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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Depicted as a prequel, the novel brought to light the story of Frankenstein's personality and the characters that are so closely linked to the original work. The intricate details that the author points into the characters are excellent, but unfortunately did not bring me back into the Frankenstein World that I loved in the original. The plot had ups and downs which caused the books to bring an array of emotions that did not suffice the original work. Perhaps it is just me, who knows, but I will be definitely reading the second novel in high hopes that it will help me love the first book a little more.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Violence
Minor: Gore, Incest, Sexual harassment
I feel unfair rating this since I purposely only read the first two chapters. What I read, I enjoyed but it might be a little high concept for most young adult readers.
This book takes place years before Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Victor Frankenstein is young, stubborn, conceited and headstrong. He is the ringleader of everything that happens in the Frankenstein household. I’m actually not going to lie, he is the exact same as me, only male. Even though irrational, he is my favourite character. Not only because he is the man who will create Frankenstein’s Monster, but because of all the things he sacrifices for his brother.
Konrad Frankenstein is intelligent, caring and cautious - the exact opposite of his identical twin brother. He follows along behind Victor, but only after trying to tell him not to do whatever it is he is going to.
Henry Clerval is a friend and fellow ‘schoolmate’ of the three. He is loyal to his friends and, although he always disagrees greatly with the ideas of Victor and Elizabeth, he would follow them to the end of the earth and back.
Elizabeth Lavenza is intelligent and she loves adventure. She is pro at climbing trees, spelunking and her only fault is that she has a terrible anger. Also every young man in this book is in love with her (okay, if you didn’t catch it, I’m not the biggest fan of her).
It starts off with Victor, Konrad and Elizabeth performing in a play written by Henry. It shows how easily one brother can turn against each other when there is a prize in sight. This theme carries throughout the whole book.
They say everything happens for a reason so when they stumble upon a ancient, hidden library it is no different. In this library are hundreds of books written in strange languages. Mr Frankenstein soon finds them and forbids them from venturing down into the dark dungeon library.
One day while fencing, Konrad falls gravely ill causing the Frankensteins to call on all the doctors they can find. Again and again the doctors fall to find cure, driving Victor to return to the forbidden library. There he finds a book containing the recipe for the Elixir of Life. With every great thing in life comes with sacrifices, as Victor will soon find out. How much will he be willing to give to save his brother's life?
This book was really good. I was always wondering how Victor was going to pull through, but soon enough I found out. There were evil characters when needed and good characters throughout. There were a few times when I found too many coincidences, especially with the ingrediants.
But this book gave me a reaction that I had never gotten from a book before. Right before I flipped to the last chapter, I was very happy with the book. Once I flipped the page, I announced in shock 'What the f*ck?'. I had to put the book down for a minute and have myself a good cry.
Don't let this discourage you. This is a wonderful book and I believe anyone who likes historical and kinda-but-not-really steampunk would love this book.
This review can also be seen at: http://wrote-with-love.blogspot.ca/
Victor Frankenstein is young, stubborn, conceited and headstrong. He is the ringleader of everything that happens in the Frankenstein household. I’m actually not going to lie, he is the exact same as me, only male. Even though irrational, he is my favourite character. Not only because he is the man who will create Frankenstein’s Monster, but because of all the things he sacrifices for his brother.
Konrad Frankenstein is intelligent, caring and cautious - the exact opposite of his identical twin brother. He follows along behind Victor, but only after trying to tell him not to do whatever it is he is going to.
Henry Clerval is a friend and fellow ‘schoolmate’ of the three. He is loyal to his friends and, although he always disagrees greatly with the ideas of Victor and Elizabeth, he would follow them to the end of the earth and back.
Elizabeth Lavenza is intelligent and she loves adventure. She is pro at climbing trees, spelunking and her only fault is that she has a terrible anger. Also every young man in this book is in love with her (okay, if you didn’t catch it, I’m not the biggest fan of her).
