Darren Shan is your average boy (I imagine around 11 or 12, it never says) who likes being with his friends, playing soccer, and messing with creepy animals like big furry spiders. His life is a relatively normal one until one of his friends steals a flier from his older brother for "Cirque Du Freak" (Circus of Freaks), an (in-secret) traveling freak show. The boys are fascinated, and Darren and his best friend Steve end up going to the freak show. They find it intriguing, there's a bearded lady, a snake boy, the world's fattest man, many more, and most intriguingly for Darren, a man and his giant spider. He controls the spider with his thoughts and flute, and Darren loves spiders, so he loves this act. His friend figures something out about the man who controls the spider, and Darren continues to be infatuated with the spider- and his life changes forever.
I loved this book! I'm already reading the second book. I found it very fast-paced and exciting. The ending was pretty surprising... and I thought it was written so that it felt very real, and if vampires and all that existed it feels like that could definitely happen. I just really liked it, the only thing I think I could possibly complain about is it seemed like there was just a lot of punctuation; rather short sentences. Part of this contributed to it being a quick read but it also seemed a little weird at times like in the more serious of moments. Anyway though, excellent, five stars!!!! *****
6 comments:
I told you! :D
I'm glad to see you liked it. ;D The next books are even better (especially book 4-6) - or at least that's what I think.
I kind of agree with you on the style topic - I just read the first three books in English once and much more often in German, so I don't really know about the original style. But in German the language was kind of ... childish. Nevertheless, those books are adorable! x)
You were right haha! Ooh is it one of those series' that just gets better and better?
Yeah, A tad childish, and not in a really immature way or anything, just kind of simple.
I agree with the childish thing. I'm about halfway through, and getting farther!
There are definitely a couple of things that I do not like at all about this book. First of all- Darren. Is. An. Idiot. wait, no. Everyone in this book, excepting possibly Annie, is an idiot. No one seems to have any intelligence at all, at least not in practical matters. Second, the exclamation points!!! OH MY GOSH! WE LOVE TO EXCLAIM EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! ! !!!!!!!!
*cough*
and thirdly... even though I'm a little more than half way done with the book... I have yet to discover ANY plot whatsoever.
So, sorry to disagree with the majority, but I definitely would not give this five stars. Maybe two.
At least this is my opinion. ;)
And actually ... the 10th and 12th book (especially the 10th) are not that good, or unsatisfying (gosh, is this how it is written? xD) as you call it. But just make your own experiences with it. xD
Oh well that's not good if the 10th and 12th aren't that good. I'm reading the second still as I haven't had much time.
@ Anonymous, I do have to agree that a lot of the characters are kind of dumb people. I do think there's a plot though... Disagreeing with the majority is good though sometimes, haha!
I guess it depends ... some are really satisfied with the 12th book and the reason for me not liking the 10th book is that the main story is not continued, but something else is shown. But I wanted to continue, so ... I was kind of disappointed. xD
Well, you are not too wrong. xD The best characters appear later in the books and some of them unfortunately don't stay long. (Actually most of those in the first book aren't that important, maybe that's why I didn't care much xD) The real story just pops up later, too. I personally see the first books as a kind of introduction - you get to know the main characters, Darren gets the time to really become a half-vampire etc. Of course not everybody likes that and it's everybody right to dislike it. ;)
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