Customer Reviews

Another Faust

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

ne 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 - the side-effects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most
unforgivable sins.

All though many people are familiar with the age old story of the man who traded his soul to the devil for a certain wish or talent, not everyone knows it as the "Faustian Bargain" or the Legend of the Faust. So, in case you are wondering about the title of the book...that is what it is based on. I wanted to point that out because quite a few teens that I polled had no idea what the word "Faust" was related to.

As you may have guessed by now this story is centered around five mysterious teens who are seemingly perfect, but weirdly...icky. Each of them have a perfect gift that any teen could relate to wanting, yet at the same time an awful quality that they must overcome. They live with their creepy governess Madame Villeroy who is no Mary Poppins (I'll just leave it at that).

Overall this is a very dark book with very few light-hearted moments and it will be obvious to any reader that each teen pays a heavy price for the gifts they so desire. There is also an ever-present feeling of loneliness through out the book because all though the five of them live together, their desire to be perfect has left them resentful, envious and mistrustful towards everyone, including each other. A few characters will surprise you and there are also some unexpected plot twists. The ending definitely leaves open the possibility for a sequel.

Great writing and chapters told from varying viewpoints (each of the five teens)keep the story well paced and interesting. Probably best for older teens or younger teens with a higher reading level due to the depth of the plot and the fact that the story bounces back and forth from present day to the past for each character.

In locations around the world, five children vanish without a trace. Five years later, they appear at an elite New York party on Christmas Eve, accompanied by their governess, Madame Vileroy. As strikingly beautiful as she is devious, Vileroy has endowed each of the teens with a mysterious gift. The gifts are special, fitting for each child's personality, and allow for some fun and mischief, such as Valentin's ability to stop time leads to replay a scene over and over helps a nerdy classmate win over the popular cheerleader. The gifts also enable them to advance beyond their peers. But as it's a Faustian Bargain, the gifts may have devastating consequences.

The characters varied in personality and villainy, and the use of different viewpoints gives the reader a thorough view of their complexities.I was so both horrified and intrigued by Victoria, the power-hungry teen who would stop at nothing - and I mean nothing - to win even above her brothers and sisters. Save Victoria, I wanted all of the teens to gain redemption even as they used their gifts to "cheat" over other students: Christian, the skilled athlete. Bice, who only wanted to hide away. Belle, as beautiful as she was odorous. Valentin, the liar with the soul of a poet. As they struggle with the unexpected consequences of their gifts and deceit, you'll be asking: to what lengths will someone go to win? And what happens when they reach that point?

This book grabbed me instantly. The first chapter, illustrating each of the children's lives before they were taken was so engrossing as it spanned countries and social classes, it got my attention and didn't let go until the last page. I read this on vacation, and I spent more time by the pool reading, than actually swimming. The ending was nothing like what I expected and if this title is indication, the second in the Another series will be just as suspenseful.

Another Faust is a decent first outing from co-authors, and siblings, Daniel and Dina Nayeri. In the realm of young adult paranormal fiction, this novel is stands out due to its premise alone. Based on the classic German legend, the story woven by the authors is built on a solid, pre-established foundation. That said, it's rather easy to ruin a story through a retelling. Countless horrid Jane Austen remakes and spin-offs can attest to that. However, the Nayeri duo don't deserve to be lumped in with that bunch.

While the secondary characters are somewhat lacking in characterization, they aren't very essential to the story. The five central teenagers are all well-drawn and their combined evilness, depravity, loneliness, and sorrow is all but palpable. Part of what kept me from giving this story a higher rating was the fact that I didn't find any of these teens sympathetic enough. Even with the ones that we're obviously meant to root for in the end, it was a case of too-little, too-late. Another reason for the low rating - Their ring-leader from hell, Madame Vileroy, is only alright as far as villains go. Sure, she's as bad as can be, but she also falls short of being truly fearsome. The best villains usually draw from some sort of pain or failure to propel their evil plans and Vileroy, being a bit two-dimensional, could not manage this and seemed all the more unreal because of that. Ultimately, this lack in Vileroy made the climax and conclusion feel unsatisfying.

Although I was expecting a pretty creepy tale, Another Faust happened to be even more creepy than I expected. The subplots are all disturbing in the best of ways and, despite the fact that the story meanders a bit midway through and takes a little too long to get to the action, they come together rather well. Though obviously thematically organized, I found it hard to reconcile the vague vignettes from what seemed to be Madame Vileroy's past with the larger story.

Despite some first-timer weaknesses, Another Faust wasn't all bad. The story is creative and the idea of basing the series on retellings of classics leaves the door wide open for greater books.

Another Faust is a true page-turner and a great contemporary update to a classic story. The Nayeris have done a fantastic job crafting this story, making the prose compelling and dark, and the characters are all three-dimensional (at least until their desires consume them). This book is just such a wonderful, dark, cautionary tale and I would seriously recommend it to pretty much anyone. The ending had me on the edge of my seat and my heart racing- I couldn't have seen it coming how the book ended, but it felt so right. Simply a really great debut novel! Can't wait to read more from these two.

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.

To the outside world, Madame Vileroy is a selfless governess raising five adopted teenagers. Behind closed doors, Vileroy was the one to recognize their greed and to grant them the things they so desired in exchange for their souls. Their special abilities are what they always wished for, but come with just enough imperfections to keep them wanting more. Belle has the beauty that turns heads, but her smell of "vomit and honeysuckle" has people running for the door. Victoria reads minds to get ahead, but her ambition leaves her with no friends and pushes her to grovel for Vileroy's attention. Valentin is a brilliant poet and can rewind time over and over again until he's pleased with the outcome of a situation. However, he is always searching for a way to perfect his ability and is left with thousands of replayed possibilities that plague his thoughts. Christian is a master sportsman and can absorb anyone's energy with a single touch, but he struggles with using his gift and knows that he's competing unfairly. And Bice is the quiet outcast, the girl who speaks dozens of languages and yet hides in the shadows, too scared to speak to anyone.

