Sons of Destiny

This was a good conclusion, and I liked the way the books were wrapped up into how they became books (which is important because since the beginning Darren has been very conscious of the story being a book). However, even though it was good, I was disappointed. I loved this series, and I thought this book was the weakest. The last half of the book was one major twist, and even though the first half was the fast-paced, action-packed story telling I've grown to love in this series, the second half seemed to drag on.... and on... and on.

Summary: Darren ends up not killing Steve's son/Darren's nephew (go figure), but instead tells Annie the truth and turns his nephew into a half vampire instead of a half-vampaneze. Then he returns to the stadium to fight Steve for real. And it is a huge battle: Steve, along with the vampaneze, vampets, and local law enforcement, versus Darren, the hunters, the Cirque and the vampirites. Then dramatic reveal! The truth!!! Will Darren be able to find a way to cheat destiny and Des Tiny and prevent the rise of the Lord of the Shadows?..... Short answer, yes, and then we go into part two, which involves time travel and books and all other kinds of nonsense.

Other: The end of the book should have been much shorter and an epilogue instead of part two of the book. It kind of ruined the book for me, because the first half was utterly amazing.

Favorite Parts:
1. Darren and Annie reunite.
2. The cirque pretends to be timid and let the vamaneze round them up, but really they are just waiting for Darren, and are willing to fight to the death to help him. That battle scene is spectacular.
3. The reveal... why the fate of the world revolves around Darren and Steve. Fantastic stuff, really.

and favorite parts in part two...
1. Darren scares himself as a kid. Yup, that's it.

Lord of the Shadows

This is my favorite novel in the second half of the series. I truly enjoyed it. Even though the twist at the end was one I had been expecting since the very beginning, I still immensely enjoyed the reveal.

Summary: Darren travels with the Cirque to the town he grew up in. This is the first time he's been back since he became a half-vampire and things have changed. His sister has a son (she had him in high school, and guess who the father is... nobody knows!), his parents have moved away, and his friend from school is now a famous football (soccer) player! Steve has set an elaborate trap for Darren, which includes Steve's son, the death of his footballer/childhood friend, Debbie and Alice's army of hobos fighting on the vampire side, and the kidnapping of Shancus (Evra Von's snake boy son and Darren's namesake).

Other: Even though the whole book is about the Lord of Shadows, you still don't satisfactorily find out who it will be... Darren or Steve?

Favorite Parts:
1. RV is destroyed by guilt (finally!)
2. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE LAST SCENE OF THE BOOK!! It takes place in the old theater where the series started and it's unbelievable. "Dare accepted". Absolutely "killer". That's all I can say.
3. Darren goes to visit his sister.

Lake of Souls

Book ten of the Cirque du Freak. This one was a little bit different. It had a more independent plot, but was still very tied to the other novels. Two books left in this series. It's going to be biter sweet (who actually enjoyed Harry Potter seven? I'm not saying it was bad, just heart breaking).

Summary: It is time for Harkat to find out who he is. And Daren is going to accompany his friend. Mr. Tiny transports them to a place they do not know and they must follow his directions, meeting many adversaries, to arrive at the Lake of Souls, where Harkat must fish for his soul and recognize who he is. Who is he? I'll never tell.

Other: You'll never guess who Harkat is! Who would have guessed? Yes, total blast from the past.

Favorite Parts:
1. Harkat kills the panther.
2. The reveal about what Spits' real dream is! It's insane.
3. Harkat and Darren face a creepy creepy monster that is like a human snake with tons of tiny hands and only one weird eye.
4. Harkat finds out who he is.

Killers of the Dawn

This one is probably one of my favorites so far! It has such a bittersweet ending. And I love that! Although, now that I think about it there is something in the first book that isn't quite captured in the rest of these novels.

Summary: Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Harkat, and Vancha have escaped the trap set for them by the Vampaneeze in the last book. But in doing so, they walk right into a second trap! The police and the public think that they're the vicious killers that have been plaguing the city! Now they must escape police custody, avoid the public (which forms an angry mob when it sees them!), and find the Vampaneeze to get revenge.

Other: The end was sad. Really sad. It was like when Dumbledore died. Except when Dumbledore died I grieved for a year. So I guess it wasn't like that.

Favorite Parts:
1. Steve pretending to be a hostage for the cops. Technically he was their hostage, but he was also pretending not to be in league with the killers.
2. The angry mob chasing them. So funny.
3. The witty banter between the Chief of Police and Vancha.
4. There was one whole chapter. Then at the end it said, just kidding. That was pretty brilliant.

