Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
No
It's always funny when you re-read a book and know exactly what is going to happen and wonder how you couldn't figure it out sooner. How could I not know it was when I first read it? The author gives such easy and good clues (i mean it is supposed to be middle grade I guess?) and if I would have thought for a lil second I could have figured it out but nope. Genius. Enjoyed it 12 years ago, enjoyed it today. The future is doomed.
Spoiler
Kurda Smahlt
Book ten of the twelve part series either called Cirque da freak or The Saga of Darren Shan, either way, the author does put his unique spin on a genre that is filled with books. There is more intrigue in this one and it is leading to hopefully a satisfying conclusion.
It is classified as horror although it is more fantasy and is not that frightening. I wonder if there is a book out there that is truly frightening? I suspect it would involve real people and not vampires or zombies.
It is classified as horror although it is more fantasy and is not that frightening. I wonder if there is a book out there that is truly frightening? I suspect it would involve real people and not vampires or zombies.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
THE LAKE OF SOULS follows Harkat and Darren in a very weird place on Mr. Tiny's direction, doing cryptic steps in order so that Harkat can find out who he was before he was a Little Person (a stitched-together creature made by Mr. Tiny from a soul that wanted a second chance). Once they reach the Lake of Souls, Harkat must retrieve his old soul and find out who he was before he died. Partway through they meet a very strange ex-pirate named Spits who (the book won't let you forget) really wants to drink alcohol. I wasn't enjoying how much he took over the narrative, but it has a great payoff so it works out overall.
This is the tenth book in the series and the first book of the final trilogy. It wraps up the long-teased question of Harkat's original identity, a mystery which has lingered since early in the series. While the need to answer the question is old, the way the do it is so strange of a quest that I do count it as a new storyline. While I knew they needed it answered, I wasn't expecting "shoved through a portal and told to figure it out or die" as the start of a quest. They get slightly more information, but it's nearly that cryptic and definitely that threatening at the time.
It introduces and resolves the backstory of a strange person they meet on their journey, as well as their best guess at what that strange place actually is. It's not the final book, and specifically teases that the final battle with the Vampaneze Lord will be some time in the future.
Darren is still the narrator, and he feels more like an adult in terms of what he knows, but his narrative style still feels like a teenager. Since this hits a sweet spot on his reactions feeling appropriate to the target audience while also not shying away from the horror in certain events.
Even though this is the start of a new arc in the series, it's the final arc which will wrap up everything they've been building towards. It's answer time, and if you hop right in without having sat with questions it won't be nearly as satisfying. Also, Darren is trying to figure out how to grieve for someone he lost in the previous book, and it won't have nearly the emotional impact it's meant to for someone who hasn't at least read as far back as the sixth book. For the big mystery of Harkat's identity, you really ought to go back to the fourth book where Harkat's first major journey with Darren takes place.
This is the tenth book in the series and the first book of the final trilogy. It wraps up the long-teased question of Harkat's original identity, a mystery which has lingered since early in the series. While the need to answer the question is old, the way the do it is so strange of a quest that I do count it as a new storyline. While I knew they needed it answered, I wasn't expecting "shoved through a portal and told to figure it out or die" as the start of a quest. They get slightly more information, but it's nearly that cryptic and definitely that threatening at the time.
It introduces and resolves the backstory of a strange person they meet on their journey, as well as their best guess at what that strange place actually is. It's not the final book, and specifically teases that the final battle with the Vampaneze Lord will be some time in the future.
Darren is still the narrator, and he feels more like an adult in terms of what he knows, but his narrative style still feels like a teenager. Since this hits a sweet spot on his reactions feeling appropriate to the target audience while also not shying away from the horror in certain events.
Even though this is the start of a new arc in the series, it's the final arc which will wrap up everything they've been building towards. It's answer time, and if you hop right in without having sat with questions it won't be nearly as satisfying. Also, Darren is trying to figure out how to grieve for someone he lost in the previous book, and it won't have nearly the emotional impact it's meant to for someone who hasn't at least read as far back as the sixth book. For the big mystery of Harkat's identity, you really ought to go back to the fourth book where Harkat's first major journey with Darren takes place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Infertility
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like all the books in the series, it was predictable. I did enjoy the new environment and the hints thrown along the way (albeit a tad obvious). My favorite part was seeing how the main character was coping after the events from the previous book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SPOILER
A great side-quest and break from the over arching plot of the saga. Full circle resolutions for both of my fav characters. Also dragons.
A great side-quest and break from the over arching plot of the saga. Full circle resolutions for both of my fav characters. Also dragons.
medium-paced
The more I read these books the harder it is to get through the middle of the book. It catches you right at the beginning then dies and then usually catches up in the end. However this time it was just a mediocre ending.
While it was an interesting story, it didn't feel like a necessary story to tell in this series. The information in this book expanded the world and explained some information, but it felt like the world grew too much and became confusing. There was more action in this book than the previous ones and it felt like a bit of an improvement over the previous few books.