“Cirque Du Freak”

Author: Dannen Shan

“Cirque Du Freak” became a spontaneous read after a new friend of mine had mentioned it to me as, “the only series of books to ever suck him in”. It’s been a while since I’ve experienced a book capable of such magical powers, considering how picky and judgmental I’ve become after reading so many things. Despite my expectations being so incredibly low, I still found the story to be very intriguing. I kept turning its pages until I had finally finished in just over 6 hours. Now that I’ve just told you I had loved it… that’s not to say there weren’t some things I found disagreeable. Like all books, it still has its pros and cons, those of which I will mention later on…

Welcome, to Cirque Du Freak! A show beyond your wildest dreams, full of freaks and many other things that is sure to give you the creeps. However, it’s not safe for children, and by a game of pure luck and secrecy, Darren gets to go. The show is spectacular, especially the tricks performed by the Spider, Madam Octa. Falling for his notorious attraction to those eight-legged creatures, Darren decides to steal the Freak Show pet from her owner, who Darren discovers is a Vampire. Of course, it’s dangerous, and he might have a Vampire hunting him down for the rest of his life, but Darren convinces himself it’s worth it. It’s all fun and games, until things take a turn for the worse, and someone must die.

To make this review end on a good note, I shall start with the CONS:

#1... I found a majority of the conversations to be incredibly unrealistic. If I knew from the beginning how old Darren was, I may have relaxed a little more. However, I finished the whole book, and still had no clue whether I was dealing with a 10 year old, or a high school student! If he’s 10, than sure, maybe those conversations would make a bit more sense, but I still wouldn’t have considered those scenarios to be totally believable. Because of that constant battle I had over his age, I wanted to give the author a scolding for not making that clear at the start of the book.

#2...It’s also nice to read about a character who has a good relationship with his family. However in this book, we’re told about past arguments… but we never witness it. Darren seemed to have a nearly flawless relationship with his family during your visit to his world… another unrealistic factor. No one gets along THAT well with their families, especially if you have a younger sister! (Unless you’re delusional.)

#3...There is one last thing I found to be a bit disappointing… there were no obvious villains! It was strictly main characters doing things they shouldn’t, and a vampire that may or may not come after you. Unless you want to count the spider as a villain, but she didn’t have any motives. Any action from the spider would’ve been out of instinct, not diabolical plots of revenge. The antagonist department was definitely lacking for my taste.

Now for the PROS:

I LOVE LOVED LOVED the idea of going to a circus freak show. I was not disappointed when the author sat you down, and had you experience the show as the main characters did. Describing the show alone nearly took up half the book! I just wish I could’ve gotten to know more history about the characters that came up to the stage… (Something I’m hoping to see in the next books). I especially enjoyed the splash of dark creepiness over how their show is supposed to be illegal. I admit, the pet spider also made a very neat element to the story, and it’s over-all plot line. Despite the cheesy conversations, this book was an easy read, and it didn’t stop to bore you with unnecessary lectures. Over all, I liked it!