Darren Shan

Cirque Du Freak #1: A Living Nightmare: Book 1 in the Saga of Darren Shan (Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan)

Briar's Reviews

Years ago I watched the film and fell in love with this series. It was a shame the movies never continued because I was enchanted and adored it. I had a Harry Potter-mania type love for it. Why wouldn't I? I'm a girl obsessed with Halloween and all things spooky!

As an adult, it's weird picking this book up. I can totally tell I'd be obsessed with this book series as a middle grader. It's a real shame I never grabbed it back then. It would have totally fit on my shelves next to my Goosebumps and Bunnicula!

Darren Shan being the author and main protagonist is interesting. I did read this series out of order, so it was weird knowing what happens next, but it was still good! I can totally see why middle graders loved this series and I can see why it was so popular. I want to keep reading its because it's fun, mysterious and full of frights. It has a male lead, which is different from what I normally get, so it also made reading it a bit more interesting. A vampire tale told by a male becoming a vampire and not a girl chasing after them? Not my norm! Oh, and it's dark. I love that!

Overall, I really liked this book. It's got a whimsical tale with lots of spooky lore and mysteries that will surely be expanded upon. I want to see how the world of Cirque Du Freak works and what will become of Steve. 

Four out of five stars.

Trigger warnings: (view spoiler)[loss of limb, blood depiction, blood drinking, spiders, animal attack, paralysis, hospitalisation, death from fall, death of a child, grief depiction (hide spoiler)]

I can totally see why this series may be beloved by middle-graders wanting something a bit more gritty to read. But I suggest parents perhaps skim through the book or check out some reviews beforehand, because there is quite a bit of graphic violence in here. 

For older readers, I don't think there is much entertainment value. The plot is very poorly established and by the end of the book it feels like you've just been given an intro, rather than the entire first book in a series.

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Happy reading! ❤