THE DARK ENDEAVOR by Kenneth Oppel, reviewed by BL Kennedy

The Dark Endeavor
Kenneth Oppel
New York, NY
297 pgs
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0315-4

We found the monster on a rocky ledge high above the lake. For three dark days my brother and I had tracked it through maze of caves to its lair on the mountain’s summit. And now we beheld it, curled atop its treasure, its pale fur and scaled ablaze with moonlight.

It knew we were there. Doubtless it had smelled us coming, its flared nostrils drinking in our sweat and fea. Its crested head lifted slightly, almost lazily. Coins and jewels clinked and shifted as its body began to recoil.

There is a new school of literature in our midst: it’s called ‘tweenlit’. You know, its literature for those between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one. We might argue that this new field of literature was started by those accursed Harry Potter books (I’m sure you’ve all seen the movies). It goes on to Twilight and the Hunger Games; empires of rabid teen appreciation. Now, we finally have something that they can dig their teeth into. It’s the story of the apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein. Believe it or not, I really enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it just on the basis that it might spark some enthusiasm in young readers and old to investigate Mary Shelley’s classic.

Kenneth Oppel, the author This Dark Endeavor is a good writer for what he does, and that’s all you need to know. I highly recommend the book, and if you can find it on Amazon or your local bookstore, I would say buy it and give your child a really cool present. Or, save it for yourself.