Cirque Du Freak #1: Spiders and vampires, oh my!
Written: Nov 06 '09 (Updated Nov 25 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: An interesting way to start a vampire story...
Cons: Constant foreshadowing; one exclamation point too many
The Bottom Line: If you're willing to get past some of the slightly irritating writing quirks, you can get in on the ride that is Cirque Du Freak.
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| ssjakira1's Full Review: Living Nightmare Books |
During my time as a bookseller, I often see the same books over and over. Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak series always looked intriguing to me - what did I care if it was in the teen section? But it wasn't until I saw the trailer for movie that I decided that I had to read these and find out just what made the cirque so freaky and what any of it had to do with vampires.
This is the first book out of twelve, so you'd best start here or you'll get rather confused.
Darren Shan likes his life. He's a young boy, goes to school, has good friends, and a good family. But he and his friends can't resist the temptation to check out Cirque Du Freak when it's in town. Even better, one of the performers, Mr. Crepsley, owns a magnificent-looking poisonous spider named Madam Octa. Darren loves spiders, and he'd do anything to get his hands on Madam Octa. Even if it means stealing her straight from a man who might actually be a vampire...
Yes, just in case you're confused, the protagonist has the same name as the writer. Actually, the protagonist is billing this story as his (as if the two were actually one and the same), and Darren isn't even his real name. Haha.
The funny part is that I actually started to read the second book first, and when I was given a rundown of "what happened before" I thought, "Geez, why didn't he write that? That sounds like a good book." Duh, because it is.
It is a fun book, though it felt like Darren and his buddies weren't as old as I thought they might be. In fact, I don't think it says anywhere how old he was. It's in the teen section, so he'd have to be at least 13 or so, but when a few incidents of boy crying showed up, I got a bit confused. They sounded more like 11 or 12. Strange.
The book is told in first person from Darren's point of view. It's got its good and slow parts. The things they see at the Cirque are fascinating, but after Darren swipes himself a spider, it slows down for a bit until a few drastic things happen. Still, it's a pretty solid start to the series.
My only issue is Shan's writing style. Ok, overall it's just fine, but there are times when you reach the end of the chapter and you get something like, "Oh if only I hadn't done such-and-such action, things would have played out differently!" or maybe, "Little did I know that would be a huge mistake!" I don't like direct foreshadowing. I find it a bit annoying. It's like I'm trying to be egged on to read more when in fact it turns me off. Don't tell me it's a bad choice, just show me that it's a bad choice when I get there so I can be surprised. I want the impact. I also think that there is an unnecessary amount of exclamation points and they're distracting. But that's the editor in me.
If you want a bit of weirdness and vampire strangeness, this is the way to go, though yes, overall this book and the following ones are best suited for teens.
NT
This Cirque review is Lean-n-Mean!
The Cirque Du Freak Series:
#2: The Vampire's Assistant
#3: Tunnels of Blood
#4: Vampire Mountain
#5: Trials of Death
#6: The Vampire Prince
Recommended:
Yes
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ssjakira1
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Member: Nicole Taft
Location: Blue Springs, MO
Reviews written: 739
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About Me:
Yes, I'm on a fantasy kick. Get over it. XD
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