It starts off with Victor, Konrad and Elizabeth performing in a play written by Henry. It shows how easily one brother can turn against each other when there is a prize in sight. This theme carries throughout the whole book.
They say everything happens for a reason so when they stumble upon a ancient, hidden library it is no different. In this library are hundreds of books written in strange languages. Mr Frankenstein soon finds them and forbids them from venturing down into the dark dungeon library.
One day while fencing, Konrad falls gravely ill causing the Frankensteins to call on all the doctors they can find. Again and again the doctors fall to find cure, driving Victor to return to the forbidden library. There he finds a book containing the recipe for the Elixir of Life. With every great thing in life comes with sacrifices, as Victor will soon find out. How much will he be willing to give to save his brother's life?
This book was really good. I was always wondering how Victor was going to pull through, but soon enough I found out. There were evil characters when needed and good characters throughout. There were a few times when I found too many coincidences, especially with the ingrediants.
But this book gave me a reaction that I had never gotten from a book before. Right before I flipped to the last chapter, I was very happy with the book. Once I flipped the page, I announced in shock 'What the f*ck?'. I had to put the book down for a minute and have myself a good cry.
Don't let this discourage you. This is a wonderful book and I believe anyone who likes historical and kinda-but-not-really steampunk would love this book.
This review can also be seen at: http://wrote-with-love.blogspot.ca/
I'm torn on this one. I liked the story, very different and interesting and you can see the research Oppel put into creating the setting and the time period. But I didn't love it as much as his other titles. Which I'm okay with. I like that Viktor is a complicated protagonist, an anti-hero really. In a post-Harry Potter world too many YA guy characters are noble and goody good. Which gets tiring. Looking forward to the rest of the series since the ending was somewhat abrupt.
My knowledge of Frankenstein is pretty much limited to the Boris Karloff movie which I had to watch like 600 times for this motion picture class where it was our main focus/comparison film and bits and pieces of the movie Young Frankenstein. I haven’t read the original source, yet. After picking up This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel, I just may try Mary Shelley’s classic.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
No he leído Frankestein, así que no puedo hacer comparaciones ni encontrar explicaciones para muchas de las cosas de la novela de Mary Shelley, tal como pretende este libro. Sin embargo, he podido disfrutar plenamente de su lectura sin que me faltara ni un ápice de información. Y ya me ha picado la curiosidad para leer más sobre Frankestein.
Menuda introducción he hecho xD Pero bueno, vayamos al meollo. La familia Frankestein es una familia muy diferente, bastante liberal para su época: intentan tratar a la mujer como una igual ( y a nivel de derechos lo consiguen, aunque su concepción de ella aún sea más débil que la del hombre), respetan a las personas que sirven en su casa, tratándolas como trabajadores e incluso cocinando para ellos una vez a la semana, etc... Y hablamos de la época del terror, en plena revolución francesa (espero no haber dicho alguna barbaridad), aunque ellos están un poco más alejados de eso, en Ginebra. Viven felices, los gemelos Víctor y Konrad, su prima lejana Elizabeth Lavenza (que sin duda ya dará más quebraderos de cabeza en novelas venideras), los hermanos pequeños Ernest y William, y muy frecuentemente Henry Clerval, amigo de los gemelos cuyo padre viaja demasiado. Hay conflictos no resueltos, claro, como son los celos que siente Víctor de su hermano, que siempre es mejor que él en todo pese a tener el mismo aspecto externo, y que hace que todo el mundo lo adore. Víctor trabaja arduamente para estar a su altura, y anhela superarlo y tener lo que él tiene. Sin embargo, lo quiere con locura, y todo esto saldrá a la luz cuando su hermano caiga gravemente enfermo y su última esperanza sea el Elixir de la Vida, que no será nada fácil de conseguir.