Allies of the Night

This one was interesting. I never saw this coming! It was definitely a new area for this series: School!

Summary: Darren, along with Mr. Crepsley, Harkat, and Vancha, are in Mr. Crepsley's home city searching for the vampaneeze, but they sense a trap when a truant officer comes to find Darren. And it's blatantly a set up when he finds out his English teacher is his first girlfriend: Debbie from Book Three! Someone knows a lot about him, signing him up for school and faking official documents. But things won't end there. Enter Steve. Yes, the one who promised to devote his life to killing Darren and all Vampires. But is he really on Darren's side now?

Other: Sorry the summary is so long. The books are kind of intense at this point, and half of this set up is so i can work at my (non-existent) summary skills. I like detail. Sue me.

Favorite Parts:
1. When we find out who Hooky the Vampaneeze is. First of all, he's been newly blooded so he's stuck in contacts in a vain effort to look like a full vampaneeze. Finally, WHO he is. You'll never guess, and my lips are sealed! Think back to the earlier books though!
2. When Darren and Debbie first meet. I would have loved to be in that class and see my English teach jumping up and down with excitement when she say the new kid and running to embrace him.
3. The reveal when you find out if Steve is good or bad! I'm not telling though! It's a good scene. And I promise you it's one of two things: Scandalous if he's bad or touching and heart-breakingly with a dash of self-sacrificing if he's good. Did I give it away?

Hunters of the Dusk

This book takes place several years after The Vampire Prince. It was entertaining, and also, I was glad that they finally left Vampire Mountain. Not that I don't love VP, but there is only so many stories you can tell about one character in one place.

Summary: Mr. Tiny pays Vampire Mountain a visit. And he never brings good news. He says that if the Vampires are to win against the Vampaneeze then there must be three hunters who will have several opportunities in the coming year to face the Lord of the Vampaneeze. If they kill him before he is fully blooded they will survive. But they must follow their hearts and seek him out. Who are these fated three? Mr. Crepsley and Darren, of course (with the third for the them to meet on their quest). So off they head to seek the council of a Soothsayer, Evanna, then back off the Cirque du Freak!

Other: I love the Cirque. I wish they could have stayed their longer. Also, for Darren spending a lot of time in VM training, he's not very good at the whole fighting thing.

Favorite Parts:
1. Hearing Evanna's story. The story is long, but it boils down to this. Mr. Tiny created her (in the womb of a wolf) in order to be the one women who could bear a Vampire's child. Will this be important later? I hope so.
2. We learn how Mr. Crepsley got the distinctive scar on his face: He tried to kiss Evanna when he was young and didn't know better!
3. Darren, Mr. Crepsley and Harket fight vampets for the first time.

The Vampire Prince

I finally got a hold of this book! And I was happy I did! I read this and the next three cirque du freak books in about two days. They were good. Really good. I just checked number ten out of the library (have to save my money for textbooks). They really flow like one long book, although, each does have an individual plot as well, they don't really stand alone like the first few could. But that's been going on since book four.

Summary: Darren has miraculously survived the river which has taken him out of Vampire Mountain. After being nursed back to health by a pack of wolves (including Streak and Rudi, aww!), Darren must use all his wits to get back to Vampire Mountain and tell the princes of the vampaneeze hiding in caves below before they kill him for being a traitor. Then he must help the vampire's beat the vampaneeze!

Other: The books have pretty good moral dilemmas. There hasn't been a really strong one since book two, the strongest one being book one. Book six brings back the moral gray area so true to life that I love about this series.

Favorite parts:
1. The wolves refuse to let Darren collapse and nip at his naked butt to keep him moving to shelter and warmth.
2. When Mr. Crepsley cries (which NEVER happens), it broke my heart.
3. The very end when the vampire princes solve the problem of Darren failing the trials by..... you thought I was going to tell you the end?

Trials of Death

At the end of this book I was dying for the next one, but when I got to the bookstore they were all out of book six! And I've only just bought it yesterday. I can't wait to continue this series.

Summary: In order for himself and Mr. Crepsley not to be shamed (because Darren was blooded so young), Darren must endure the trials of initiation. Vicious tests that full vampires use to test themselves. Darren must complete five ridiculous tests, drawn at random. He must pass the tests, because the penalty for failure is...death. But what is to happen, when his Little Person friend jumps in to save him in the middle of his test? And what about all these rumours of vamaneeze travelling to Vampire Mountain?

Other: Even in death may you be victorious.

