When Korad falls deathly ill with a mysterious illness no doctor can cure, Victor will do anything to cure his brother - including defy his father's wishes. Desperate, he convinces Elizabeth and their friend Henry to accompany him to the Dark Library at midnight. There, they find a recipe for Vita Elixir - the Elixir of Life. Written in the Alphabet of the Magi, it is untranslateable except by an alchemist. But with the practice of alchemy forbidden (by Victor's father) in Geneva, it will be some trick in finding one.
After eavesdropping on a conversation between his mother and Maria, one of the servents, Victor discovers that exhiled alchemist Julius Polidori may still be in the city. Desperate for a cure, Victor sets out the next morning with Elizabeth and Henry to seek Polidori. When they find the man, he agrees to help them with the translation. Slowly, the rare and dangerous ingredients to the Elixir of Life are revealed, and Victor, with the help of his friends, sets out on a quest for life and power filled with darkness, danger, and death.
For fans of The Monstrumologist, gothic horror, tales of alchemy, and Kenneth Oppel's Airborn series, this prequel to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a dark, eerie adventure full of very scary things that go bump in the night. Young Victor Frankenstein is ambiguously creepy - though he narrates the events, you are never quite sure of his motivations. Jealous of his twin's charismatic ease, intelligence, and especially of his and Elizabeth's passionate affection for one other, it is never clear if Victor desires the Elixir for love of his brother - or for love of fame, power and glory. Light a few candles on a dark and stormy night and curl up with this hair-raising, spooky read that's perfect for Halloween!
Megan
(now reading I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan - check out Katie's review of this sweet book that's making my heart smile!)