A review by vimcenzo
Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

3.0

This review's only low because the series later would get much cooler. As it stands, its a good appetizer. This is honestly the hardest one to stomach just because it portrays child death a little too harrowingly realistically in order to backpedal and proclaim "just kidding, guys! It's all fun and vampires." Though as a kid it didn't really affect me, so maybe this is just the perspective you gain as an adult.

I wonder if the author was a fan of Vampire: The Masquerade growing up. The books the character has have plenty of stories about hell and monsters and demons, and I wonder if it's just the author gushing about those as he pens his tribute to the macabre things he enjoyed reading and engaging with.