Palace of the Damned (The Saga of Larten Crepsley, #3)

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Palace of the Damned (The Saga of Larten Crepsley #3)

4.37 of 5 stars 4.37 · rating details · 904 ratings · 67 reviews

Before Madame Octa...

Before the Cirque...

Before Darren Shan...

Larten Crepsley was a young man.

After failing his mentor and killing the entire crew of a ship in a bout of revenge for the death of his assistant, Larten is bereft with guilt. He no longer has the drive to live the vampiric life, and hides out in Paris, masquerading as a human. There, he finds some happiness...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published October 3rd 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published January 1st 2011)

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Nov 11, 2011 Marie-Josee Larouche rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Marie-Josee by: My boyfriend

This is the 3rd book in the saga of Larten Crepsley. This one was very interesting, it started to tie into the things that happend in the 1st and 2nd book with Tanish Eul and Wester Flack. It tells the stories of what happends when he was a Cub, and what happends when he suddenly falls in love with a human.

This book was really good. I generally like all Darren Shan's books, I justr have nothing bad to say about them, they're that great. He his a master story teller.

SPOILERS!!!

This story tells o...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Darren Hartwell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Has Darren Shan sold his soul to the devil? That's a question I have asked myself after finishing all three of the books I have read so far in The Saga of Larten Crepsley. Why? Because the man has not failed to deliver even once, so surely there must be more than natural talent at play here?

I will try to make this review as spoiler-free as possible as far as Palace of the Damned is concerned, but if you have not yet read Ocean of Blood yet then you may want to navigate away from this page now. O...more Has Darren Shan sold his soul to the devil? That's a question I have asked myself after finishing all three of the books I have read so far in The Saga of Larten Crepsley. Why? Because the man has not failed to deliver even once, so surely there must be more than natural talent at play here?

I will try to make this review as spoiler-free as possible as far as Palace of the Damned is concerned, but if you have not yet read Ocean of Blood yet then you may want to navigate away from this page now. OK... for those of you still reading, Palace of the Damned picks up pretty much straight after the dramatic and bloody conclusion to the second book in the series. Larten is full of self-loathing following his actions on the Pearly Tornado, and he is now heading into the frozen Arctic wasteland where he intends to put himself out of his misery for good. Things are slightly complicated by the fact that he is still carrying the baby he 'rescued' from the ship, and with no sign of any form of civilization it looks as if this young child may die with him. However, after what seems like days he finds himself led to the legendary Palace of the book's title where something happens that changes everything. And there is no way that I am going to tell you what that is, although we do witness the naming of the baby.

Following the release of Ocean of Blood, and Larten's taking of the baby, there was some excitement among many fans as they speculated as to who the baby was, with most of them getting it spot on, and as this happens in the first few chapters of the book I don't think it is too much of a spoiler to say that it is Gavner Purl. Yet again, Darren Shan treats his readers to another key morsel in the history of Larten Crepsley and this character goes on to play an important role in the rest of this book.

As in the previous two books in this series Palace of the Damned is split into several parts, with sometimes lengthy jumps in time between each one. So, after the first three chapters we leap forward from the Arctic wasteland to Paris, 1906, and herein lies my only criticism of this this book - I wanted it to be much longer. It is only 256 pages in length and I reckon there is easily another 50 plus pages of story that could be told to fill in some of the jumps in time (how did Larten and the child get to Paris for starters?). Maybe I am being just a little too picky as not all of the jumps in time are quite so huge though; in fact, the jump from Paris to Larten's next destination happens at just the right time in the story, and to fill in that journey with more detail would not have added to the story. I guess I am just greedy for more history of this great character.

I loved Ocean of Blood because of its focus on Larten's formative 'teenage' years, when he was initially full of reckless abandon, and then later seeing the influence various others had on his development towards 'adult' vampirehood. In this book we see yet another change in Larten as his life journey continues: he is still full of regret at his massacre of the people on the Pearly Tornado, but in Paris he faces another challenge as he falls in love with a human. Of course, Larten being Larten he omits to inform her that he is a vampire and therefore it was only going to be a matter of time before..... (I told you it would be spoiler free). However, his relationships with Alicia (for that is her name) and the child he rescued that she adopts as her own, are of paramount importance to the rest of his story in this instalment, right up until the final page where we are left hanging with those dreaded words To be continued..... If you are weak like me you will then go on to read the sample opening chapter of book four, to be titled Brothers To The Death. I kind of wish I hadn't done this, and I wish HarperCollins hadn't included it at the end of the book, as on reflection I qould have liked to be kept in suspense for the next six months or so. However, it wasn't all bad as this sample chapter does itself end on a cracking 'ooohhh-can't-wait-to-read-the-next-book' moment.

