santonss's review against another edition
3.0
Usually YA reads are easy for me to fly through. I think it has to do with the way plots are set up. leaving the reader never wanting to put to book down, eagerly buying up the next volume. This book was nothing like that. It took me what seemed forever, but in reality was only more along the lines of a week and a half. The premise sounded interesting. Satan meets gossip girl. mind you, I have never read a gossip girl story. In reading this,I couldn't relate to any of the characters. they seemed far too flat, only based on one thing. the value of power of a good boyfriend that can lead to a rich marriage, of winning a debate to becoming president. i found it hard to envision, perhaps because i do not share any of these visions of grandeur, nor trying to beat others by any means necessary.
Added to this disconnect, is the poorly eluded plot twist that can save or kill them in the end. It felt like things should be coming to a head, but weren't. Finally when it was it was very awkward. if the devils been unmasked, for the few who were in the dark, why let it go on? It seemed like a great idea. but not that great of a story.
Added to this disconnect, is the poorly eluded plot twist that can save or kill them in the end. It felt like things should be coming to a head, but weren't. Finally when it was it was very awkward. if the devils been unmasked, for the few who were in the dark, why let it go on? It seemed like a great idea. but not that great of a story.
not_a_violin's review against another edition
1.0
I really, really hate giving books one star. I also have a rule in my head about not giving up on a book until page 100. With this one, i made it to 75 before i found my focus slipping too much to go on. I couldn't stand any of the main characters, for one thing. They drove me crazy. It was just...I don't know how to out it. Unappetizing? I don't know. I thought it had an interesting concept that could've been really cool, but I need to actually like the characters when I read about them - or at least like on of the main characters. Around page 40, I started to feel iffy about whether or not to continue. I was avoiding looking at other reviews so they wouldn't taint my ideas, but I needed to know whether I should go on or not. Maybe it would get better? A couple of the reviews had some promising parts to them, but most of them were saying what I was already thinking.
There really isn't much else to say besides that it wasn't the writing that was bad, which made me cringe that much more when I clicked on the one star. I just couldn't do it. Sorry.
saviinvhetin's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ettegoom's review
1.0
I really didn't think much of this book. The second one was ok, and I wouldn't have read this one, had the reviews for Another Pan not said that this one was so much better.
I disagree... the characters were barely believable, and it was terribly difficult to feel anything for most of the characters - I won't be reading another book from this series...
I disagree... the characters were barely believable, and it was terribly difficult to feel anything for most of the characters - I won't be reading another book from this series...
nekoinpajamas's review
2.0
It started out amazing. Got boring toward the middle and never picked back up its speed.
snowbenton's review
3.0
The story starts strong: four children's darkest desires lead them to make an impossible (dare I say Faustian?) bargain, but then drags as they grow into their gifts and try to navigate high school. It takes too long for the plot to pick up, and by the time it did I didn't care anymore. Ostensibly it was an adventure about realizing what is important and loving yourself. Mostly it is forgettable.
lazygal's review
2.0
This adaptation of the Faust story centers on five children, two twins and three others, all "stolen" from their families at age 10. The world has forgotten them until suddenly, at age 15, they appear with their governess in New York. The five become students at the Marlowe School, one of those impossibly difficult-to-get-into/only-for-the-incredibly-rich-and-powerful schools. There, four of the five set out to take over, each with their own special "gifts".
The fifth, twin Bice, isn't like the others. Her talent is hiding, learning, studying (which she does by freezing time). Belle, her twin, is beautiful (but with an awful stench that can only be hidden by bathing in emotions); Val is a poet and seducer who can go back in time, perfecting conversations and events; Christian is an athlete, bathing in some weird serum and sleeping in a coffin; and Victoria is trying to be the most powerful, successful of them all.
Clearly, all these gifts come with a price other than that black, only-seen-when-wet beauty mark. Madame Villeroy, their governess, continually plays one against the other, making deals and promises with no real method to her other than madness. At times, when talking to Belle, she sounded like Miss Havisham, but at others she just sounded stereotypically schemey.
The five children manage to make enemies of almost everyone at Marlowe, with Belle the exception (thanks to her baths and her determination to get Thomas). That didn't feel at all real to me: why make their evil so obvious to all? And the ending, with Bice, Belle and Christian escaping, was overblown and moralistic. In between there were moments that were interesting, but the entire book didn't really hold together as a read.
I also wondered about the chapter introductions. At first, I thought they were supposed to represent others that had sold their souls to Faust but Jacob and Laura? No idea who they were. If you're going to hit people over the head, make it with an obvious hammer.
The fifth, twin Bice, isn't like the others. Her talent is hiding, learning, studying (which she does by freezing time). Belle, her twin, is beautiful (but with an awful stench that can only be hidden by bathing in emotions); Val is a poet and seducer who can go back in time, perfecting conversations and events; Christian is an athlete, bathing in some weird serum and sleeping in a coffin; and Victoria is trying to be the most powerful, successful of them all.
Clearly, all these gifts come with a price other than that black, only-seen-when-wet beauty mark. Madame Villeroy, their governess, continually plays one against the other, making deals and promises with no real method to her other than madness. At times, when talking to Belle, she sounded like Miss Havisham, but at others she just sounded stereotypically schemey.
The five children manage to make enemies of almost everyone at Marlowe, with Belle the exception (thanks to her baths and her determination to get Thomas). That didn't feel at all real to me: why make their evil so obvious to all? And the ending, with Bice, Belle and Christian escaping, was overblown and moralistic. In between there were moments that were interesting, but the entire book didn't really hold together as a read.
I also wondered about the chapter introductions. At first, I thought they were supposed to represent others that had sold their souls to Faust but Jacob and Laura? No idea who they were. If you're going to hit people over the head, make it with an obvious hammer.
somewheregirl7's review
3.0
Five teenagers show up as new students at an ultra-exclusive private school. Each is talented. Each is cursed. Almost all have sold their souls in effect to barter for what they want. The name of the book says outright the premise it is based on. The characters are wooden and unappealing. None of the them caught me and the dialogue felt stilted and forced. The pace was at times painfully slow and then the novel would speed up in jerks. So much of the plot was contrived and unbelievable. Definitely not one of the better YA novels out there. I doubt I'll read anything else by these authors.
frootjoos's review
5.0
Ok, this might be my audible credit this month...
listening to sample...
PROS
+Katherine Kellgren
+Katherine Kellgren
CONS
-heard lukewarm reviews
(Katherine Kellgren WINS)
Final verdict: I *loved* it. http://bit.ly/rnslfaustaudio <--my review!
listening to sample...
PROS
+Katherine Kellgren
+Katherine Kellgren
CONS
-heard lukewarm reviews
(Katherine Kellgren WINS)
Final verdict: I *loved* it. http://bit.ly/rnslfaustaudio <--my review!
books_plan_create's review
2.0
Cool premise, but it was soooo slow and hard to get invested in. Just as I would get in to one story, it would jump to another perspective. But, still not bad, and I am looking forward to Another Pan, and hope they keep going with these books!