{"id":1022,"date":"2014-08-01T09:00:01","date_gmt":"2014-08-01T16:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=1022"},"modified":"2015-06-22T17:06:37","modified_gmt":"2015-06-23T00:06:37","slug":"this-dark-endeavor-teen-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2014\/this-dark-endeavor-teen-review\/","title":{"rendered":"This Dark Endeavor — teen review"},"content":{"rendered":"

–review by Kara, teen reviewer<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This Dark Endeavor<\/em> by Kenneth Oppel<\/h2>\n

\"four-stars\"<\/p>\n

Victor Frankenstein has a twin brother, Konrad. They are alike in almost every single way, except that Konrad is generally better and more liked than Victor. One day they discover the Dark Library, a hidden library filled with books about alchemy and a lot of other things that are banned during 18th century Switzerland. Then Konrad falls ill, very ill. Viktor, his cousin Elizabeth, and their friend Henry must delve into the occult to find a cure.
\nI\u2019ve only read the first fifty pages of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and only know a little bit about the author herself, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. For anyone who knows the basic outline of the tale of Victor Frankenstein, the novel is filled with little references and clues. It isn\u2019t an entire retelling of Frankenstein, but more like a prologue. I mean, the series is called \u201cThe Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein.\u201d But let me tell you, it is a very good prologue.<\/p>\n

The writing ties this novel to Mary Shelley\u2019s original Frankenstein without cheapening itself or its inspiration. With little hints and references to the author\u2019s actual life, anyone who knows a little bit about Mary Shelley and her novel will love the little easter eggs that Oppel scatters throughout This Dark Endeavor. It\u2019s also very easy to see how this novel can transition into Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein.<\/p>\n

I loved how it gave Victor a backstory. He wasn\u2019t just some madman greedy for knowledge, fame, and power. He was just someone trying to save his best friend, his closest confidante, and his brother. Kenneth Oppel\u2019s writing and story really make you root for Victor. From his struggle with living in his brother\u2019s shadow to hunting for the cure that will save said brother. The greatest strength of this novel is its ability to make you feel for the man you know will turn \u201cevil\u201d later on.<\/p>\n

Overall, I really recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in the backstory of any \u201cvillain,\u201d but I don\u2019t recommend it to people who don\u2019t like reimaginings of classic works because this is after all a story about Mary Shelley\u2019s Victor Frankenstein. \u00a04 stars. –Kara, teen reviewer<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Find the book in our library: \u00a0This Dark Endeavor<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

–review by Kara, teen reviewer This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel Victor Frankenstein has a twin brother, Konrad. They are alike in almost every single way, except that Konrad is generally better and more liked than Victor. One day they discover the Dark Library, a hidden library filled with books […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":2033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2014\/08\/dark-endeavor.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-gu","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1183,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2014\/such-wicked-intent-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":1022,"position":0},"title":"Such Wicked Intent — teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"September 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"--review by Kara, teen reviewer Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel This is the second book in the series. 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