All in all Palace of the Damned is yet another superb addition to the saga from Darren Shan and I loved the way he has developed his character even more and we are now really beginning to see the Larten we first met in Cirque du Freak, although I am saddened a little by the fact that there is only one more book left in the series.(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Karen Yingling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Larten, following the unfortunate slaughter of a family aboard a boat, is wandering the icy wilderness with the lone survivor, an infant boy, seeking his own death. He stumbles upon the legendary death palace of Perta Vin-Grahl, which he thinks is a good place to leave the boy and jump to his own death, but he is stopped by Desmond, aka Mr. Tiny. Determined to live, Larten goes to Paris in 1906, where he goes by the name of Vur, falls in love with Alicia, and wants her to take care of the boy, w...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Ericy Yine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: december

This book is about a vampire, Larten Crepsley, who has adopted a human baby, Gavner Purl, after killing their parents on a ship near Greenland. They eventually find a way to Paris (the book does not say how) where Larten gets a human girlfriend, Alicia. She takes on the role of mom for Gavner but Larten gives a cold shoulder to him. After being framed for murder by a childhood friend, he escapes and goes back to Vampire Mountain. There he trains to become a General. When he discovers that Gavner...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Anthony Campos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like many of the books before this one, Darren Shan once again uses his dark and grim tone to tell us the story of Larten, our protagonist. The story consists of his journey to find himself and what he would do. While on this adventure he meets new and old allies, as well as enemies. His diction carries on in this installment as he explains the thoughts of Larten. He explains a lot of details in the areas he enters and how they are important or how they affect the main character himself. Many pl...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Richnetta Veeris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So much was explained. I remembered Gavner Pull from the Saga of Darren Shan. And oh, here he met Desmond Tiny. Arrow, he will become a Prince! Can you believe that. Oh, and the painting Steve recognized him from... This book. I kept reading and nodding the whole time.

This book was less bloody than the previous one, but I loved it more. Larten was mature and finally making adult like decisions. He is still full of regret at his massacre of the people on the boat, but in Paris he falls in love wi...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Eunice rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Look at Hipster Larten Crepsley wearing a Spirithood.
***
I think I love these books too much to notice any plausible flaws.
The plot-line, as usual, was fascinating and unpredictable, as well as clever, with the typical Darren Shan style (i.e. past events you thought minor and unremarkable come back and bite the characters in the arse).

His characters, as always, have flaws AND qualities (even the 'bad' characters); no one is perfect. The women are strong, be it physically or mentally or emotionall...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Sean McBride rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm beginning to feel more and more that this series was a publisher request...and by request I mean demand. The feel of these books, just doesn't match that of the first series, you can visibly see his progression as a writer, but he seems to jump around and test out different genres to differentiate the books. When this series was released they said that it was going to be a four book cycle. The Demonata series didn't pan out as well as the publishers would liked and they wanted to get back to...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Rim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark-fantasy

his book ties well with the previous two books in the series as Larten gets to be reintroduced to characters such as Tanish Eul, Arra Sails and Arrow whom he didn’t expect to meet in the near future. Anyway's this is the plot(there are some spoiler though)!

After making a grand discovery and fostering a baby (Gavner whose parents Larten killed) he tries to escape his guilt by leaving the clan and focusing on finding a home for Gavner. However interestingly enough Larten falls in love with a human...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Lidojack rated it 5 of 5 stars

Palace of the Damned is a good book because it has a lot of actions and it is about vampires. Having vampires in books may sound scary but it is not. I read this book and it is in a continuing series of The Saga of Larten Crepsley. This is a great book because the beginning starts of with an intro from the book before this one. It is very interesting because vampires in this book are not very bad and they do things that could even help people sometimes. This is an exciting book because of the wa...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Gabriella rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire

“This was selfish and wasteful. Cowardly. Nobody should voluntarily give up on life. If it was your time to die, death would calmly claim you. Otherwise it was your duty to press on and live.

