Review: This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

Summary: Victor Frankenstein is close to his twin Konrad, yet secretly envies his brother’s talents and good nature. When Konrad falls ill with a mysterious and dangerous sickness, Victor is willing to resort to ancient dark arts that his father has forbidden him to explore. Along with his friends Elizabeth and Henry, Victor’s search for the Elixir of Life will cause him to encounter deadly creatures, gloomy forests and caverns, and personal sacrifice. Despite this, the most frightening things Victor discover may be within himself.

Review: I picked up this book in the first place for two reasons: 1) because the author’s Airborn Trilogy are among my favorite books of all time (and will finally be a movie after all these years) and 2) because I read the original Frankenstein for class this semester and found it fascinating.

This Dark Endeavor is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Mr. Oppel’s previous books. It has a lot of suspenseful adventure along with great character exploration. While the scrapes that Victor and company get into are certainly hair-raising, it’s getting inside Victor’s head that is really what makes this book good (and disturbing). He’s not what you would call a very likeable narrator, but this is totally consistent with his personality in the Mary Shelley novel. Victor swings between jealousy towards Konrad and guilt over these feelings. He’s rather self-centered, and can’t resist the allure of the forbidden fruit of dark science. In Frankenstein, Victor has a curious lack of empathy and as well as a detachment from his emotions. I thought it was very interesting that throughout the novel, it seemed like Victor took cues from Konrad on how to feel about various things – even when it came to being in love.

Speaking of which, while Matt and Kate have a charming (if slightly rocky) romance in the Airborn books, Victor’s relationship with Elizabeth was…weirder. It’s kind of animalistic and even squicky, but this definitely fits with the eerie tone of the book. It’s different from their relationship in Frankenstein, in which Elizabeth is devoted and Victor aloof, but Oppel’s allowed to take some liberties. After all, Victor never mentioned having a twin brother…

Although I couldn’t put the book down, it really did creep me out. It’s the sort of thing you read with all the lights on. In fact, I even skimmed a few pages for the sake of wanting to be able to get to sleep that night. Especially towards the end, the story takes a turn straight to disturbing and depressing. Again, this is in line with the Gothic horror and tragedy of the 1818 novel.

In short: It looks like this will be a home run for Oppel, as there’s a sequel and a movie on the way. While it’s not something I’d be jumping up and down to read again anytime soon, This Dark Endeavor is definitely a well-thought-out and gripping novel. Before reading it, I’d recommend first picking up Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and also make sure you’re in the mood for such a scary adventure.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: The Hollow Kingdom by Claire B. Dunkle is another slightly chilling read with some unconventional romance. It’s set around the same time period as This Dark Endeavor, but involves more fantasy elements as well as a lot more humor. I also enjoyed the creepiness of the original Phantom of the Opera novel by Gaston Leroux.

Cover & Title: I love the title. It feels old-fashioned and suits the mood of the book. It’s also in a line of dialogue spoken by a character in the book. The keyhole design on the cover really grabs the eye.

Where I got the book: Shelves of the local library.

Review: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Summary: For centuries, the most important tradition on the little island of Thisby has been catching man-eating water horses and riding them in an annual race along the beach. Tourists flock to the island to watch and bet on the dangerous race, which usually results in the death of at least one man. That’s how Sean Kendrick lost his father, though that tragedy hasn’t stopped him from winning the race four times. Even with that fame and glory, he still hasn’t gotten what he’s after, so he makes a risky deal with a hardhearted horse farm owner.

Another orphan, Puck Connelly, lives with her two brothers, a pony horse named Dove, and an unreliable motorcar. The races have always been a man’s game that she’s had no part in, but now she’s found the races may be the only way to save her family’s way of life.

This year, the stakes are at their highest for Sean and Puck…and only one of them can win.

Review:  I think most girls went through that “horse phase” at one time or another (and for some of us it never ended). In elementary school, I read Misty of Chincoteague, Black Beauty, and The Black Stallion series. I had journals filled with drawings of horses. I went to “horse camp” and made friends with a crazy pony named What’s Up Doc, more commonly called What. I’ll never forget the time I was riding him when he decided to run into a gazebo tent. He was short enough to go under it, but I smacked my face against the top part…

The Scorpio Races recalls many previous horse-racing stories with some new twists. First, the man-eating water horses, called capall uisce, are both feared and respected by the islanders. It’s not an ordinary horse race. At any moment your mount may succumb to the call of the sea and plunge right in with you still on its back. Or even worse, try to eat you.

Second, this isn’t the typical underdog story. Puck, a teenage girl who doesn’t even own a capall uisce, is the underdog of the race if anyone is, but Sean, the other protagonist, has won the race many times before. The story is told in their alternating points of view, and I came to love them both. Puck is funny and tenacious, while inscrutable Sean is serious and world-weary. You find yourself desperately wanting them both to win, but only one can succeed. (People have compared the book to The Hunger Games, but this is the only similar point I could really see). By the time of the race, I thought I had the ending figured out, but Stiefvater throws some great curveballs – the kind that make perfect sense in hindsight, but that I never saw coming.

Stiefvater does a fantastic job with the setting, slowly revealing more and more of the unique character of the island and its inhabitants. The supporting cast of characters is colorful, from Puck’s tinkering younger brother to George Holly, a friendly American. I only wish we could have gotten to understand the “villains” of the story a little better.  The writing is also gorgeous -I could almost feel the October cold and damp settling into my bones.

My first Maggie Stiefvater book was also the first she published – Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception. Stiefvater has a rare gift for evoking  haunting moods in the readers’ minds and getting them utterly caught up in the emotions of her characters. Despite that, I will admit I have been frustrated at time with the lack of explanation in her books – a general feeling that something important is missing. Shiver was the worst about this, and that is why I didn’t finish the trilogy. However, most things make sense in The Scorpio Races, and her writing is really top-notch here. Another thing: I liked the romantic mood of her previous books, but at times it bordered on insta!love (Shiver, I’m looking at you again!).  ”I’ve been watching you for a long time” is typically not a good excuse, either. So I was pleased that the relationship in The Scorpio Races develops naturally over a longer period of time.

In short: The Scorpio Races creates a fascinating world that is slowly uncovered to the reader during the first half, culminated in a gripping last half of the book. Recommended for horse lovers and patient readers who love a good read.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Something similar: It reminds me of the horse books listed above. The carefully-created island setting also recalls The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer and Airman by Eoin Colfer.

Cover: It’s all right, but it gave me the impression that this book was intended for a younger audience than young adults. Nevertheless, Stiefvater, the Renaissance Woman of YA lit, animated and wrote and performed the music for this incredible book trailer.

Where I got the book: Amazon store – Kindle