Los personajes me han gustado mucho. Henry Clerval, poeta y dramaturgo, que prefiere emplear la imaginación para correr aventuras que hacerlo de verdad (y lo entiendo, la verdad); Elizabeth Lazenza, una chica religiosa que lucha por ser considerada una igual a ojos de los hombres, que fue abandonada por su padre en un convento dos años cuando este se casó por segunda vez (tras la muerte de su madre) y es valiente, apasionada y fuerte; Konrad, un chico sensato, amable, encantador, con multitud de destrezas; y Víctor, que es apasionado, testarudo, arrogante, egoísta, valiente. Hay muchas cosas positivas en él, aunque también alberga un lado oscuro que a veces le tienta y le hace caer, y otras veces logra sobreponerse. En este libro hace sus primeros pinitos con la alquimia, y tiene sueños proféticos de él mismo operando a su hermano. Me encanta su personaje, aunque no siempre estés de acuerdo con lo que hace, su forma de pensar atrae. Y definitivamente, es capaz de sacrificarse por los que más quiere, así que es un buen chico aunque parezca que no en ocasiones.
Está narrado en primera persona, desde la visión de Víctor, y tiene mucha acción. La búsqueda de los ingredientes son intrigantes. También tiene una parte emocional muy importante, y es que ambos hermanos están enamorados de la hermosa Elizabeth. Bueno, también Henry, pero el pobre no tiene ahí nada que hacer. Quizás en el futuro sí, qué sé yo. Pero los dos hermanos sí se ven con bastantes posibilidades, y de hecho, Konrad y Elizabeth mantienen una relación amorosa en secreto. Víctor se da cuenta de que está enamorado de ella cuando se entera de este secreto (lo cual dice mucho de él), pero ese enamoramiento estaba de antes aunque él se lo cuestione. Ese triángulo amoroso también lleva al lector a los mejores momentos del libro. Elizabeth está con Konrad, pero en determinados momentos deja entrever sentimientos por Víctor que van más allá de la amistad y lo fraternal.
La evolución de Víctor a lo largo del libro es palpable. De su tranquila vida pasa a temer por su hermano, y se lanza de cabeza a por el Elixir, y en el camino pierde muchas cosas que hacen que se remueva ese lado oscuro del que ya os he hablado, y también que se haga más valiente, y que madure en muchos aspectos. Por ejemplo, pese a ser un chico travieso, Víctor veía en su padre el máximo ejemplo de autoridad y honestidad, y creía que no podía equivocarse, así que cree en lo que él le ha transmitido a rajatabla. Pero más tarde descubre que su padre estuvo metido en la alquimia, que mintió y realizó gestiones deplorables, no importa lo noble de su causa. Ya no puede ver a su padre tan perfecto como lo veía, y eso le lleva a desafiarlo con ímpetu. También se enfrenta a situaciones cercanas a la muerte, y lo más inesperado para mí fue su renuncia a dos dedos de su mano para salvar a su hermano. En todo momento creí que habría algo que lo impediría, pero no fue así. Él los entrega, lo que demuestra un gran valor y sacrificio, como creo haber dicho antes.
Lo más frustrante es que luego todo ello no sirva para nada, y el hermano muera de todos modos, cuando parecía mejorar. Antes del libro, había visto en series algo de que su hermano moría, pero tal como transcurría la historia lo olvidé o pensé que sería en otro momento o que me habría equivocado, porque me pilló por sorpresa.
Una mención de pasada haré al señor Julius Polidori, desaparecido por ahí y que quizás dé por saco en la novela original. Sabía que era malo, únicamente dudé un poco cuando dijo que se necesitaba el tuétano de la persona más cercana al enfermo, pero luego recapacité. Así que me caía mal. Su historia me daba un poco de pena, como se puede uno arruinar cuando le pasa algo a un rico (porque cuando le pasó a pobres, el hombre siguió como siempre). Lo que más me ha gustado de él ha sido su lince, por ser un animal tan chulo y tan listo. Ay, pobre Krake. Víctor es uno de los culpables de que el animalico esté en peligro de extinción.
No mucho más que añadir. Me ha parecido una historia trepidante, ambientada en una época muy curiosa y bonita, con tintes oscuros, alquimia, amor de muchos tipos, amistad y que la recomiendo.