Palace of the Damned is the third book in The saga of Larten Crepsley.

The book starts almost immediately after the end of Ocean of Blood, with Larten and the baby stranded in the icy wastes of Greenland. Larten searches for death in the snowdrifts, but is spared by a very unexpected twist of destiny.

The ac...more

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Mar 13, 2013 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Larten Crepsley is running from a horrible sin he just committed. After slaughtering almost the entire crew of the Pearly Tornado, he has docked at Greenland and is making his way across the icy island with the baby he has silently vowed to protect. Larten vows to find a cave to put the baby to rest in and find his own death. This part of the book was very heart wrenching. Larten believes that there is no redemption for the sins he has committed on that ship. He views himself as the monster othe...more Larten Crepsley is running from a horrible sin he just committed. After slaughtering almost the entire crew of the Pearly Tornado, he has docked at Greenland and is making his way across the icy island with the baby he has silently vowed to protect. Larten vows to find a cave to put the baby to rest in and find his own death. This part of the book was very heart wrenching. Larten believes that there is no redemption for the sins he has committed on that ship. He views himself as the monster others must surely pin him as.

After suffering though the cold, he finally comes upon an opening in a cave. He is astonished to find the missing ice tomb of Perta Vin-Grahl. He views this as good as any place to lay to rest the child and take his own life, but is shocked to realize at the last minute that he repents and actually finds reason to continue. Thankfully Desmond Tiny steps in to save the day. Larten soon finds himself alive and still in charge of the baby boy. I was shocked when I found out that the baby was none other than Gavner Purl! He is a highly respected General in The Cirque Du Freak series!

Larten soon makes a life for himself and Gavner in Paris. He now goes by the name of Vur Horston in an attempt to leave his ugly deeds in the past. Although he tries to find a better life for the young boy, he shows him no compassion and keeps him at arms length. In an attempt to protect the boy's feelings he believes this is the right thing to do, but ultimately he is hurting the boy far worse by pushing him away. Larten falls in love with a young woman named Alicia Dunyck who immediately accepts Gavner as her own and soon finds himself engaged and prepping for a human life. Alicia is not aware that Larten (Vur) is a vampire, nor does she know that Vur is not his real name. Everything seems to be going great for the couple until an old friend makes a reappearance.

Tanish Eul disappeared long ago after shaming himself in front of his fellow cubs. Now he is back wealthy, cold hearted, and obese; a completely different man than Larten remembers. He propositions Larten with a partnership. Tanish runs a couple of casinos and "escort" services. Larten reluctantly agrees against better judgement. I found this hard to accept. I am always one to follow my better judgement, and I was upset that Larten so foolishly threw his aside. He would have found himself in a better position had he heeded his conscience.

Larten soon realizes that something is not right. Women that work for Tanish are disappearing. He approaches his friend and brings to light the evidence he has come across. He is taken by surprise by how uncaring Tanish appears to be after hearing the information. Larten decides he can only take matters into his own hands. Tanish is still a coward and is still allowing others to fall in his stead. I despise Tanish's character. He represents everything I hate in a person. He is arrogant, cowardly, pompous, and has no heart. I was secretly hoping for his untimely death. We see Larten's true character shine through in this moment. He has compassion for others and does not stand by while others perish. He wants to help make matters right. I was happy to see his honor shine in a moment like this. It made his character all the more likable! Larten ends up having to answer for his heroism though.

Tanish betrays Larten in a moment of pure selfishness. He attacks Larten just when he receives the upper hand in battle against a vampaneze. In a show of mercy, Larten refuses to turn on his friend and loses everything. Tanish murders an innocent and accuses Larten of being a vampire. He has no choice but to flee and leave his family behind. My heart broke at this part for Larten. Although he was destined for greater things, Alicia did make him happy and he did love her. He knows that things will never be the same after she finds out who he really is. I was so disgusted with her at this point. Loving a person means you love them even in their times of pain and shame. She turned her back on him in the moment of his greatest need. That said to me that she did not love him as much as she claimed.

