Book Review: Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

Such Wicked Intent: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: August 2012
Pages: 320
Source: ARC from ALA
For: Review (and RIP VII)
Series: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein, Book 2

*Spoilers for This Dark Endeavor are inevitable*
Victor is stunned after tragedy strikes his family and vows to swear off alchemy and other dark arts completely. But when he discovers a portal to the world of the spirits, a place of unspeakable power for the living, he is unable to resist. He and his friends Henry and Elizabeth, along with his twin Konrad, embark on an adventure that might just end up being their last.

Things I Liked:
I pretty much devoured most of this book in one sitting (after a slow start).  I was enthralled with the creepy, unexpected, Gothic story contained in it.  I can't say I liked the story or the characters so much as I was deeply interested in where it would lead Victor.  I'm trying to picture the Victor in these book becoming the Victor from Frankenstein and Oppel is doing a fabulous job building that.  It was also beautifully written, which only complemented the action of the story.  A great pick for the RIP challenge or for atmospheric reading.

Things I Didn't Like:
I was slightly uncomfortable by some of the ideas in it, since I'm not a fan of the occult.  I kind of missed the focus on "science" as being what Victor would rely on to achieve his pursuits.  Also, Victor is a jerk and Elizabeth is an idiot.  However, Henry was a nice change from the characters.  I also had some struggles reading it because of personal things - one of my twin nephews passed away this summer and it was hard to read about Victor's struggles dealing with his brother's loss.  Still, the book captured my attention and was fascinating from beginning to end.  I'm interested in the next book, after which I must reread Frankenstein.

Read-alikes:
Start with This Dark Endeavour by Kenneth Oppel
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe a few mild ones

mrg-factor: none
though Victor does have a naked episode or two

v-factor: ->
 not so much gory, but rather creepy and disturbing

Overall rating: ***

What spooky, creepy, disturbing read do you want to pick up during October?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage