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A review by 8bitreader
Another Faust by Dina Nayeri, Daniel Nayeri
4.0
While it takes a little while to come into its own Another Faust is a truly engaging book when it hits its stride. Maybe I'm just a sucker for Faust-inspired works--and surely it's one of a kind in the YA genre--but I really did enjoy it. All five characters, while mostly unsympathetic, are enjoyable in their own rights, and watching their respective struggles is always fun. Even though each character is given their own unique abilities (stopping time, reading times, etc.) and make more deals for more abilities, it always feels like each character is being properly tested. I don't think Victoria would be nearly that fun of a character if she didn't fumble as often as she did, nor Valentin if he didn't take some opportunities to be kind while others to be exceedingly rude without fixing it.
Unfortunately, the least enjoyable parts of this book are its beginning and its end which is...not ideal, let's say. The beginning is especially slow and the ending is confusing. While most of the twists are built up too, the climax especially suffers from a lack of build-up, making the ending feel kind of like it comes out of left field. Which is a shame, because I really appreciate the bittersweetness of it all.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you really dig Faustian tales and really dig YA. I fit snugly into both of these categories, which is why I found myself enjoying so much of it. Otherwise plowing through the rather tedious beginning won't quite feel worth the struggle.
Unfortunately, the least enjoyable parts of this book are its beginning and its end which is...not ideal, let's say. The beginning is especially slow and the ending is confusing. While most of the twists are built up too, the climax especially suffers from a lack of build-up, making the ending feel kind of like it comes out of left field. Which is a shame, because I really appreciate the bittersweetness of it all.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you really dig Faustian tales and really dig YA. I fit snugly into both of these categories, which is why I found myself enjoying so much of it. Otherwise plowing through the rather tedious beginning won't quite feel worth the struggle.