Larten decides it is time to return home to Vampire Mountain and continue his training to become a General. He found his way on his journey back. He realized that becoming a General and seeing his friends is what he has been missing all along. Larten is concerned that his past sins will be what condemns him to death once he reaches the Mountain and so he shows up with a heavy heart. Yet, even the worst sins can be forgiven when the sinner has truly repented as Larten soon comes to find out. After completing the rest of his training, Larten finally becomes a General. He has come a long way since first being blooded.

Arra Sails also shows back up in Larten's life in this book. She is now a vampiress and is on her way to becoming a General. I was really hoping that this would be the time for them, but she is very focused on her training and so asks Larten to give her time. I like Arra Sails. She gives Larten a challenge in his life. She is exactly what he needs to bring him out of this pity party he has for himself.

I was quite saddened when Larten goes back to Paris to find out what happened to his lost love. He comes to find out she got remarried and had a child. I could not imagine the pain this would wreck if I were in the same position, but Larten decides he must find them to make sure they are alright. What he finds is not what he thought. Alicia is widowed and left with a young child and Gavner has run off. He went away with Tanish when he made a reappearance in their lives a couple years after everything hit the fan. Larten is livid. How dare he come back for the boy!

When push comes to shove, this book sent me on a roller coaster of emotions. I was so upset with the injustices Larten had to face. He lost so much and all for nothing. He has suffered immensely. The way that he downgrades his character is dreadful. We as readers can see the good and just in him. We see how caring and compassionate he really is. I was touched by the brief encounter Seba and Larten shares when he makes it back to Vampire Mountain. This was definitely a good book, and I would recommend it to any reader.(less)

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Dec 29, 2011 Adeeb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been a huge fan of Darren Shan ever since I first read a book by him, which was Demon Thief. He's one of my top five authors EVER! Can you guess why? Well, this book is one of the reasons he's one of the best authors out there.

First of all, I have to add, this book was an improvement to Ocean of Blood. I'm not saying Ocean of Blood was bad. It was just a "slower" story.

This book picks off where Ocean of Blood ended. Larten is not all alone. He's accompanied with the baby he rescued.

We fur...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Sabore rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: made-me-cry

THIS BOOK WAS SO AMAZING OMG OMG OMG OMG.
I cried because (view spoiler)...it was just very sad. But overall it was amazing, as usual, I expected nothing less and was given so much more. I'm jumping of excited for Brother's to the Death. (view spoiler)...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Ash rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Actually 4.5 stars

I honestly didn't enjoy the second book as the first, but after reading this book I think that the prequel series is back to its right track.
The story starts with Larten Crepsley with the baby facing the killing cold. Larten is lost and cold with a baby that he can't take care of, and he has no idea why he saved him, until he finds this cool palace.
I expected the story to focus on the supposedly PALACE OF THE DAMNED, but it didn't. In the cover (UK cover ofc)The palace looks...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Shiku rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3,5
_______________________

An Larten Crepsleys Händen klebt Blut. Nicht weil er ein Vampir ist, sondern weil er in einem Anflug von Wahnsinn, Trauer und Wut über den Tod seiner Assistentin Malora eine komplette Schiffsmannschaft und die restlichen Passagiere regelrecht schlachtete. Nur einen kleinen Jungen verschonte er, ein Baby. Dieses Kind ist es auch, das er mit auf die Insel aus Eis nimmt – Grönland, wie wir später feststellen werden. Dort möchte er es keineswegs aufziehen, sondern jemanden...more 3,5
_______________________

