Another Faust by Daniel NayeriMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I had high hopes for this book, but it unexpectedly fell flat for me. As the cover copy explains, this is the story of the five Faust children and their governess Nicola Vileroy. Each of the children has a special gift, but only three of them know why. They sold their souls to Miss Vileroy, and now she's raising them to achieve their dreams. Two of the children don't understand what's happening; they believe that all of them were adopted by Miss Vileroy as babies. Vileroy plays them against each other constantly, because so long as they fight each other, they can't bother to consider the nature of their own lives. They've just started at the Marlowe School of Manhattan, and they intend to use their gifts to rule the school. Their gifts are: <spoiler>
Victoria cheats. She can read the mind of anyone and find the answers she needs.
Christian steals. He can steal the athletic talents of anyone he touches and use it to enhance his own.
Valentin lies. He can warp and rewind time, reliving events over and over until they turn out the way he wants.
Belle also lies. She's beautiful, but her face is a mask that cannot hide the awful stench that surrounds her. Some poor souls find the stench addictive.
Bicé hides. She creates pockets of time wherein she studies languages. </spoiler>
While I thought the book was extraordinarily well-written, I still found it hard to enjoy. The literary allusions were tasteful, and they did enhance the story. However, the book could be enjoyed even if you were completely unaware of the connections the Nayeri siblings are making.
The problem I had with this book is related to its genre; it's awfully hard to sympathize with the sort of person that willingly sells his or her soul. The Faust children are often repellent, and I had to push myself at times to keep going with the book.
I do think I'll give the next book in this series a shot, but I don't think I'll bother to reread this one.
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