The Tunnels of Blood by Darren Shan

Book 3 (Book 1: Cirque du Freak, Book 2: The Vampire’s Assistant)

Novel Summation:

Darren Shan, the Vampire’s Assistant, gets a taste of city life when he leaves the Cirque du Freak with Evra and Mr. Crepsley. At night the vampire goes about secret business, while by day Darren enjoys his freedom. But then bodies are discovered… corpses drained of blood…  the hunt for the killer is on, and Darren’s loyalties are tested to the limit as he fears the worst. One mistake and they are doomed to perish in the tunnels of blood.

My Thoughts:

This book was really good. It was most definitely better than the second and just a bit better than the first book in the saga. In this book we are introduced to a new vampire and friend of Mr. Crepsley, Gavner Purl. Through him we learn, although it is more of a brief mention of the Vampire Generals and Princes; the governing bodies of the vampire world. Also, we are introduced to another type of vampire called the Vampaneze. The Vampaneze are vampires with their own governing system, that feed off humans but find it necessary to kill the humans, compared to vampires who just take enough blood. Darren Shan continues to develop as a character. He is more accepting of his half vampire status and he becomes more courageous. The other two main characters in the book is Evra Von and Mr. Crepsley. For the first part of the book Mr. Crepsley acts very mysteriously and what he is up to is unknown. Towards the end of the book he is present but he is just in the background. An interesting revelation is revealed about Mr. Crepsley. Which I won’t spoil. Evra continues to be a good friend and acts as a support system for Darren. A new character in the book is a girl named Debbie who befriends him in the city. She sort of becomes Darren’s first girlfriend. Another new character is Murlough, a vampaneze and the one terrorizing the city. I am curious to see where adventures take Darren next. He is very theatrical and truly terrifyingly evil. I would recommend this book if you enjoyed the first two in the series.

Future Books:

The next book in the saga is book 4 Vampire Mountain. It is followed by Trials of Death, The Vampire Prince, Hunters of Dusk, Allies of Night, Killers of the Dawn, The Lake of Souls, Lord of the Shadows, and then finally Sons of Destiny.

I just discovered the saga is divided into trilogies. I thought I would share this interesting fact. The first 3=Vampire Blood, books 4 to 6= Vampire Rites, books 7 to 9= Vampire War, and books 10 to 12= Vampire Destiny.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Book 4 (Book 1: The Lightning Thief, Book 2: Sea of Monsters, Book 3: The Titan’s Curse)

Novel Summation:

 Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical. In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos’ army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

My Thoughts:

The fourth book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series continues the trend of wonderful, enjoyable, and entertaining books. One again Percy Jackson is faced with a challenge and this one hits close to home. Percy and his friends must find away to prevent Kronos’ army from entering Camp Half Blood. The way the army plans to enter is via the infamous labyrinth. Percy takes up the challenge and continues to grow as a character. He demonstrates his ability to think quick and to be clever. His fighting skills have improved and new romantic relationships are in the works for him. Nico returns and plays an important role in the story. Many new ancient monsters appear. The whole story is an adventure packed story. If you thought the adventures in the previous stories were intense this one tops it. The majority of the story takes place in the labyrinth where many go mad. The labyrinth provides many obstacles and challenges. I really enjoyed this book and I am excited and a bit sad to complete the series soon. I would definitely recommend this book to all.

Future Books:

The next and last book in the series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian.

My Character:

This is the character that I created for the Percy Jackson series http://shortstuff2511.tumblr.com/post/35101992305/percy-jackson-series-novel-character

Fallen by Lauren Kate

 

Book 1   Novel Summation:

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

My Thoughts: 

Oh my, I loved this book. If you enjoy the Twilight series or if you enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s Darkest Powers series, you will love this book.  This book was extremely captivating, alluring, and wonderfully written. In the book the truth and important information was barely touched upon. Leaving many questions to be answered in books to come. Luce is a pretty normal girl. However, she sees these shadow things which she has no idea what they are except that they creep up on her at certain times. She is a really believable character. Daniel reminded me a lot of Edward Cullen from the Twilight series. He has his good looks, mysterious nature, and he does whatever is in his power to avoid Luce. Despite all this true, timeless love can’t be defeated. The plot offers a unique twist on the relationship between Luce and Daniel. The other characters in the book are not focused upon but they each get their own individual back story and a bit of character development. This may be considered a spoiler but in case you didn’t figure it out by the title the book delves into the world of angels, particularly fallen angels. At the end of the book we are given a brief revelation about that world. Most definitely angels are the new vampires. I would strongly recommend this book to everyone. 

Future Books: 

There is a sequel called Torment coming out fall 2010.

