenstein and how he came to Alchemy...
Felt a little bit too much emphasis was put on how his brother was the light to his darkness but it made everything fairly interesting. The kind of gothic feel was interesting and enjoyable and definitely different.
A nice break from the strong female heroine niche I seem to have found myself in - looked into getting the second book tonight but it wasn't available at my local bookstore.
Felt a little bit too much emphasis was put on how his brother was the light to his darkness but it made everything fairly interesting. The kind of gothic feel was interesting and enjoyable and definitely different.
A nice break from the strong female heroine niche I seem to have found myself in - looked into getting the second book tonight but it wasn't available at my local bookstore.