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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would have given it 3.5 stars if it would have let me. This doesn't stand up to [b:Cirque Du Freak|9640837|Cirque Du Freak|Darren Shan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1323738970s/9640837.jpg|14528262] in the slightest. I'll admit that the mention of familiar Cirque characters gave me goosebumps and some of the more intense moments really pulled me into the story, but the ending did nothing for me. It was a sad excuse for an attempted cliffhanger. I'm not overly interested in this devil-may-care lifestyle that Larten is adapting. After skimming some reviews for [b:Ocean of Blood|9456611|Ocean of Blood|Darren Shan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1291003680s/9456611.jpg|14341432], I'm not sure [b:The Saga of Larten Crepsley|21402035|The Saga of Larten Crepsley (Birth of a Killer / Ocean of Blood / Palace of the Damned / Brother to the Death)|Darren Shan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427262399s/21402035.jpg|40700222] is good enough for me to continue reading.
I haven't read this since it came out when I was 13, still slaps!!
Owing to the amount of time this prequel series covers the book moves VERY quickly but that isn't nessecarily a bad thing, especially when the other book I'm currently reading is much slower and beat by beat. Whether as an adult or a young teen I've always found Darren Shan's writing so captivating and exiting. Excited to re-read the other 3 in the series!
*stars from first time read in 2011.
Owing to the amount of time this prequel series covers the book moves VERY quickly but that isn't nessecarily a bad thing, especially when the other book I'm currently reading is much slower and beat by beat. Whether as an adult or a young teen I've always found Darren Shan's writing so captivating and exiting. Excited to re-read the other 3 in the series!
*stars from first time read in 2011.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mild Spoiler alert!!!
This was a great beginning for the Saga of Larten Crepsley. I am very excited about how it will go and what we will learn about him.
I just don't like that it is heavily implied that he actually has no real free will, just a puppet of destiny. Which I don't dislike as in it makes the book bad - I just dislike because I love Larten and I wish it was different, he deserves better.
It's also nice to see known characters again and how they behaved years ago.
This was a great beginning for the Saga of Larten Crepsley. I am very excited about how it will go and what we will learn about him.
I just don't like that it is heavily implied that he actually has no real free will, just a puppet of destiny. Which I don't dislike as in it makes the book bad - I just dislike because I love Larten and I wish it was different, he deserves better.
It's also nice to see known characters again and how they behaved years ago.
it was delightful of course i when i picked it up there would be the Crepsley that i knew and love but instead i found another Darren yeah love it looking forward to the next one out in April
I recieved this book as an ARC from "Little Brown books for Young Readers"
Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan tells the tale of Larten Crepsley, a young boy who is living in awful conditions, has to fight for his food, and has a horrible sorry excuse for a person as a foreman. One day at work, his foreman goes too far with his beatings and kills one of the few people Larten cares for. At that moment, something snaps in Larten and he kills his foreman sending him on the run for his life. He is not running long before he meets up with Seba, a vampire who takes Larten under his wing making him his assistant, changing Larten's life forever.
Birth of a Killer is a prequel to Shan's "Cirque Du Freak" series, so fans of the series may recognize some of the characters that made appearances in this book (Larten, Mr. Tall, etc...). One aspect of the book I wish the author elaborated more on was the details of the life of an assistant -the chapters would skip years if not decades of the boys life with little detail of his position of assistant. Now I will admit I had not read the series before, so those details could have been laid out in an earlier book.
I found the book to be entertaining at parts, good enough to finish, but not so much that I had to finish it in one night.
Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan tells the tale of Larten Crepsley, a young boy who is living in awful conditions, has to fight for his food, and has a horrible sorry excuse for a person as a foreman. One day at work, his foreman goes too far with his beatings and kills one of the few people Larten cares for. At that moment, something snaps in Larten and he kills his foreman sending him on the run for his life. He is not running long before he meets up with Seba, a vampire who takes Larten under his wing making him his assistant, changing Larten's life forever.
Birth of a Killer is a prequel to Shan's "Cirque Du Freak" series, so fans of the series may recognize some of the characters that made appearances in this book (Larten, Mr. Tall, etc...). One aspect of the book I wish the author elaborated more on was the details of the life of an assistant -the chapters would skip years if not decades of the boys life with little detail of his position of assistant. Now I will admit I had not read the series before, so those details could have been laid out in an earlier book.
I found the book to be entertaining at parts, good enough to finish, but not so much that I had to finish it in one night.