Favorite Parts:
1. Darren almost gives up, but then survives the water maze! That one had me a little claustrophobic. I don't do drowning.
2. Darren's training for the second task--crossing a cavern full of sharp stalactites and stalagmites--funny and exciting.
3. Darren's allies cook up a plan to allow him time to recover from the third test before his fourth test... brilliant!!
4. The very end!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I won't tell you what happens.

Vampire Mountain

Book Four takes place several years after the first three books, but seeing as he's a vampire, he's still basically a little kid. While all the books end with "To Be Continued..." and you want more, this one was serious when it said "To Be Continued..." I read books four and five in the same afternoon, they were so good.

Summary: Darren and Mr. Crepsley are headed to Vampire Mountain for Council Meeting. But the trek there is a proving ground for vampires and it's a long hard trek. Not only that, but along the way Darren and Mr. Crepsley see signs of the Vampeneeze.

Other: Mr. Tiny is really creepy and I would really like to know what his deal is. In this book you learn about the Little People, and everyone's favorite, Lefty, from book Two, surprises everyone by.... speaking!!

Favorite Parts:
1. Darren fights a deranged bear!
2. Lefty finally speaks!
3. Darren fights a vampiress.
4. The end that left me begging for more!

Tunnels of Blood

This series only gets better! I think I might read the rest of them straight through over Christmas break (along with everything I pick up at the used book store!). Although I do wonder about the cover. He looks so normal on it.... but he's a half-vampire... and dressed like a pirate through out the whole book.

Summary: Darren, along with his master Mr. Crepsley and his best friend, Evra (the snake-boy) head off to the city so that Mr. Crepsley can secretly kill a "vampaneze"--a vampire who is so bent on killing that he has removed himself from the race of the vampires. But Darren and Evra follow Mr. Crepsley and soon Evra has been kidnapped and Darren has found himself in the middle of another terrifying predicament.

Other: I really want to learn about the Little People at the Cirque. I hope we hear more about them soon! Also, Shan always adds these ridiculous sentences to the ends of his chapters like "I wish I had turned back then" or "I didn't know it was all going to end in death!", etc. I love love love it.

Favorite parts:
1. Darren gets a girl friend! Every part that has Debbie in it is amazing!
2. The final battle between Mr. Crepsely and the Vampaneze.
3. Darren eats a fork.

The Vampire's Assistant

Well, I couldn't put down the first one, and I couldn't put down this one either. It is every bit as interesting as the first. Still just as funny, compelling, and heartbreaking. J'adore le Cirque du Freak. My French never was any good, but these books are!!

Summary: Darren Shan is learning about being a half-vampire, but there is one thing that he won't do: drink human blood. But without it he'll die. Darren tries to ignore this choice as he spends time with the Cirque du Freak (Mr. Tall is happy to have them back!), makes friends with a human boy and the Cirques own snake boy, and tries to stop R.V., an environmental warrior, from causing the Cirque problems.

Other: I'm not one to push religion, but this book does briefly talk about it. However, the book is clearly fiction. Also, its a bit dark and scary at times. I don't believe in banning books, but because of some of the content in this book, I would suggest reading it with young children who want to read it and then talking about it afterwards.

Favorite parts:
1. When Sam saves Darren's life.
2. The collapsible cookware--it was one of those really creative details that reminded me of the brilliance of Harry Potter.
3. When Darren performs in the Cirque Du Freak.

Buy it!

Cirque Du Freak

I've been meaning to read this book for a few years now. I wish I had read this book sooner. It was scary and interesting and funny and full of dramatic tension and basically has everything I could ever want in a book. Plus J.K. Rowling (my hero!!) liked it.

Summary: Darren Shan is just a normal boy who is tricked by fate. He goes to a freak show (The Cirque Du Freak) with his best friend Steve, who recognizes one of the performer's as a vampire! Darren ends up stealing the magnificent spider that belongs to the vampire. However, it ends up biting Steve and Darren is faced with a choice: Become a vampire and leave everything he has ever known or let his best friend die.

Other: This book is real. I mean that in the sense that there are compelling choices and it doesn't abide by the rule that everything needs to work out happy in the end. Life's not like that and neither is the book. That's what the author says in the beginning, and that's what you realize at the end.

Favorite Parts:
1. All the chapters where Darren and Steve are at the freak show. The descriptions are amazingly entertaining. It almost makes me wish I was there. Almost.
2. When Darren shows Madame Octa (the spider) to Steve for the first time.
**Spoiler**
3. When Darren is overcome with blood lust and drinks his friends blood after he falls and scrapes his knee. Then he shouts "I am the vampire king" and all his friends take it as a sick joke.
**Spoiler**
4. When Darren fakes his own death and his Dad cries over his body--I was sobbing. My roommate thought I was crazy.