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paperbackstash 's review for:
The Lake of Souls
by Darren Shan
Another great book in the series, although this one is unusual since it takes a breather from the main storyline and focuses on a mini-story: Harkat's background and who he really is.
A small section of the first part shows a realistic grieving for Darren, which I found depressing but needed to be convincing and respectful to a fallen character. After a surprising reveal by two return characters (yay), Darren accompanies his friend Harkat in his journey.
A break from the vampire war was inevitable but the author kept it interesting by introducing a gritty, surreal world. There is a new character who stands out as quirky but psychologically twisted, which intrigued me. New creatures, difficult obstacles, and a mystery to boot. Who Harkat turns out to be? A surprise that I liked.
It veers slightly off course but this is needed and ties in it’s ways into the main storyline in the end. By this point Darren has grown into a stronger character, and Harkat fighting his personal demons is enjoyable since I’ve come to know the character over several books now.
There is a void where a character has been lost, so I think the placement of this one – two off by themselves in a different direction – was needed to let the reader absorb and not jumble the main storyline.
Again Shan impresses with the complexity of the created world, rich in fantasy and imagination.