Menuda introducción he hecho xD Pero bueno, vayamos al meollo. La familia Frankestein es una familia muy diferente, bastante liberal para su época: intentan tratar a la mujer como una igual ( y a nivel de derechos lo consiguen, aunque su concepción de ella aún sea más débil que la del hombre), respetan a las personas que sirven en su casa, tratándolas como trabajadores e incluso cocinando para ellos una vez a la semana, etc... Y hablamos de la época del terror, en plena revolución francesa (espero no haber dicho alguna barbaridad), aunque ellos están un poco más alejados de eso, en Ginebra. Viven felices, los gemelos Víctor y Konrad, su prima lejana Elizabeth Lavenza (que sin duda ya dará más quebraderos de cabeza en novelas venideras), los hermanos pequeños Ernest y William, y muy frecuentemente Henry Clerval, amigo de los gemelos cuyo padre viaja demasiado. Hay conflictos no resueltos, claro, como son los celos que siente Víctor de su hermano, que siempre es mejor que él en todo pese a tener el mismo aspecto externo, y que hace que todo el mundo lo adore. Víctor trabaja arduamente para estar a su altura, y anhela superarlo y tener lo que él tiene. Sin embargo, lo quiere con locura, y todo esto saldrá a la luz cuando su hermano caiga gravemente enfermo y su última esperanza sea el Elixir de la Vida, que no será nada fácil de conseguir.
Los personajes me han gustado mucho. Henry Clerval, poeta y dramaturgo, que prefiere emplear la imaginación para correr aventuras que hacerlo de verdad (y lo entiendo, la verdad); Elizabeth Lazenza, una chica religiosa que lucha por ser considerada una igual a ojos de los hombres, que fue abandonada por su padre en un convento dos años cuando este se casó por segunda vez (tras la muerte de su madre) y es valiente, apasionada y fuerte; Konrad, un chico sensato, amable, encantador, con multitud de destrezas; y Víctor, que es apasionado, testarudo, arrogante, egoísta, valiente. Hay muchas cosas positivas en él, aunque también alberga un lado oscuro que a veces le tienta y le hace caer, y otras veces logra sobreponerse. En este libro hace sus primeros pinitos con la alquimia, y tiene sueños proféticos de él mismo operando a su hermano. Me encanta su personaje, aunque no siempre estés de acuerdo con lo que hace, su forma de pensar atrae. Y definitivamente, es capaz de sacrificarse por los que más quiere, así que es un buen chico aunque parezca que no en ocasiones.
Está narrado en primera persona, desde la visión de Víctor, y tiene mucha acción. La búsqueda de los ingredientes son intrigantes. También tiene una parte emocional muy importante, y es que ambos hermanos están enamorados de la hermosa Elizabeth. Bueno, también Henry, pero el pobre no tiene ahí nada que hacer. Quizás en el futuro sí, qué sé yo. Pero los dos hermanos sí se ven con bastantes posibilidades, y de hecho, Konrad y Elizabeth mantienen una relación amorosa en secreto. Víctor se da cuenta de que está enamorado de ella cuando se entera de este secreto (lo cual dice mucho de él), pero ese enamoramiento estaba de antes aunque él se lo cuestione. Ese triángulo amoroso también lleva al lector a los mejores momentos del libro. Elizabeth está con Konrad, pero en determinados momentos deja entrever sentimientos por Víctor que van más allá de la amistad y lo fraternal.
La evolución de Víctor a lo largo del libro es palpable. De su tranquila vida pasa a temer por su hermano, y se lanza de cabeza a por el Elixir, y en el camino pierde muchas cosas que hacen que se remueva ese lado oscuro del que ya os he hablado, y también que se haga más valiente, y que madure en muchos aspectos. Por ejemplo, pese a ser un chico travieso, Víctor veía en su padre el máximo ejemplo de autoridad y honestidad, y creía que no podía equivocarse, así que cree en lo que él le ha transmitido a rajatabla. Pero más tarde descubre que su padre estuvo metido en la alquimia, que mintió y realizó gestiones deplorables, no importa lo noble de su causa. Ya no puede ver a su padre tan perfecto como lo veía, y eso le lleva a desafiarlo con ímpetu. También se enfrenta a situaciones cercanas a la muerte, y lo más inesperado para mí fue su renuncia a dos dedos de su mano para salvar a su hermano. En todo momento creí que habría algo que lo impediría, pero no fue así. Él los entrega, lo que demuestra un gran valor y sacrificio, como creo haber dicho antes.
Lo más frustrante es que luego todo ello no sirva para nada, y el hermano muera de todos modos, cuando parecía mejorar. Antes del libro, había visto en series algo de que su hermano moría, pero tal como transcurría la historia lo olvidé o pensé que sería en otro momento o que me habría equivocado, porque me pilló por sorpresa.
Una mención de pasada haré al señor Julius Polidori, desaparecido por ahí y que quizás dé por saco en la novela original. Sabía que era malo, únicamente dudé un poco cuando dijo que se necesitaba el tuétano de la persona más cercana al enfermo, pero luego recapacité. Así que me caía mal. Su historia me daba un poco de pena, como se puede uno arruinar cuando le pasa algo a un rico (porque cuando le pasó a pobres, el hombre siguió como siempre). Lo que más me ha gustado de él ha sido su lince, por ser un animal tan chulo y tan listo. Ay, pobre Krake. Víctor es uno de los culpables de que el animalico esté en peligro de extinción.
No mucho más que añadir. Me ha parecido una historia trepidante, ambientada en una época muy curiosa y bonita, con tintes oscuros, alquimia, amor de muchos tipos, amistad y que la recomiendo.
Graded By: Erin
Cover Story: Public Transpo-Acceptable
BFF Charm: Nay! and Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 7 . .. or a 0
Talky Talk: Shelley-Lite
Bonus Factors: Origin Story, Lake Geneva, Big Kitties
Relationship Status: Visiting Your Ex's Family For the First Time. On Thanksgiving.
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Public Transpo-Acceptable
BFF Charm: Nay! and Yay!
Swoonworthy Scale: 7 . .. or a 0
Talky Talk: Shelley-Lite
Bonus Factors: Origin Story, Lake Geneva, Big Kitties
Relationship Status: Visiting Your Ex's Family For the First Time. On Thanksgiving.
Read the full book report here.
More reviews at Rondo of a Possible World: YA Book Reviews
Blown away. This novel was absolutely fantastic. The characters, the adventure, the plot. It happens to be a prequel to Mary Shelly's epic tale Frankenstein which caught my eye. Though I had never read Frankenstein it had no lingering affects on my reading of this novel. It was literally phenomenal.
You have your twin brothers Konrad and Victor Frankenstein. Your average high class boys living in Genoa back in possibly the Elizabethan era. The tight bond of the twins are as should be, but when Konrad is struck with illness, Victor and his friends, Elizabeth and Henry, risk their lives to save him.
This Dark Endeavor was a quick read for me, about a day. I soaked up all of the adventure, grim, and Gothic goodness like a sponge. Such a compelling story that is filled with beautify written characters and a captivating plot. No moment was dull nor was any conversation banal. The scenes between Victor and Elizabeth always drew me in, for such raw emotions of human nature is carried out between the two.
Victor though was some character. The flaws, the raw intensity beaming through out him. You just can't help but latch onto his words and wonder what he is going to feel, think, say, or do next. The jealousy, the rage, the motivation, the lies, the possessiveness, and the dedication. By the standards of the twins, Victor was imperfect compared to Konrad. But such dedication he has to save his brother, even with other evils surfacing through his thoughts; Victor was as real as any character could get.
The ending, I infered though just the kind of thought process I have, was heart-retching. I look back at what I happened to read and makes me think this is just a prequel. It would be wonderful if Oppel even pursued the faction of creating his own spin on the Frankenstein classic. Such a fascinating thought.
