"Faust" is defined as "an alchemist of German legend who sold his soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for knowledge." That is what this book is revolved around, the 5 five Faust children who sold their souls for personal gain.
Personally, I found that the book started off really slow but necessary to understand the back story of what came to be. I also found that it really didn't catch my interest until the last quarter of the book when things started to become interesting, maybe because that's where all the action started to happen, thus the 3 star rating from me.
What I really did like about the book is that the reader gets to see the different characters struggling to find themselves and to see the roads they choose that would become their lives.
I couldn't really get into the characters, I find them to be very two-dimensional in the story when they could've carried so much more potential, however it may just be wishful thinking in my part for 15 year olds with "gifts." I also did not like that this book with 6 main characters that the authors did not indulge the reader with more depth about each character. I always found myself pining for more information about each teenager but not finding it.
Three stars.
Personally, I found that the book started off really slow but necessary to understand the back story of what came to be. I also found that it really didn't catch my interest until the last quarter of the book when things started to become interesting, maybe because that's where all the action started to happen, thus the 3 star rating from me.
What I really did like about the book is that the reader gets to see the different characters struggling to find themselves and to see the roads they choose that would become their lives.
I couldn't really get into the characters, I find them to be very two-dimensional in the story when they could've carried so much more potential, however it may just be wishful thinking in my part for 15 year olds with "gifts." I also did not like that this book with 6 main characters that the authors did not indulge the reader with more depth about each character. I always found myself pining for more information about each teenager but not finding it.
Three stars.
Helpful Score: 1
In towns across Europe, ten-year old children - Belle, Christian, Victoria and Valentin - are greedily wishing for things they do not have: beauty, fame, money, success. One night, the children mysteriously disappear and no one, not even their parents, remember that they even existed. Years later, the teenagers, along with Belle's twin sister Bice, reappear in New York City. Led by the beautiful and mysterious Madame Vileroy, the teenagers enroll in the prestigious Marlowe School and use their special gifts to soar to the top.
Written by a brother and sister team, Daniel and Dina Nayeri, "Another Faust" is a modern take on the old German legend of a man who trades his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. "Another Faust" spins an addictive tale of backstabbing, covetousness and pure evil, and adds layers upon layers of details to each character and his or her gift. We see the full spectrum of the teenagers' abilities, the effect of their tricks on others and the frequent backfiring of their actions.
"Another Faust" does lack in some aspects: there is a lot of build-up to certain revelations, which are hastily glossed over; the secrets revealed at the end are given little attention and would have better served if they were at least hinted at throughout the novel. However, the novel's faults are quickly forgotten as it comes to a dramatic, hold-on-to-your-seats type of finale that will make for some excellent scenes if "Another Faust" is ever made into a movie.
Written by a brother and sister team, Daniel and Dina Nayeri, "Another Faust" is a modern take on the old German legend of a man who trades his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge. "Another Faust" spins an addictive tale of backstabbing, covetousness and pure evil, and adds layers upon layers of details to each character and his or her gift. We see the full spectrum of the teenagers' abilities, the effect of their tricks on others and the frequent backfiring of their actions.
"Another Faust" does lack in some aspects: there is a lot of build-up to certain revelations, which are hastily glossed over; the secrets revealed at the end are given little attention and would have better served if they were at least hinted at throughout the novel. However, the novel's faults are quickly forgotten as it comes to a dramatic, hold-on-to-your-seats type of finale that will make for some excellent scenes if "Another Faust" is ever made into a movie.
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
One night, five children vanish and no one is left with any memory of them. Now, years later, five elegant teens are making an entrance into New York high society with their beautiful governess. Each teen has a gift which they use to climb their way up, but power and greed come with dark consequences.
Although ANOTHER FAUST is a contemporary retelling of the Faustian tale, the reader does not need to have a background to the original story to enjoy this take. It might help to know the background, but I don't think it's necessary.
ANOTHER FAUST felt like a high brow upper class NY gossip novel - and I mean that in a good way!! There's mystery, intrigue, backstabbing, revenge - it's a fun read.
Each of the Faust siblings stand on their own, and while it took me awhile to get used to the jumping around from character to character, the story settles in and I was racing to finish.
Bice was the character I enjoyed the most - she had a good heart and was shy, so I think I could relate to her the easiest. But the other Faust children all had something that I think any reader could relate to - Victoria and her drive to succeed, Christian and his desire to win, Belle with her obsession with beauty, and Valentin's desire to be loved. Each character was well-developed and you get to know about each one and why they would go as far as to sell their souls.
Fans of urban fantasy or dark humor should give this one a try, as well as readers looking for a deeper "gossipy" read.
One night, five children vanish and no one is left with any memory of them. Now, years later, five elegant teens are making an entrance into New York high society with their beautiful governess. Each teen has a gift which they use to climb their way up, but power and greed come with dark consequences.
Although ANOTHER FAUST is a contemporary retelling of the Faustian tale, the reader does not need to have a background to the original story to enjoy this take. It might help to know the background, but I don't think it's necessary.
ANOTHER FAUST felt like a high brow upper class NY gossip novel - and I mean that in a good way!! There's mystery, intrigue, backstabbing, revenge - it's a fun read.
Each of the Faust siblings stand on their own, and while it took me awhile to get used to the jumping around from character to character, the story settles in and I was racing to finish.
Bice was the character I enjoyed the most - she had a good heart and was shy, so I think I could relate to her the easiest. But the other Faust children all had something that I think any reader could relate to - Victoria and her drive to succeed, Christian and his desire to win, Belle with her obsession with beauty, and Valentin's desire to be loved. Each character was well-developed and you get to know about each one and why they would go as far as to sell their souls.
Fans of urban fantasy or dark humor should give this one a try, as well as readers looking for a deeper "gossipy" read.
This book was not bad but it felt like it gave a lot of information away in the begging and than had a slow start once the plot started.
On a single night, five children suddenly vanish from their homes in Paris, Glasgow, Rome, and London. Years later, five enigmatic teenagers make an impressive entrance at an exclusive New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess, Madame Vileroy. Rumor and intrigue follow the Faust children to the elite Manhattan Marlowe School, where their very presence brings unexplainable misfortune.
Using gifts given to them by Madame Vileroy, these mysterious teenagers rise to suspicious heights at Marlowe. Though at first their abilities seem almost childlike in their simplicity, they soon learn that their newfound talents for cheating, stealing, hiding, and lying are far more potent than they had ever imagined and far more addictive.
Ignoring the side effects of pursuing their individual obsessions, bargaining with the very devil in their midst as they claw their way to the top, these five ambitious teens draw ever nearer to their goals . . . until two of them uncover a secret even more shocking than their own most unforgivable sins
Using gifts given to them by Madame Vileroy, these mysterious teenagers rise to suspicious heights at Marlowe. Though at first their abilities seem almost childlike in their simplicity, they soon learn that their newfound talents for cheating, stealing, hiding, and lying are far more potent than they had ever imagined and far more addictive.
Ignoring the side effects of pursuing their individual obsessions, bargaining with the very devil in their midst as they claw their way to the top, these five ambitious teens draw ever nearer to their goals . . . until two of them uncover a secret even more shocking than their own most unforgivable sins
