Another Faust - Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 400
Buy: Amazon / Indiebound

Summary: (from amazon.com)

A devilish debut by a brother-sister team invites us into the world of the elite Marlowe School, where some gifted students are having a hell of a year.

One 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 — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.


Review:

I have very mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, the idea was very thought out and well crafted. You can tell that Daniel and Dina put lots of time and thought into the story. They also put lots of time and thought into each one of the characters. Each one has their own personality and, basically, is their own character.

Yes, I realize how stupid that sounded. What I'm trying to say is that in some books, some characters seem just so... alike. But in Another Faust, each character is their own. I don't think there are two characters that I could name from this book that are even similar to each other. I think this was very well planning by the authors - it really makes the book unique.

On the other hand, I didn't really enjoy the book too much. The way it was written was just too... professional sounding, I guess I should say. At parts it was really hard to read because it seemed like there was almost too much thought put into it. At other parts, it was also hard for me to understand what was going on because the events weren't explained well enough.

Overall, though, a great idea written by Daniel and Dina, however I wish it was a little easier to understand. Three hearts.



hope.