Blown away. This novel was absolutely fantastic. The characters, the adventure, the plot. It happens to be a prequel to Mary Shelly's epic tale Frankenstein which caught my eye. Though I had never read Frankenstein it had no lingering affects on my reading of this novel. It was literally phenomenal.
You have your twin brothers Konrad and Victor Frankenstein. Your average high class boys living in Genoa back in possibly the Elizabethan era. The tight bond of the twins are as should be, but when Konrad is struck with illness, Victor and his friends, Elizabeth and Henry, risk their lives to save him.
This Dark Endeavor was a quick read for me, about a day. I soaked up all of the adventure, grim, and Gothic goodness like a sponge. Such a compelling story that is filled with beautify written characters and a captivating plot. No moment was dull nor was any conversation banal. The scenes between Victor and Elizabeth always drew me in, for such raw emotions of human nature is carried out between the two.
Victor though was some character. The flaws, the raw intensity beaming through out him. You just can't help but latch onto his words and wonder what he is going to feel, think, say, or do next. The jealousy, the rage, the motivation, the lies, the possessiveness, and the dedication. By the standards of the twins, Victor was imperfect compared to Konrad. But such dedication he has to save his brother, even with other evils surfacing through his thoughts; Victor was as real as any character could get.
The ending, I infered though just the kind of thought process I have, was heart-retching. I look back at what I happened to read and makes me think this is just a prequel. It would be wonderful if Oppel even pursued the faction of creating his own spin on the Frankenstein classic. Such a fascinating thought.
I really liked this book. It kept me turning the pages. I stayed up one night finishing it on weekday but luckily I got enough sleep. Secret passages, alchemy, old books, small and dangerous adventures,this book has all of it including a love triangle that annoyed me a bit. Victor was well- not the most perfect hero but then again he's Victor Frankenstein. I guess I can't really say much about his character because I haven't read Frankenstein and I've only watched a Whishbone episode about it and that doesn't count I guess. There were a lot of parts where I think the character's made stupid decisions.
For example,Victor pretending to be his brother so he can get some action with his distant cousin Elizabeth.
See Dean agrees with me.
Okay I was mentally screaming "don't do it" to myself when I was reading this part. And the screaming became louder when he bit her!
Now let me rant about the love triangle for a bit. I didn't support any of the brothers. In fact I was hoping that Elizabeth would ditch Victor and Konrad for Henry. To be honest Henry is my favorite character. I would of waited outside of the cave and at the bottom of the tree. we could have written poetry together The point is that he is the most relatable person in the book, well at least for me.
Anyways moving that aside.I like the whole fact about alchemy and I have always found it interesting. I had a strong feeling that Poldori would backstab them at the end so it was no suprise when he got all crazy. I kept on expecting him to randomly pop up at the end when he "disappeared" but no his fate is a mystery which actually makes me more creeped out. I also had a feeling that Konrad would die but it was still very sad. It was really creative of the author to make his death the main reason why Victor creates a person from other people's body parts.
Overall this book is good and people that like some what dark tales that involve alchemy and adventure should read it.
For example,Victor pretending to be his brother so he can get some action with his distant cousin Elizabeth.
Okay I was mentally screaming "don't do it" to myself when I was reading this part. And the screaming became louder when he bit her!
Now let me rant about the love triangle for a bit. I didn't support any of the brothers. In fact I was hoping that Elizabeth would ditch Victor and Konrad for Henry. To be honest Henry is my favorite character. I would of waited outside of the cave and at the bottom of the tree.
Anyways moving that aside.I like the whole fact about alchemy and I have always found it interesting. I had a strong feeling that Poldori would backstab them at the end so it was no suprise when he got all crazy. I kept on expecting him to randomly pop up at the end when he "disappeared" but no his fate is a mystery which actually makes me more creeped out. I also had a feeling that Konrad would die but it was still very sad. It was really creative of the author to make his death the main reason why Victor creates a person from other people's body parts.
Overall this book is good and people that like some what dark tales that involve alchemy and adventure should read it.