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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Not only did this book suck me in from the very beginning, it actually encouraged me to read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I tried to red it when I was in high school, but got stuck on the language and never picked it back up. This time, I wanted to see how the story meshed with this prequel. Could this carry over into Frankenstein? As a librarian, these connections come to mind. The answer is yes and no.
This book has to have one of the best beginnings I've read. Within five pages, I thought someone was going to die. That is how you hook your reader. The only reason I haven't posted about this book yet, is that I'm suck as to what to say about it. There's adventure throughout. It's dark and gritty, while not completely off-putting.
The only thing left to say is: When is the next one coming out?
This book has to have one of the best beginnings I've read. Within five pages, I thought someone was going to die. That is how you hook your reader. The only reason I haven't posted about this book yet, is that I'm suck as to what to say about it. There's adventure throughout. It's dark and gritty, while not completely off-putting.
The only thing left to say is: When is the next one coming out?
This was super fun to read and I liked that the main protagonist was so flawed, it's not something I often see and I think it really made all the difference. What I gathered is this book is meant to be a backstory to the events that happen in the original "Frankenstein". There are just a few questions left to hang in your head which isn't uncommon with stand-alone books but made more sense when I found out there was another book in the series. The characters were very well thought out and had clear motivators, there were scenes that had me on edge, and you end up with a little bit of a hole in your chest in the last chapter. All in all, a great book for me.
I did enjoy this story, it was well told with plenty of adventure and intrigue with an underlying love triangle that gives everything just a little edge of passionate emotion. Nearly all of which is embodied by the young Victor Frankenstein. Oppel gives us his side of Victor's youth which lead to his dark curiosity into the world of the dead and the driving force behind his later experiments. A unique take on the classic tale.
I read this book because I won a copy of the sequel, Such Wicked Intent, from a Goodreads giveaway.
I'm not a big fan of the writing style, but the story was quite good. Victor is an arrogant young man and had few redeeming qualities. I haven't read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, so I don't have anything to compare this to.
I had hoped Victor's relationship with Krake would end differently and that's all I'll say about that.
I wanted to much more of William. I think his presence would make Victor so much more likable to me.
But now I will read the sequel to see what adventure these friends will get themselves into next.
I'm not a big fan of the writing style, but the story was quite good. Victor is an arrogant young man and had few redeeming qualities. I haven't read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, so I don't have anything to compare this to.
I had hoped Victor's relationship with Krake would end differently and that's all I'll say about that.
I wanted to much more of William. I think his presence would make Victor so much more likable to me.
But now I will read the sequel to see what adventure these friends will get themselves into next.
This book must've taken such research, I actually haven't read Frankenstein but this book was the perfect prequel to it, and I knew the whole time that it wasn't couldn't going to end happy but I kept hoping;) very well written and the characters felt more alive then you and me. The plot was very good, an surprisingly very adventurous of a book. Really liked this book but then it ended so gosh darn tough. I don't choose to say bad cause it ended "well" and not sad cause you could see it coming....just...tough that that's the path he chose;( very good book especially before you read Frankenstein.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great modern re-telling of Shelley’s Frankenstein.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A cousin incest love triangle, a poorly-represented disabled villain, and a protagonist who sexually assault a character twice? Yeah, nah.
➸ Trigger warnings formisogyny, ableism, incest (cousin), sexual assault*, parental abandonment & child neglect mentioned, serious terminal illness of a child, medical treatment & procedures including amputation and blood tests, needles, emesis, death of a brother, animal attack, and graphic animal death.
*Two on-page scenes, including one where the main character pretends to be his identical twin to trick his girlfriend into kissing him and another where he forces a kiss on her .
▷ Representation: Polidor (sc) wheelchair user.
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➸ Trigger warnings for
*Two on-page scenes, including one where the main character pretends to be his identical twin to trick his girlfriend into kissing him and another where he forces a kiss on her
▷ Representation: Polidor (sc) wheelchair user.
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma
Minor: Child death, Chronic illness
This Dark Endeavor was the first novel I've read by Kenneth Oppel and I found myself impressed. While I didn't always agree with Victor's actions, especially those regarding Elizabeth, he came across as a human being with feelings, some that weren't always charitable to his character.
When Victor's identical twin, Konrad, falls ill with a mysterious sickness, he sets out with friends Henry and Elizabeth to find a cure through alchemy, seeking the Elixir of Life. It can only be made using three key, hard-to-get ingredients, and the novel focuses on their efforts to gather them and present them to an alchemist who knows how to use them.
I wish that Henry had been more present in the plot. The main trio of Victor, Elizabeth and Henry were no Harry, Ron and Hermione. Their skills and abilities were not split as equally, with the result that Henry faded a bit when placed next to the other two. Konrad was somewhat more interesting than him, even though he was much less present at the key moments of the first half.
Nevertheless, it's not a bad book. I will be reading Such Wicked Intent in the future, and I'm interested to explore more of Mr. Oppel's work, because This Dark Endeavor left a good impression overall.
When Victor's identical twin, Konrad, falls ill with a mysterious sickness, he sets out with friends Henry and Elizabeth to find a cure through alchemy, seeking the Elixir of Life. It can only be made using three key, hard-to-get ingredients, and the novel focuses on their efforts to gather them and present them to an alchemist who knows how to use them.