As the teens cheat, steal and paw their way through Marlowe, Vileroy schemes to fuel their greed and to turn them against each other. She plays on their insecurities and cons them into giving up yet another piece of their humanity. As the story progresses, some teens question their gifts and yearn for real human connections, while others drive blindly towards more power.

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.

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.

Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen

One strange night, five different children from all over Europe disappear, and no one seems to notice. It's as if the children vanished without a trace. Five years later the children surface at a prestigious party in New York City with a mysterious governess. Each child -the over-achieving Victoria, the linguistic Bice, her vain sister Belle, the thieving poet Valentin and the athletic Christian -has been granted a special gift that allows them to go beyond the ordinary. The group enrolls in the prestigious Marlowe school, where they navigate the universe of high school with mysterious gifts and evil bargains.

When I first heard about this book, I was really interested in the concept of updating the Faust story for a modern teen audience. However, once I got started with Another Faust, I found that this book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. While it included plenty of intelligent, dark mystery and commentary, it seemed a little few and far between -not to mention the fact that the plot didn't really seem to have much of a shape or direction for nearly the first 300 pages...making the book incredibly confusing -so much so that I almost put it down. But something about the characters kept me intrigued. All of the children in this novel are just so different from most YA characters out there and they had strong character flaws that made them feel more real as well as make them more interesting. I became so pulled into the lives of Victoria, Belle and Bice that I kept reading purely on the need to know what would happen to them.

Once the story started to sort itself out, it really took off. I couldn't put the book down and kept flipping pages up until the end. From what I've heard, this is the first book in a new series, and while rough around the edges, it showed great potential in future installments.

Another Faust is a compelling mixture of darkness and suspense. The novel follows 5 teens on their journey to illuminate the price that one must pay in return for being "special." There are many aspects of this novel that showed promise. The pacing of the novel was done wonderfully. I think that the authors took their time to expound on certain areas, while glossing over the others. This format kept the book fresh for me, and maintained my attention. The characters were easy to connect with, and dislike if you so chose. In addition, I found their "gifts" to be a wonderful extension of themselves. Each "gift" perfectly suited each character and made them easier to differentiate.

My biggest issue was that there were passages that I had to reread several times, including out loud, to try to grasp what the authors were trying to say. And I am sad to say, but I still do not understand some of them due to the confusing wording. Despite that, I enjoyed how different this novel is from most of the material out there right now for young adult readers. And I look forward to see what fate awaits our characters in the next novel, Another Pan.

Another Faust is so far one of my favorite books this year. This is a welcome and darkly delicious change of pace that sets itself apart from the pack. I really just loved the book. This is one I will remember out of the hundred (or more) that I've read this year.

The story begins with five children from around the world. They are all different, but they do have one thing in common. They all want something and would do absolutely anything to get it. Each one has a dark spot that appears over his or her heart. When a mysterious woman appears and offers them a deal that they simply cannot refuse, they disappear from the lives they so despise.

Five years later, Belle, Bice, Christian, Valentin and Victoria Faust reappear as teenagers in Manhattan and make quite a debut amongst the rich and elite. Madame Vileroy, the woman who offered them their deals is now their governess. As far as the world knows, she is a kind woman who adopted five orhpaned children, who grew into five extra-ordinarily talented and attractive teenagers. Nobody sees them as anything but special, which is exactly what the Faust's had bargained for. But being special is never enough for them. They want to be the best. Each one has been given a gift by Madame Vileroy which they have been using to "cheat" for quite some time. As they learn more about what they are capable of, they become increasingly addicted to using thier gifts, and are constantly asking for more. With each new bargain, they give up more pieces of their souls and become more dependent on Madame Vileroy. As she plays her own game with them they all slowly begn to lose their grip on reality and morality. At least until two of them figure out the evil truth about what has been going on all these years. They must be willing to give up everything they were given and face the consequences of making a deal with the devil if they ever hope to be free.

Everyone has a price. What's yours? Would you be beautiful? Would you be brilliant? Would you be strong? Or perhaps be able to control time? Consider the possibilities. Imagine what you could do. What would you be willing to do if you were offered your hearts desire?

This is a smart, witty, dark and wicked story that makes you think. It actually made me wonder about the price of my own soul. I came up with one, but when I saw how it affected Bice, well, let's just say my skin began to crawl. I thought, "I take it back! I take it back!." Hmm...maybe the things that you think you want are not the things they appear to be. There is always a catch, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it.

Another Faust is a retelling of the Faustian bargain a cultural motif where the main character makes a pact with the devil. Five kids, Bicé , Belle, Christian, Valentin and Victoria, all have been kidnapped from their homes and their pasts erased, coerced to be the adopted children of a mysterious and beautiful governess. The story jumps from small kids to high school where they are enrolled in a prestigious private school, Merlowe, where each of the kids has ambitions aided by certain powers the governess so mysteriously provided.

Though the story is slow and choppy at times, it is filled with intellect and deep rooted naiveté and greediness that give the story the powerful impact at the end. Although the characters are naïve and shallow throughout most the book, the end result will leave you thinking about at what costs we'll pursue our dreams.

On of my favorite bits is the short paragraphs before each chapter that gave the reader a glimpse into the story, furthering the plot and giving us a look into the governess, the kids and mostly the past.

Over all, although the first 300 pages are hard and at times broken and confusing the story picks up well at times and is intriguing enough to keep reading, especially for the end.