This book was great, the best in the series.
What I liked: It wrapped up all the unanswered questions about Des Tiny and was full of important and interesting details. I loved the main character's push towards madness in the Lake and it was great to have all the bits worked out.
What I didn't like: I really had no complaints for this book, except the last few pages were rather inconsequential and droning. I also disliked the "unexpected" third choice at the end. It was expected that Shan would find a way out of making his main character the eventual destroyer of the Earth, but it was just plausible enough that he wouldn't to keep it a pageturner.
Overall: 8 out of 10. Fantastic.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016640
ISBN-13: 978-0316016643
Showing posts with label freak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freak. Show all posts
Monday, August 24, 2009
Cirque du Freak: Lord of the Shadows, by Darren Shan
This book was somewhat of a disappointment, not as good as the last.
What I liked: I liked the inner struggle the main character has with himself. It's extremely important to the plot and will decide the series.
What I didn't like: Basically the same empty-until-the-end format as before. I also didn't like that Desmond Tiny and his daughter flip flop on their vampiristic involvement. They keep saying that now that the end is near, they can reveal more about the future without changing it, but then they say that they can't tell anything until the end. It's extremely inconsistent.
Overall: Overall the penultimate installment was a drag. 4 out of 10.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016624
ISBN-13: 978-0316016629
What I liked: I liked the inner struggle the main character has with himself. It's extremely important to the plot and will decide the series.
What I didn't like: Basically the same empty-until-the-end format as before. I also didn't like that Desmond Tiny and his daughter flip flop on their vampiristic involvement. They keep saying that now that the end is near, they can reveal more about the future without changing it, but then they say that they can't tell anything until the end. It's extremely inconsistent.
Overall: Overall the penultimate installment was a drag. 4 out of 10.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016624
ISBN-13: 978-0316016629
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Cirque du Freak: The Lake of Souls, by Darren Shan
This book was great. I am thankfully almost finished with the series and will be able to move on to something else. On another note, my mom finally ordered a subscription to VegNews magazine for me. WOOT!
What I liked: I liked the idea of a search for a main character's past identity. I also liked that said search was extremely well-put together; each quest item was completely necessary to help them find Harkat's soul. The satisfying macabre touches come for me when Spit's secrets are revealed. The anagramic forshadowing was genius on Shan's part, and although I saw it coming with the teeth, I never guessed who the past soul was. This book really breaks Shan's stylism - a book void of plot until the end, when a very big overall plot piece is revealed. The tenth installment in this series is full of satisfying and surprising plot twists. As for an important plot piece, meddler Desmond Tiny plays a much larger part in this book, which becomes very important later in the series.
What I didn't like: I don't have very many complaints against this book, other than the dialogue. Shan's dialogue skills are nothing to write home about.
Overall: 8 out of 10!
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316154377
ISBN-13: 978-0316154376
What I liked: I liked the idea of a search for a main character's past identity. I also liked that said search was extremely well-put together; each quest item was completely necessary to help them find Harkat's soul. The satisfying macabre touches come for me when Spit's secrets are revealed. The anagramic forshadowing was genius on Shan's part, and although I saw it coming with the teeth, I never guessed who the past soul was. This book really breaks Shan's stylism - a book void of plot until the end, when a very big overall plot piece is revealed. The tenth installment in this series is full of satisfying and surprising plot twists. As for an important plot piece, meddler Desmond Tiny plays a much larger part in this book, which becomes very important later in the series.
What I didn't like: I don't have very many complaints against this book, other than the dialogue. Shan's dialogue skills are nothing to write home about.
Overall: 8 out of 10!
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316154377
ISBN-13: 978-0316154376
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Cirque du Freak: Killers of the Dawn, by Darren Shan
This one was better than the last but seemed much emptier.
What I liked: All the major plot details were at the end. This made for a very epic battle scene but required you pay close attention.
What I didn't like: Like I said, all or most of the major details were at the end, so the majority of the book was pretty empty. Basically the only complaints I have are ones I registered about the other books in the series, fortunately, only three more books to go....
Overall: 5 out of 10.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 6, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016667
ISBN-13: 978-0316016667
What I liked: All the major plot details were at the end. This made for a very epic battle scene but required you pay close attention.
What I didn't like: Like I said, all or most of the major details were at the end, so the majority of the book was pretty empty. Basically the only complaints I have are ones I registered about the other books in the series, fortunately, only three more books to go....
Overall: 5 out of 10.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 6, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016667
ISBN-13: 978-0316016667
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Cirque du Freak: Allies of the Night, by Darren Shan
This is the eighth book in the series and I can't help but wish I was through with it....
What I liked: This book was very important to the series but didn't come right out and state its purpose. I also liked that the main character has undergone a lot of changes since the last book I read.
What I didn't like: The dialogue was wooden and the book was a little shallow. It also tends to be very formulaic in its style (beginning-middle-climax-end).
Overall: 5 out of 10.
It is difficult to produce a tangible review for such a short book and I apologize for that.
What I liked: This book was very important to the series but didn't come right out and state its purpose. I also liked that the main character has undergone a lot of changes since the last book I read.
What I didn't like: The dialogue was wooden and the book was a little shallow. It also tends to be very formulaic in its style (beginning-middle-climax-end).
Overall: 5 out of 10.
It is difficult to produce a tangible review for such a short book and I apologize for that.
Cirque du Freak: Vampire Mountain, by Darren Shan
This is the fourth book in the series.
