Saturday, June 19, 2010

Another Faust by Daniel & Dina Nayeri

Author: Daniel & Dina Nayeri
Reading level: Young Adult
Publisher: Candlewick

Rated 7/10

A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year.
One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish — only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up — reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.


MY REVIEW
I liked this book but I felt it could have been so much better. I'm not saying it's terrible, it's just not as good as it could be. This book is based on the Faustian bargain story which I have not read yet. It begins with five children who go missing, they all have something if not anything else in common, they all encountered a beautiful blond woman(Madame Vileroy) right before. Now five years later at the age of 15 they are living with Madame Vileroy and all but two remember their lives before. There are identical twin sisters Belle and Bice(not identical anymore because of Belle), Victoria, Valentin, and Christian. All of them have something special given to them by Madame Vileroy in which they all bargain something for, all except Bice. Belle is as beautiful as she ever wanted to be, Bice can stop time and is really good at learning languages because of it, Victoria can read people's minds, Christian can steal people's talents to help him in sports, and Valetin can make time go backwards and start new futures for people and himself. They quickly take over the school they are going to in New York. This is a story on what happens when one sells their soul to the devil, it's a story on betrayal and forgiveness. I say check it out for yourself, I'm sure most will like this book.

No comments:

Post a Comment