Gone by Lisa McMann

 

 Book 3 (Book 1: Wake, Book 2: Fade) 

 

Novel Summation:

Janie thought she knew what her future held. And she thought she’d made her peace with it. But she can’t handle dragging Cabel down with her. She knows he will stay with her despite what she sees in his dreams. He’s amazing. And she’s a train wreck. Janie sees only one way to give him the life he deserves: She has to disappear. And it’s going to kill them both. Then a stranger enters her life and everything unravels. The future Janie once faced now has an ominous twist, and her choices are more dire than she’d ever thought possible. She alone must decide between the lesser of two evils. And time is running out… 

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book a lot. I felt out of the trilogy it was the second best (the first best being Fade). The story is written well and is easy to read. Janie is still struggling with the realization of her future as a dream catcher. She spends a lot of time worried about what others think about her, which could be a bit annoying at times. Also, the book and the book summation kind of made one  believe that at some point Janie was going to leave her previous life. However, that really didn’t happen. Cabel’s character is present in the book but compared to the first book and sort of the second book, there wasn’t much character development. Everyone from the previous books makes an appearance and play some small role. It had a solid conclusion that didn’t lead to much speculation on the future. Though another book would be nice, it really isn’t necessary. In the end everything seems to work out fine. It was a good book and I recommend it to those who enjoyed the first two.

Fade by Lisa McMann

Book 2 (Book 1: Wake)

Novel Summation:

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dream. They’re just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck. Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody’s talking. When Janie taps into a classmate’s violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open, but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie’s in way over her head, and Cabe’s shocking behaviour as grave consequences for them both. Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability- and it’s bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what’s to come is way darker than she’d feared… 

My Thoughts:

I read this book a while ago and it was given to me by the same friend who gave me the first. Once again I apologize for not being able to write much. Normally I would re read a book than write details but since I finished the last book in the trilogy I want to write about it when the details are fresh and I felt everyone should know what the first two books in the trilogy were like. Perhaps when I re read the book one day I will add more.  I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first. In this book Janie becomes very involved with Cabel’s world. Her involvement in it puts her life in danger. This book had a lot more action, more drama, and it was very entertaining. In Fade, Janie learns about what faces her as a dream catcher. The horrifying truth changes Janie’s life drastically. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a good read.

Future Books:

The next book in the trilogy is  Gone.

Wake by Lisa McMann

Book 1

Novel Summation:

Not all dreams are sweet. For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime. She can’t tell anybody about what she does — they’d never believe her, or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control.Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She is a participant….

My Thoughts:

I read this book a long time ago. A friend bought it for me awhile ago so I apologize if my analysis isn’t very good. I liked this book a lot. It has an interesting concept. The character Janie is a dream catcher. Whenever she is around someone that is dreaming she gets sucked into their dreams. The way the book is written is very interesting. Each chapter is a day or date, sometimes it’s just how Janie is feeling then and throughout the chapter there are section with different time of the day. It reminds me a lot of a dream journal; which is appropriate.  Janie is the main character and is incredibly likeable. Cabel is another character in the book. He is interesting and has a mysterious background story of his own; which takes up the main plot of the book. 

Future Books:

The next book in the trilogy is Fade followed by Gone.

The Vampire’s Assistant by Darren Shan

Book 2 (Book 1: Cirque du Freak)

Novel Summation:

Darren Shan was just an ordinary schoolboy until his visit to the Cirque Du Freak. Now, as he struggles with his new life as a Vampire’s Assistant, he tries desperately to resist the one temptation that sickens him, the one thing that can keep him alive. But destiny is calling. The Wolf Man is waiting

My Thoughts:

I quite enjoyed this book. I found that other series have different stories for each book in the stories and a common storyline in the background. However, with the Darren Shan series it’s more like journals in a way. Each book is a different part in Darren’s life. It’s like his life was put into sections and each book describes a certain section. I find this method of writing works really well. It keeps you interested and it doesn’t make your mind go back to the underlying common storyline. In this book we get an in depth look into the cirque du freak members. Evra Von, the snake boy becomes Darren’s friend. Evra is an enjoyable character and interesting in his own unique way. Mr. Crepsley is back and it seems despite everything he has done to Darren, he seems to have his best interests at heart. We are also introduced to the mysterious and perhaps evil Mr. Tiny. Mr. Tiny is in charge of the little helper people who were in book one. Some non cirque du freak members are Sam and R.V. Each character is a normal person that anyone would encounter yet their encounter with Darren changes everything. I would recommend this book if you enjoyed the first or if you enjoy fiction.

Future Books:

This book is a part of the Darren Shan saga which consists of 12 books. Book 3 is entitled Tunnels of Blood, followed by Vampire Mountain, Trails of Death, The Vampire Prince, Hunters of Dusk, Allies of the Night, Killers of the Dawn, The Lake of Souls, Lord of the Shadows, and Sons of Destiny. 

