Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Title: Another Faust	Loved it	Graded
Author: Daniel and Dina Nayeri
Genre: Modern retelling
Publisher: Candlewick
Elements: Faustian bargain
Series: Book 1 of the Another series

One night, across four cities, five children disappear. Years later, five enigmatic teenagers appear at an exclusive New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess, Madame Vileroy. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust children to the elite Marlowe School, where their presence brings unexplainable misfortune.

Using a series of “gifts” given to them by Madame Vileroy, the children are able to soar to suspicious heights at Marlowe. The gifts seem child-like in their simplicity. The governess teaches them to cheat, steal, hide, and lie; ‘harmless’ she calls them, though they are much more. For the vicious over-achiever, reading an unsuspecting mind is simply to cheat. For the reclusive pariah, the gift of stopping time is just another way to hide. And who but an aspiring writer can weave a convincing lie?

Soon, Madame Vileroy’s gifts become darker and more complex. Living in a gray home designed to cultivate and corrupt them, they are enveloped in the side effects of their own addictions. They live cursed lives, making deals with the devil as they claw their way toward their goals….that is until two of them begin to uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. A modern retelling of an ancient dilemma, Another Faust recreates the story of the Faustian bargain. Set in present-day New York, but spanning the centuries, it is a chilling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

I thought it was a smart plot. Intriguing and morbidly funny, it flowed very well. I loved how the characters were given time to develop in the middle, giving us readers a taste of how they use their powers and manipulate things to their liking. The writing was great.

It was kind of weird at the start. I was taken aback at how willingly some of the children gave their lives, family and souls up just for success and power. And they were children, that's the whole point. They were only 10 years old at that time. It's not a trade off most people would be willing to take part in, but those five children aren't most people.

There's Victoria, unloved by her parents and always wanting to be the best to gain their love and approval. I sympathised with her; it's hard being compared to your genius of a little brother. Maybe if she was more soft hearted or didn't step on people to get to her goals, I would actually sympathise more. But all that disappeared. In the end, all her antics were just petty and pitiful. It was hard not to laugh at her antics as they brought the Gossip Girl factor into play.

Valentin, a poet and writer who rewrites real life scenes to his advantage. He was charming and devious at the same time. Needless to say, I loved loved loved him! (Have you seen the model for Valentin with his head of curly hair? HAWT.) Christian, the jock who wants nothing more than to escape from hunger and poverty, but who changes his mind at the last minute. Sadly for him, there's no backing out once you give your consent. Belle, who wants to be different than her twin, and who wants to be pretty no matter what.

Then there's Bice. Compared to Victoria, she's like a mouse, hiding in the wings, making her appearance only when needed. She hides from everyone, and time stops whenever she wants to.

It seems amazing, all those powers. It seems easy, but what's the price? A boiling bath full of hope, drowning in your own desire? When you make a deal with the devil, there's always something to pay. It's not a one time deal, if so it'd be called a salesperson. Instead you just have to keep paying and paying and paying. Buddy is the perfect example. I loved his introduction to the story. He brought the humanity to the story and gave me something to relate to. It's sad knowing that no matter what, there'll always be something else you want. That's what Madame Vileroy preys on: the unending needs and wants of humans.

One thing I was slightly disappointed with was that there was no solid conclusion. While it was definitely thought provoking, I wanted to know something definite about what happened to the characters after that.