An Larten Crepsleys Händen klebt Blut. Nicht weil er ein Vampir ist, sondern weil er in einem Anflug von Wahnsinn, Trauer und Wut über den Tod seiner Assistentin Malora eine komplette Schiffsmannschaft und die restlichen Passagiere regelrecht schlachtete. Nur einen kleinen Jungen verschonte er, ein Baby. Dieses Kind ist es auch, das er mit auf die Insel aus Eis nimmt – Grönland, wie wir später feststellen werden. Dort möchte er es keineswegs aufziehen, sondern jemanden finden, der für es sorgt oder aber eine Höhle, in der er das Kind der Natur überlassen kann, ohne dass wilde Tiere sich später an dessen Leiche gütlich tun. Er selber will sich in Kämpfe stürzen, bis sein Gegner endlich der Gewinner ist.
Dass es dazu nicht kommen wird, ist klar, aber dass ausgerechnet der geheimnisvolle und bösartige Mr. Tiny sich einmischt, ist verstörend. Das Schicksal hat wohl noch einiges vor mit Larten, und wenn Mr. Tiny sich persönlich dafür einsetzt, heißt das nichts Gutes.
Jahre später hat Larten sich in Paris als Vur Horston ein neues Leben aufgebaut, samt Partnerin und Kind. Doch die Frau, die er liebt, weiß nichts von seinem eigentlichen Wesen und dem Kind ist er kein Vater, da er doch einst selbst dessen eigentliche Eltern tötete. Trotzdem waren es gute Jahre – nur mittlerweile genug davon, schließlich will sich das Schicksal auch mal wieder amüsieren.

Ihr glaubt nicht, wie unglaublich froh ich bin! Perfekt war zwar auch dieses Buch wieder nicht, aber nach dem enttäuschenden zweiten Band geht es endlich wieder in die richtige Richtung. So will ich meinen Shan haben! Nur noch ein bisschen konstanter und dann bin ich vollauf zufrieden.
Was natürlich wie in den vorherigen Bänden eine Rolle spielt und mir auch hier wieder sehr viel Spaß gemacht hat, ist das Auftauchen einiger Charaktere. Nicht unbedingt die Fürsten oder Seba Nile – die gehören längst schon wieder zum Ensemble hinzu. Andere wiederum finden erst ihren Weg in Lartens Leben und am meisten davon hat mich wohl der überrascht, der von der ersten Seite an dabei ist. Was nicht heißt, dass bei anderen keine unerwarteten Verbindungen auftauchen, im Gegenteil. Am meisten hab ich mich aber – und ich denke, das kann ich verraten – über Arra Sails gefreut. Mal ganz unter uns: Das war gleich der nächste Pluspunkt für das Buch!

Ansonsten unterscheidet es sich aber ein bisschen von seinen Vorgängern. Da wäre zum einen die Tatsache, dass es nahtlos an Band 2 anschließt, was nichts Übliches bei Darren Shan ist. Zum anderen ist das Buch nicht so extrem zerstückelt wie beispielsweise Band 2. Zwar gibt’s auch hier wieder Passagen, zwischen denen Jahre liegen, aber dieses Mal hatte ich nicht das Gefühl, dass mir dadurch wichtige Informationen durch die Lappen gehen. Das mag auch daran liegen, dass wir uns immer mehr dem Larten nähern, den wir aus der Darren-Shan-Saga kennen – das Gefühl ihn zu kennen ist bereits da und da muss nicht alles en detail geschildert werden. Außerdem sind die Passagen dazwischen zusammenhängend und kontinuierlich, sowohl was die Umgebung als auch die Charaktere angeht. Und das über die Kapitel hinweg! So bietet sich ein Ganzes an und keine Aneinanderreihung von verschiedenen Szenen – unnötig zu erwähnen, dass sich das viel schöner lesen lässt, oder?
Außerdem ist dies, glaube ich, das erste Mal, dass der Autor uns tatsächlich konkrete Jahreszahlen und Orte liefert. Ansonsten ist das alles ja immer ein bisschen schwammig gewesen – in beiden Buchreihen – und auch wenn irgendwie klar war, dass das Ganze in Europa stattfindet und zum Beispiel Darren in Zeiten moderner Technik geboren wurde, so gab es nie konkrete Daten. Nun aber wissen wir genau, dass er in Paris ist, dass er zu einem Zeitpunkt im Jahre 1906 lebt und dass später der erste Weltkrieg tobt – erfrischend anders für Mr. Shans Verhältnisse, weswegen es mich auch so gefreut hat.

