Review: Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel

Title: Such Wicked Intent (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #2)
Author: Kenneth Oppel
Pages: 310
Publisher: Harper Collins Canada / Simon & Schuster US
Genre: Horror / Gothic
Release: August 21st 2013
Source: Purchased
 | Chapters Indigo 

Devotion turns deadly in this second Gothic thriller from Kenneth Oppel.When does obsession become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will never dabble in the dark sciences again—just as he vows he will no longer covet Elizabeth, his brother’s betrothed. If only these things were not so tempting. When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor’s twin, Konrad, and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite possibilities where power and passion reign. But as they search for the knowledge to raise the dead, they unknowingly unlock a darkness from which they may never return.

Those Seeking Excellence 

will Certainly Find it Here

There are not so many YA Canadian authors out there. But let me tell you something, Kenneth Oppel alone, counts for a thousand more. It is always an extraordinary pleasure to read a book written by Kenneth Oppel. He was born to write and to express his thoughts in the most eloquent and graceful way. From tender and heartwarming moments, to the most gruesome and ghoulish scenes, Mr. Oppel's quill never ceased to dazzle me.

Such Wicked Intend, sequel to This Dark Endeavor, kept me completely absorbed within its pages. Its haunting and utterly bewitching atmosphere, strong cast of characters and out-of-this-word marvelous plot, make this book one of the best YA novels I have ever read.

It is impossible not to love the impulsive, ambitious, jealous and highly arrogant young Victor Frankenstein. Victor, who always wants to prove others that he's right and whose thirst for power is like the one of a man who has been long lost in a desert, is one of my favorite characters in the YA world. But, underneath those pejorative connotations, there is a young man whose heart feels and suffers (as much, or even more than others) the loss of his beloved twin brother. Victor's complex personality, if well is full of flaws, I as a reader can easily sympathize with him. Kenneth Oppel masters the creation of multi-layered and mountain-thick characters. Victor is the perfect proof of that.

Within the darkness of this book there is so much beauty. Beauty in the writing, beauty in the character's noble hearts, beauty in the outcome. But there is also outrageous ambition. Victor wants to be his own master and create his own rules and limits of what it is possible and not. Again, playing God is an irresistible temptation for Victor. His insatiable hunger for power, and his constant unbearable grieving (emotional and physical), leads him to discover once again the evil secrets of the dark library, now almost completely burned.

With an extraordinary narrative, Such Wicked Intend delivers with fiery passion a grandiose piece of YA literature. Those seeking excellence will certainly find it here. Bravo!

Watch the trailer!

 

Visit the author's website at http://www.kennethoppel.ca