Reviews

Bec by Darren Shan

melsdown's review against another edition

4.0

I really liked this book. The pacing was much more similar to books 1 and 2 rather than 3. This particular book gives more of Lord Loss' background, rather than those fighting him, although you do briefly get to meet the Grady ancestors.

lolabun3's review against another edition

4.0

The ONLY reason I'm giving this 4 stars is because I liked the other books a lot more- I'm still finishing the series and I am still absolutely obsessed with Darren Shan. In high school I read every single book, now as an adult I'm re reading them all and loving them even more!

This book is definitely worth reading. Not as scary as the first ones but I love the characters. Bec and 'Run Fast' are absolutely to die for

dudderz's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

titanic's review against another edition

4.0

This book has encouraged me to continue reading the Demonata series. It was so good! Although some parts of the travelling were a little boring, it was an overall good book.

The ending in this book was mind blowing, it had a few plot twists that I didn't see coming and didn't feel like they were put there because the writer didn't know how to end it. Honestly, this book has blown my mind.

The timeline got me confused when I first started reading. I didn't know if it was set in a long ago time or if the characters were just behind in the times, like the Amish community. That and the lack of entertainment whilst they were walking were enough to knock a star off.

I really enjoyed reading this book!

rmdavies92's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

kevinweitzel44's review against another edition

5.0

This was a REALLY good book! The only problem with it though, was I couldnt immediatley get into it. It took me little tortuous times to read the first few chapters and finally when the chapter "The Boy" ended...I was good to go! From there on, the book was fascinating and a great read! I personally loved it! :D
I think the main reason for my problem with starting was that I never experienced yet a Demonata book, written in such an old format, I learned to respect and TRULY enjoy it though! I liked the way she saw the world, like how Bec wasn't sure of so many things, and how I got to enjoy the point of view of somebody from that time who was less educated.
Also...the ending was very sad, but it made me wonder, for the next Bec book...Im excited to see what happens! Overall, a strong and good book!

geofroggatt's review against another edition

3.0

As demonic Fomorii ravage their land, Bec and a band of warrior companions leave their devastated rath to answer a plea for help. An orphaned priestess-in-training, Bec hopes the journey will help her solve the mysteries of her birth. But fighting demons has a steep price. This book was initially hard for me to get into because of the setting. It's the fourth book in the series, but the first chronologically. Darren Shan's Demonata series is interesting in the way that it can be read in almost in any sequence and the books are able stand on their own in the beginning. Bec takes place in 5th century Ireland, the same time St. Patrick is working to Christianize the area. Bec is a good book, different from the others, a prequel of sorts, very high in fantasy level. While the others were in more modern times and touched by our world, this one is instead high fantasy, in a desolate world not our own, one which follows different rules for the demon world. It introduces the concept of chess in the book (kind of) or Lord Loss's beginning interest in it. It did occur to me I need to read these closer together, or else I'm going to start getting them confused. Each book so far is with different characters, order of events and time settings. As before there's a decent offering of violence and gore level for this age group, and Shan doesn't hold the punches back when it comes to displaying his creative mind and his knack for writing inventive fiction. Understandable enough as a standalone but confusing with how it ties into the other stories at first. I liked the way that some of the mythology is expanded upon retroactively.

bxermom's review against another edition

4.0

I find reviewing the Shan books difficult because its hard to not talk spoilers. So please forgive the vagueness of my review...I don't want to spoil anything for you!

Another great book but more sadness in this one. More of a prequel it takes place around the time Christianity is developing and centers around a character named Bec, a young priestess in training that was found as an infant and raised by strangers.
The doorway to the demon world is being opened and a small group of warriors must find the way to close it. As usual Shans book is filled with blood, violence, gore but this one throws in loyalty and self-sacrifice. One of the best books so far!

I am totally hooked on this series and will be picking up Book 5 tomorrow!

admiralfoxy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad fast-paced

5.0

kosar3479's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0