Cirque Du Freak #6: The Vampire Prince: Book 6 in the Saga of Darren Shan (Cirque Du Freak: the Saga of Darren Shan)

From School Library Journal Grade 5-8-As this sixth volume in the series opens, Darren Shan is surviving a near drowning and struggling to return to Vampire Mountain in order to warn the others of the secret plan to invite the vampaneze into Vampire Mountain, where they are certain to gain control. The story has numerous plot twists and decent characterization. There is plenty of blood, gore, and suspense. However, this novel doesn't stand on its own. The fantasy setting is consistent throughout the series, but readers have to know what the protagonist has already been through to see why he is motivated to take the risks he does. Strictly for fans of the previous books. Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review Cirque Du Freak“...Full of satisfyingly macabre touches which make for a plot full of twists leav[ing] the reader hungry for more.”J.K. Rowling†Branded a traitor, betrayed by a friend, hunted by the vampire clan -- Darren Shan, the Vampire's Assistant, faces certain death. Can Darren reverse the odds and outwit a Vampire Prince, or is this the end of thousands of years of vampire rule? Darren's initiation on Vampire Mountain draws to a stunning, bloody conclusion -- but the Saga continues... DARKNESS - COLD - CHURNING WATER - roaring, like a thousand lions - spinning around and around - bashing into rocks - arms wrapped around my face to protect it - tucking up my legs to make myself smaller, less of a target. Betrayed by Kurda Smahlt and reeling from the brutal slaying of Gavner Purl, the vampire's assistant, Darren Shan, finds himself branded a traitor and hunted by the vampire clan