Cirque Du Freak: Living Nightmare (Volume One)

Darren Shan

I’ve wanted to pick up this series for a long time, but it never won the poll (so I decided to read it anyway).  Despite the cover being quite ugly, J. K. Rowling endorsed it and when all else fails, I feel like I can always depend on her.

The book was okay.  Definitely something I would give to a pre-teen boy.  It lacked the action-packed scenes many other vampire novels have, but it was a good introduction to the series.  It took me three subway (and a bus) rides to finish, so it’s without a doubt a quick read.

Even though I found the plot a bit boring and lame, I’ll happily pick up book two.  They move quickly and I know I’ll go through them without any trouble.  Plus it has an ending–a definite plus.  If you’re in the mood for a quick read, or you’re looking for the perfect gift for a pre-teen, then grab this one.  Otherwise, I’d move on to other reads.