Oh, young Victor Frankenstein, you rascal!

Such a book! Oppel truly understands the horror, the deepest, subtlest horror of our modern Prometheus, who shapes a living being out of clay (or flesh, if you prefer Mary Shelley's version), and who is then sickened to comprehend the folly of his act, of his ego made flesh.

Such Wicked Intent takes up exactly where This Dark Endeavor leaves off, hurtling at breakneck speed toward a conclusion that we know won't satisfy our hotheaded anti-hero, Victor.

He'll be back. ( )

So, I'm one of the people that liked the first book in the series better. Was this still a good book? Oh yes! I did enjoy it, quite a lot, I just enjoyed the other book more. I do like the cover of this one better though, so it has that going for it. I think the pacing of this book was just too slow for me? And I just couldn't get into it as much as I wanted. I would still recommend it though because it is a very interesting take on Frankenstein and how he became the way he did. 3.5 out of 5 stars. A very well written book. ( )

Positively brilliant sequel to Oppel's This Dark Endeavor. Plenty of fast paced action, twists and turns. Had me on the edge of my seat and I had no idea what was going to happen, even after having read Mary Shelley's tale. All of the characters are richly developed and feel so very real. Once again Oppel doesn't write down to his readers and he has created a dark gothic tale for readers 13 plus. The ending is left open so even if Oppel doesn't write another story, you feel satisfied with what happened. ( )

Such Wicked Intent starts shortly after Konrad's funeral, with the entire family in mourning. In his grief, Victor's father orders the contents of the Dark Library burned, and it is in the ashes that Victor finds a metal box containing notes and instructions on how to build a spirit board to converse with the dead and a strange, ornate pendant. Retracing some discoveries made by his ancestor Wilhelm Frankenstein, Victor soon finds that he is able to travel to the spirit world, where he can see and speak with his twin. With the help of his friends Elizabeth and Henry, Victor tries to build a new body for Konrad to inhabit, but Konrad isn't the only one wanting to escape from the spirit world ...

I thought this was another fantastic, tense and at times unsettling read from Kenneth Oppel, giving the characters, established in This Dark Endeavour, more depth and colour. By telling the story from Victor's point of view, the reader can't help but identify with him, thereby asking oneself repeatedly whether one would dare do the things that Victor does in order to help one's sibling, given the opportunity, knowing full well that he dabbles with things he doesn't understand and that are best left well alone. The emotions evoked and discussed in this sequel are quite adult, and the whole comes with a high creepiness factor, making it unsuitable for anyone under 12 years of age, in my opinion. As the sense of misgiving and unease grows, Kenneth Oppel is brave enough to reduce the pace in places and to show us the poignancy inherent in Victor, Elizabeth and Henry's attempt to bring Konrad back from the dead. The ending is left deliberately open for a third book; if there is, I will definitely want to know how the story continues and whether Victor will eventually succeed.

This is an intelligent page-turner that will undoubtedly appeal to teenagers and young adults and will confront them with a few important and profound questions. ( )

This is book 2 in the series of the Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. This story picks up right where the other left off. After discovering a way to travel and see his dead brother Konrad, Victor Frankenstein starts to change into a greedy, powerful person. Is it due to this new magic that he has discovered? This book was an enjoyable read filled with adventure, love, friendship, and mystery. Also a great book for those who love historical, paranormal, and horror books. ( )