Und trotzdem. Trotzdem, trotzdem, trotzdem. Manchmal musste ich mich ernsthaft fragen, wo der rote Faden hin verschwunden ist, auch wenn ich mich beim Lesen nie gelangweilt habe. Mal abgesehen davon, dass manch Sache regelrecht unlogisch wirkte: Wenn zum Beispiel erwähnt wird, dass Paris Larten und Vancha mental den Weg weisen kann. Vielleicht lässt mich einfach mein Gedächtnis im Stich, aber konnte über diese Verbindung – wenn sie zugelassen wird! – nur der Anwender den Standort des anderen erfahren? Von Kommunikation war, soweit ich mich erinnern kann, nie die Rede. Aber vielleicht ist das auch nur so ein Fürstending, das ich schlichtweg vergessen habe.
Wenn Larten aber jemanden retten muss, weiß, dass es schon zu spät sein kann und eigentlich jede Minute zählt, und er trotzdem monatelang an einem Ort verweilt, dann hat das nichts mit meinem Erinnerungsvermögen zu tun, wenn ich deswegen leicht irritiert bin. Das war zum Glück aber auch der „schlimmste Moment“, über den ich nicht glücklich bin, den ich aber verschmerzen kann. Ein bisschen.

Etwas zweifelhaft wirkte auch das Ende auf mich. Es ist ein Cliffhanger, andererseits aber auch nicht. Wenn man die Darren-Shan-Saga gelesen hat – und meiner Meinung nach lohnt sich die Larten-Crepsley-Saga nur dann –, weiß man sowieso, wie die Situation ausgeht. Und selbst wenn man Neuling ist, reicht es, die kurze Leseprobe für Band 4 zu lesen, was in fünf Minuten erledigt ist. Da wird der Ausgang auch verraten – allerdings deutet das Ende hier auf ein paar neue, aufregende Fakten hin, die für mich das perfekte Ende für Band 3 gewesen wären. Ich kann Band 4 nun jedenfalls kaum mehr erwarten – ein Gefühl, das ich nach Band 2 leider nicht hatte und umso schöner ist es jetzt.

Shan’s back! Ein bisschen besser kann und soll es ruhig noch werden, aber wir sind wieder auf dem richtigen Weg. Das Buch bietet sich als Ganzes dar, ist spannend, lustig und überraschend und für Fans auch endlich wieder sowas wie ein Muss – zumindest fast. An mancher Stelle geht ein bisschen die Logik abhanden, aber trotzdem lässt sich dieses Buch gut genießen – sehr beruhigend, wenn ihr mich fragt!
(less)

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Oct 18, 2011 April (CSI:Librarian) rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)

3.5 Stars - I could not be happier (or more relieved) to report that Palace of the Damned was vastly more enjoyable and engaging than the previous book in Larten's Saga.

Events, emotions, and reflections were still overly summarized and I would have liked more detail. I didn't feel like Shan was bored or in a rush when it came to the writing itself, but the summarizing definitely made the minor characters read a bit flat from time to time. I liked them well eno...more

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Oct 31, 2012 04zachn nelson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is the best, i couldnt stop reading it, I would recomend this book to anyone thats into horror. He finds the famouse prince vampires, and saves a baby. i like how they find the princes but i dont really like Mr. tinys attitude. This series it Great. Larten wasn't really very positive about him self and kept getting drunk, so he decided that he didnt value life and wasnt thinking and so he jumped off the cliff and he started thinking how he didnt want to die, when he stopped falling, a...more

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May 29, 2012 Leon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 9th-grade-books

As Larten Crepsley's story continues, You find yourselves in a world that was only hinted at before, and is even sicker than imagined. It takes a story and puts many different aspects of his life in and keeps changing, but maintains a central plotline. This is hard to do, but if it's done correctly like this, it can be intense and amazing. You learn about a complex character who has had so much happen to him, yet your only learning about it now. It's intresting to see how the book starts to pie...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hi!

This is the third book in the Larten Crepsley saga and I personally really enjoyed it! After the rather dull and disappointing previous book, I debated on whether or not I should continue with this series. However, my to-read list had run dry so I decided to give it a go.

I am completely happy that I did! After a short lapse with the second book, this saga has got right back on track! With a great balance of action and romance, Shan has got this covered.

You discover the origins of previous ch...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, vampire, washyarg-reviews, young-adult

Larten commits an atrocious act for which he feels terrible remorse. As he wanders despondently, he discovers a long lost piece of vampire lore. He also falls in love with a human, returns to the vampire clan, and tries to bring back a lost member of the fold.
Fans of the series will enjoy this book in the prequel saga. I felt it was better written than “Ocean of Blood” but still not great writing.

