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*Cirque Du Freak #9: Killers of the Dawn* by Darren Shan - tweens & teens book review

 
Also by Darren Shan:

Cirque Du Freak #8: Allies of the Night

Cirque Du Freak #11: Lord of the Shadows
 



 

Cirque Du Freak #9: Killers of the Dawn
by Darren Shan
Grades 6-8 224 pages Little, Brown May 2006 Paperback    

Coming off the heels of the action-packed eighth entry of the Cirque Du Freak series, Allies Of The Night, this ninth entry, titled Killers Of The Dawn continues with the fast-paced action of its predecessors.

The book opens up with Darren, Mr. Crepsley, Harkat and Vancha on the run from the Vampaneze and a multitude of Vampets in the underground tunnels. They have the dreaded Steve Leopard with them, and they manage to get away from their enemies - but not for long. When Mr. Crepsley attempts to interrogate Steve Leopard, he and everyone else realize that Leopard was extremely devious in going along with them. It’s indeed a trap; they look out the window to find the army and police surrounding the apartment complex where they were held up. Could this be the end for the vampire prince?

No, of course not. The crew manages to thwart the initial threat of the army and police surrounding them, but only shortly. They are quickly arrested and ensconced in cramped jail cells. The police try to get information from Darren and the others but get nothing. The pulse-pounding action takes a brief respite as the police continue to try play good cop/bad cop with Darren and the others. But the pace kicks right back up when Steve Leopard kills a few guards and nurses to escape the police. This gives Darren his chance, and he takes it. With the walls too thick to knock down, Darren makes his way into the ceiling rafters and finds Harkat and Mr. Crepsley. They escape but are left to deal with the problem of daylight - the rays of the sun are burning Mr. Crepsley’s skin.

They also have to deal with an angry mob of humans who discover them on the street. They do their best to make it to the tunnels but, blocked by Vampets, they just run for it. Darren comes up with a plan to get everyone safely to the house of his friend Richard, but again they have problems. The eventually find cover and make it to the tunnels where they fight the Vampaneze and Vampets in an attempt to finally win the War of the Scars. With so much action and so many fantastic characters to follow, this series is just extremely entertaining. Killers Of The Dawn lives up to all the excitement built up in all the previous novels and is one heck of a horror/fantasy thrill ride.
   


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