stephen_on_a_jet_plane's review against another edition
2.0
Darren the wholesome vampire competes in the TriVampire tournament
metazoan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
4.0
proffy's review against another edition
4.0
Trials of Death marks a return to the issue of Darren's blooding. Vampires are forbidden from turning a human child. To prove himself, Darren has to pass five Trials, but how can a half-vampire expect to accomplish tasks that even Vampire Generals fail?
Cirque du Freak is just a wonderful series. Easy-to-read with fast-paced action, the books tell an engaging story with fascinating characters.
Cirque du Freak is just a wonderful series. Easy-to-read with fast-paced action, the books tell an engaging story with fascinating characters.
xtazziex's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? No
4.0
Really enjoyed the ending of the book and didn't expect anything like it!
The beginning does feeling really repetitive with telling us about each character again but the plot thickens
The beginning does feeling really repetitive with telling us about each character again but the plot thickens
gaugesymmetry's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
endairiss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? Yes
4.5
read_late's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's never been PC, and I've tried hard to overlook this as it's nice to study a vampire series where the vampires aren't sexual predators and a vampire's bite isn't a metaphor for orgasm.
But... this is the book in the series that, were I still the age of the target reader, I would have stopped reading.
First, there are some action scenes where it's hard to suspend my disbelief--mostly scenes with animals.
More importantly, the take on women (especial female vampires) is dismal. The most damning thing, the reason I gave this book such a low rating, was the premise that there are few vampire women because vampires can't have children. The subtext, that females are for breeding, and all (or at least most) females want offspring... is.... misogynistic at best.
Ugh.
This book would have frustrated and annoyed me as a kid.
As an adult, I'm reading this for research and literary analysis purposes, not for pleasure, but if the misogyny keeps up, or gets worse, I'll walk away from this series and find a different vampire series to study.
But... this is the book in the series that, were I still the age of the target reader, I would have stopped reading.
First, there are some action scenes where it's hard to suspend my disbelief--mostly scenes with animals.
More importantly, the take on women (especial female vampires) is dismal. The most damning thing, the reason I gave this book such a low rating, was the premise that there are few vampire women because vampires can't have children. The subtext, that females are for breeding, and all (or at least most) females want offspring... is.... misogynistic at best.
Ugh.
This book would have frustrated and annoyed me as a kid.
As an adult, I'm reading this for research and literary analysis purposes, not for pleasure, but if the misogyny keeps up, or gets worse, I'll walk away from this series and find a different vampire series to study.
sabz_bree's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-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? It's complicated
4.5
stormyharper's review against another edition
3.0
I only gave this book 3 stars as sometimes I found it hard to get into I loved all the challenges that Darren needed to face and was really shocked with the big cliffhanger