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Nov 17, 2011 Yao added it

Shelves: advisory-11-grade

this is definitely my fav book of the year. The book had so much tension and atmosphere because of the different settings like from France to the Vampire Mountain. I love how he separates the important events in LARTEN'S Life. Each chapter is interesting even when he's living a peaceful life it talks about his love with Alicia which is interesting in it's own way too so the book never gets boring.

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Nov 12, 2011 Emily Bailey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm very much enjoying reading the Cirque du Freak prequel series! I know what will happen, but meeting characters when they are younger is a lot of fun and explains the gray areas to the Cirque du Freak series. This book in particular captured my attention because so much happened in it. Not such a thick book, but definitely a thick story.

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Mar 16, 2012 Rachel Fox rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

One of my favourite books ever. My one is signed and has a message in it from when I met Darren Shan in the Pavilions at a book signing. I will never forget that day. Best day of my life. :')
I love love LOVE this book. Larten Crepsley is just such an amazing character. He's so unpredictable and exciting. :D

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Jul 25, 2012 Fadilah rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

The story of Larten Crepsley and Gavner Purl (the baby from the previous book) continued.

In this book, Larten showed a great regret from the ship accident, including killed Gavner's parents. Larten fell in love with a woman named Alicia in Paris. He stayed there for years, before a vampanize attacked that city.

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Dec 28, 2012 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Darren Shan did it again! He is one of the best writers in the vampire genre, in my opinion. He intricately weaves characters from the original Cirque Du Freak series into the Saga of Larten Crepsley, while allowing the reader to learn more about the best character of the series!

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Jun 27, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am a fan of Darren Shan, I loved the Saga of Darren Shan and am thrilled to have received a copy of this from Harper Collins.
It was a much smaller volume than I expected but it took a lot longer for me to read than I expected as well.

I'll bring back my thoughts when I have them all written up.

http://bookgirl.beautyandlace.net/pal...

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Jun 11, 2012 Nageard rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a pretty good tri-quel to the other two Larten Crepsley books. Though somewhat disappointed, I did enjoy the steady action and good descriptions of the characters and their surroundings. I would recommend this book to vampire lovers.

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Dec 23, 2011 Mia Bernal rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am enjoying this series and can't wait to read the last one. I am thrilled to learn about how the characters came to be who they are now in the vampire assistants series. Great book and great series, I recommend it for adult and child alike.

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Nov 07, 2011 Hesa Almuhairi rated it 3 of 5 stars

i was really excited about this book, but to tell the truth im really disappointed,i was expecting more action violence in the story so i liked the previouse parts, and the first one is still my favorite

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About Darren Shan

Librarian's note: Also writes under the name D.B. Shan.

Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak Series in the United States. He is the author of The Demonata series, as well as some stand-alone books, and a series o...more

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Books by Darren Shan

A Living Nightmare (Cirque Du Freak, #1)

The Vampire's Assistant (Cirque Du Freak, #2)

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Trivia About Palace of the Damned

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Quotes from Palace of the Damned

“You didn't want to die. Most mortals don't, even if they find themselves in as desolate and soul-destroying a spot as you. Almost all of those who take their own lives wish at the last moment that they hadn't. They see at the end how much they've given up, how precious life is, even when it's treated them like dirt and crushed their dreams. Many think they've passed beyond hope, but they never really have, not until they pass beyond life itself. Alas, that knowledge comes too late for most would-be-suicides and they die with regret. Very few are offered the chance that you have been handed.” — 9 people liked it

“But I also slaughtered you real mother and father. In a moment of mad rage, I took their lives and left you an orphan. If you choose to take my life as a payment for theirs, you will be within your rights and no vampire will hold it against you. Pass judgment on me, Gavner Purl, and let your hand rise or fall as destiny decides it must."
-Larten Crepsley” — 8 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10890702-palace-of-the-damned?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344268663l/10890702.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10890702-palace-of-the-damned?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Palace of the Damned by Darren Shan[/url]

Palace of the Damned (The Saga of Larten Crepsley #3)

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