The book is also a manga series called Cirque du Freak.

Movie Connections:

This first three books of the series was made into a movie entitled Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. It stars Chris Massoglia as Darren Shan, John C. Reilly as Larten Crepsley, and Josh Hutcherson as Steve Leonard. It will be released on DVD in Canada on February 23, 2010.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

 

 Book 3 (Book 1: The Lightning Thief, Book 2: Sea of Monsters)

Novel Summation:

When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been kidnapped. And now it”s up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened. Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess? They must find Artemis before the winter solstice, when her influence on the Olympian Council could swing an important vote on the war with the titans. Not only that, but first Percy will have to solve the mystery of a rare monster that Artemis was hunting when she disappeared-a monster rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus forever.

My Thoughts:

Rick Riordan certainly knows how to keep a series interesting. In the third book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, once again Percy is faced with one big mission and once again he overcomes it, but not without some difficulties. In this book there are several new characters. Many different gods and goddess appear, which was really nice. I was really curious as to what the other gods and goddess looked like and acted and this book allowed me to see them. Some Titans are also mentioned. Several other characters are introduced. We are introduced to a pair of siblings: Nico and Bianca di Angelo; both are half bloods and at the end an interesting revelation is discovered. Another character we are introduced although briefly is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She is a mortal who can see through the Mist, that hides the truth about the goings on of monsters, demigods, and the gods themselves. Also, we are introduced to Zoe Nightshade who has an interesting story of her own. Annabeth’s family is expanded upon and Thalia who was mentioned in the previous books plays her own part in the story. Percy has to make several tough choices in the book and he takes a strong leadership role at times. By the end of the book Percy places a burden upon himself and there is only 2 more years till the final battle begins. There were a lot of refrences to Heracles. Such as the fight against the Nemean lion and one of his labours of retrieving the golden apples. The book was never boring and was very engaging. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoyed the first two in the series, and for all those who like a good adventure.

Future Books:

The next book in the series is Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Battle of the Labyrinth. The next book and final book in the series is The Last Olympian.

My Character:

This is the character that I created for the Percy Jackson series http://shortstuff2511.tumblr.com/post/35101992305/percy-jackson-series-novel-character

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

 

Book 1

 Novel Summation:
Darren goes to a banned freak show with his best mate Steve. Its the wonderfully gothic Cirque Du Freak where weird, frightening half human/half animals appear and interact terrifyingly with the audience. Darren, a spider lover falls in love with Madam Octa; an enormous tarantula owned by Mr Crepsley. Darren determines to steal the spider so that he can train it to perform amazing deeds. But his daring theft goes horribly wrong. The spider bites Steve and Darren has to sell his soul to Mr Crepsley a member of the  vampire clan to get the antidote.

My Thoughts:

I liked this book a lot. It was well written, interesting, and fun. Im having a hard time writting my thoughts because it was mearly a taste of what is to come in the saga. As book 1 of a 12 book saga, we are introduced to the Cirque du Freak troupe. A group of random “people” with incredibly abilities. Also, we are introduced to the existence of vampires. The main character is Darren Shan. An average boy with a weird liking for spider. I for one can’t comprehend the liking of spiders since I am terrified. But, his love for spiders is what sense the problems in the book into motion. He may seem like a coward at times but when in the end he pulls through. He makes the ultimate sacrifice, his humanity to save his friend. In the process he becomes a vampire’s assistant. Another character we are introduced to is Steve Leonard. An aggressive, angry boy who is Darren’s best friend. At the end of the book Steve makes a vow which will most likely have a great affect on the events in the other books. We are introduced briefly to members of the Cirque du Freak, a travelling freak show. Each member is rather interesting. The book is easy to read and compells you to learn more of the fate of Darren Shan and the others. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good fiction book.

Future Books:

This book is a part of the Darren Shan saga which consists of 12 books. Book 2 is entitled The Vampires Assistant and is followed by Tunnels of Blood, Vampire Mountain, Trails of Death, The Vampire Prince, Hunters of Dusk, Allies of the Night, Killers of the Dawn, The Lake of Souls, Lord of the Shadows, and Sons of Destiny. 

The book is also a manga series called Cirque du Freak.

Movie Connections:

This first three books of the series was made into a movie entitled Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. It stars Chris Massoglia as Darren Shan, John C. Reilly as Larten Crepsley, and Josh Hutcherson as Steve Leonard. It will be released on DVD in Canada on February 23, 2010.

I saw this movie and it was okay. A lot of it was different from the books and it seemed like the also possibly revealed things that don’t happen until later in the series. I thought the actor choice for Crepsley was excellent, Steve was good, Daren was okay, I expected Evra to be younger, and Gavner was alright but not my choice. If you have read the books you might not enjoy the movie but it is alright.