What I liked: The dialogue flowed well and the author stayed true to his style of narration (although I suppose Shan could be considered a one-trick pony in that respect - all of his Cirque novels as well as the exponentially better Demonata books contain the same stylistic consistency).
What I didn't like: I saw this book as a vehicle book to tie up a few loose ends and introduce new characters and ideas. The plot wasn't much to write home about, but having read the series, it is a very important book as it introduces a lot of more main characters as the book transitions from the main character getting used to his new life to a more vampiric, plotted story. That being said, this meant the plot was really fabricated around the need to introduce these new people, places and concepts. I also didn't like the lack of a character arc. In the story, eight years have passed between book 1 and 4, but the main character has not matured or changed at all, even with his unusual experiences.
Overall: I would give it a 5 out of 10.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (November 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316905747
ISBN-13: 978-0316905749
What I liked: The dialogue flowed well and the author stayed true to his style of narration (although I suppose Shan could be considered a one-trick pony in that respect - all of his Cirque novels as well as the exponentially better Demonata books contain the same stylistic consistency).
What I didn't like: I saw this book as a vehicle book to tie up a few loose ends and introduce new characters and ideas. The plot wasn't much to write home about, but having read the series, it is a very important book as it introduces a lot of more main characters as the book transitions from the main character getting used to his new life to a more vampiric, plotted story. That being said, this meant the plot was really fabricated around the need to introduce these new people, places and concepts. I also didn't like the lack of a character arc. In the story, eight years have passed between book 1 and 4, but the main character has not matured or changed at all, even with his unusual experiences.
Overall: I would give it a 5 out of 10.
Details:
Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (November 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316905747
ISBN-13: 978-0316905749
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Cirque du Freak, by Darren Shan
Let me make clear before I begin that I do not just review adult or nonfiction books, I also do fiction and young adult books. This is a reread of a book I read probably two or three years ago, and I'm going to review the series (although I only have a few books, so I will not be reviewing all of them).
Summary: Cirque du Freak is a fiction book about a boy who wins a ticket to an illegal freak show.
What I liked (spoilers forthcoming): The voice is real, and Shan's writing style stays true throughout the book. When Darren "died", I liked that he made clear how hard it was to leave his home and family. I liked that he reacted like a real person.
What I did not like: It was very short. I did not like his selfless attitude throughout parts of the book (although he was plenty selfish at some points). I also didn't like that he didn't react enough like a real person when he found out about vampires and such. The dialogue was also nothing to write home about.
Overall: I would give it a 4 out of 10.
Alternative reivew:
Publishers Weekly:
With strong sales overseas and a movie deal in the works, book one in The Saga of Darren Shan series is poised to capture a wide audience of series horror readers. After a rather slow buildup, a boy with the same name as the author sneaks out with best friend Steve to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler, Mr. Crepsley. "This is a true story," writes Shan. "In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins." The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre "Cirque du Freak." But Darren's actions are often undermotivated: "I can't explain why Madam Octa [the spider] meant so much to me, or why I was placing my life in such danger to have her. Looking back, I'm no longer sure what drove me on." Also his intermittent attraction to and repulsion by the vampire is never fully explored. His behavior may be explained in the sequel, The Vampire's Assistant (due in Sept.), but the open ending leaves so many loose ends that readers may leave more frustrated than intrigued, especially since the characters' wooden dialogue drains them of personality ("I'm upset," says Steve. "It hurt, what Mr. Crepsley said, and you ignoring me at school... If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do"). Readers interested in boys becoming vampires would be better served by M.T. Anderson's Thirsty and those fascinated with freaks by Iain Lawrence's Ghost Boy. Ages 10-up.
Book details:
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 254 KB
Print Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 1, 2008)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B000SESJ0Q
Summary: Cirque du Freak is a fiction book about a boy who wins a ticket to an illegal freak show.
What I liked (spoilers forthcoming): The voice is real, and Shan's writing style stays true throughout the book. When Darren "died", I liked that he made clear how hard it was to leave his home and family. I liked that he reacted like a real person.
What I did not like: It was very short. I did not like his selfless attitude throughout parts of the book (although he was plenty selfish at some points). I also didn't like that he didn't react enough like a real person when he found out about vampires and such. The dialogue was also nothing to write home about.
Overall: I would give it a 4 out of 10.
Alternative reivew:
Publishers Weekly:
With strong sales overseas and a movie deal in the works, book one in The Saga of Darren Shan series is poised to capture a wide audience of series horror readers. After a rather slow buildup, a boy with the same name as the author sneaks out with best friend Steve to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler, Mr. Crepsley. "This is a true story," writes Shan. "In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins." The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre "Cirque du Freak." But Darren's actions are often undermotivated: "I can't explain why Madam Octa [the spider] meant so much to me, or why I was placing my life in such danger to have her. Looking back, I'm no longer sure what drove me on." Also his intermittent attraction to and repulsion by the vampire is never fully explored. His behavior may be explained in the sequel, The Vampire's Assistant (due in Sept.), but the open ending leaves so many loose ends that readers may leave more frustrated than intrigued, especially since the characters' wooden dialogue drains them of personality ("I'm upset," says Steve. "It hurt, what Mr. Crepsley said, and you ignoring me at school... If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do"). Readers interested in boys becoming vampires would be better served by M.T. Anderson's Thirsty and those fascinated with freaks by Iain Lawrence's Ghost Boy. Ages 10-up.
Book details:
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 254 KB
Print Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 1, 2008)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B000SESJ0Q
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