I wish that Henry had been more present in the plot. The main trio of Victor, Elizabeth and Henry were no Harry, Ron and Hermione. Their skills and abilities were not split as equally, with the result that Henry faded a bit when placed next to the other two. Konrad was somewhat more interesting than him, even though he was much less present at the key moments of the first half.
Nevertheless, it's not a bad book. I will be reading Such Wicked Intent in the future, and I'm interested to explore more of Mr. Oppel's work, because This Dark Endeavor left a good impression overall.
Summary:
Victor Frankenstein lives a happy life with his family and his twin brother, until his twin falls suddenly ill. Doctors are summoned, but no one knows what truly ails Konrad. In the Dark Library Victor uncovers a mysterious book that claims to have a recipe for the Elixir of Life. To save Konrad, Victor, embarks on a quest that will have him risking both life and limb before it is complete.
Book Review:
Oppel’s writing is amazing. There is an elegance to his text that I haven’t experienced in such a long time. He does a superb job creating mood and giving the reader the full effect of goose bumps and horror!
His characters are well developed. Victor is at time both likeable and detestable. There are moments when you admire his cleverness, and his determination, and then seconds later you see the jealousy and the anger. I loved how Oppel fully fleshed out this character and made him a man whose motivations you could understand, and detest at the same time.
This novel has depth and a lot to talk about. I know I didn’t love Victor, I am not even sure that I like him, but after reading this novel you begin to understand what motivates him. It is an interesting and unique look at the boy who would one day create a monster.
The setting is perfect. Oppel gives you wonderful descriptions of the forests, caves, library, laboratory, and even the city to make you believe you are there.
In many ways this novel is very cinematic, and you find yourself holding your breath. There were parts of this book that haunted me hours after I had read it. On the other hand, there were parts that were predictable. In some ways this predictability worked for the author to remind the reader of Victor’s youth and his naiveté. In other ways it was too predictable.
Audio Book Review:
The audiobook version of this novel is produced by Brilliance audio and read by Luke Daniels. Daniels sounds a little too old to be our narrator, but despite this he excels at the narration. He does a great job with all the voices, and I can’t really imagine anyone else reading this novel as well. Despite my initial concern about him sounding too old, he turned out to be the perfect narrator for this novel. The novel is approximately 8 hours and 7 minutes long and consists of 7 CDs.
Overall:
Overall this was an interesting book and a chilling tale about the boy who would one day create the Frankenstein monster. You could definitely see his origins in this novel. So you are probably wondering why I gave it the star rating I did? It is as simple as this, while I recognize and admire the quality of the work, I think Oppel may have done too good a job with this novel. It made me cringe, and squirm, and I don’t usually look for novels that make me this uncomfortable. Will I read the sequel? We’ll see. Seriously though, if you want something creepy, and full of suspense, give this one a shot. It is great.
Cautions for Sensitive Readers:
Gore, and some brutality, no sex, and no foul language that I remember.
Victor Frankenstein lives a happy life with his family and his twin brother, until his twin falls suddenly ill. Doctors are summoned, but no one knows what truly ails Konrad. In the Dark Library Victor uncovers a mysterious book that claims to have a recipe for the Elixir of Life. To save Konrad, Victor, embarks on a quest that will have him risking both life and limb before it is complete.
Book Review:
Oppel’s writing is amazing. There is an elegance to his text that I haven’t experienced in such a long time. He does a superb job creating mood and giving the reader the full effect of goose bumps and horror!
His characters are well developed. Victor is at time both likeable and detestable. There are moments when you admire his cleverness, and his determination, and then seconds later you see the jealousy and the anger. I loved how Oppel fully fleshed out this character and made him a man whose motivations you could understand, and detest at the same time.
This novel has depth and a lot to talk about. I know I didn’t love Victor, I am not even sure that I like him, but after reading this novel you begin to understand what motivates him. It is an interesting and unique look at the boy who would one day create a monster.
The setting is perfect. Oppel gives you wonderful descriptions of the forests, caves, library, laboratory, and even the city to make you believe you are there.
In many ways this novel is very cinematic, and you find yourself holding your breath. There were parts of this book that haunted me hours after I had read it. On the other hand, there were parts that were predictable. In some ways this predictability worked for the author to remind the reader of Victor’s youth and his naiveté. In other ways it was too predictable.
Audio Book Review:
The audiobook version of this novel is produced by Brilliance audio and read by Luke Daniels. Daniels sounds a little too old to be our narrator, but despite this he excels at the narration. He does a great job with all the voices, and I can’t really imagine anyone else reading this novel as well. Despite my initial concern about him sounding too old, he turned out to be the perfect narrator for this novel. The novel is approximately 8 hours and 7 minutes long and consists of 7 CDs.
Overall:
Overall this was an interesting book and a chilling tale about the boy who would one day create the Frankenstein monster. You could definitely see his origins in this novel. So you are probably wondering why I gave it the star rating I did? It is as simple as this, while I recognize and admire the quality of the work, I think Oppel may have done too good a job with this novel. It made me cringe, and squirm, and I don’t usually look for novels that make me this uncomfortable. Will I read the sequel? We’ll see. Seriously though, if you want something creepy, and full of suspense, give this one a shot. It is great.
Cautions for Sensitive Readers:
Gore, and some brutality, no sex, and no foul language that I remember.
Extremely smooth writing style. Engaging, though not always likeable characters. Great prequel to the much loved Frankenstein. Everyone should read this book. I do prefer the other cover.