Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Oct 18, 2011

Sita rated it:

This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read! I used to hate reading I found it a chore. I only read school books. This book changed that normally I'm not normally into horror books but Darren Shan is different he is such a cool and likeable person. I reccomend this book to anyone who likes reading, this book is a great start to a series I loved. I re-read the series all the time. If you read it, then I am 86% sure you will love it.

6 comments like (14 people liked it)

Apr 16, 2010

Qt rated it:

I found this to be easy to read and surprisingly engrossing--I stayed up late to finish it. I see why it's such a popular series! I'm not sure yet if I will read more in the series, but I'm glad I read this one.

2 comments like (9 people liked it)

Nov 22, 2011

Myvampfiction rated it:

review by Megsly

*Warning: possible spoilers ahead.*

A few weeks ago, this charming little movie called The Vampire's Assistant came on my television and I, being obsessed with vampires as everyone knows, just had to watch and I was extremely impressed by the originality of the movie so when I unearthed the series, The Saga of Darren Shan, I dove right in.
A Living Nightmare is book one of the The Saga of Darren Shan, otherwise known as Cirque du Freak. It introduces u More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Realteenreviews rated it:

The Gist

Darren Shan and his best friend Steve get tickets to see the Cirque Du Freak (a freak show). After the show Steve recognizes one of the performers as a vampire and when Steve confronts the vampire at the end of the show Darren learns some interesting information about his friend. Later when Darren and Steve get into some trouble and Steve’s life is on the line Mr. Crepsley offers to help but only if Darren will become his assistant. Darren has to then choose between saving More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2009

Mr. Z rated it:

After reading this, I couldn't help but laugh. As a reading teacher, I'm always reading books to determine whether or not my students might enjoy reading them, too. However, this school year, several of my students have been recommending books TO ME to read! This is another such recommendation. I have heard from many students how much they enjoy the Cirque Du Freak series, so I decided to give the first book a try. Now, I do I not typically enjoy reading gruesome/spine-tingling horror novels, bu More...

4 comments like (16 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2009

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" rated it:

Warning: I am keeping this review on the vague side because Shan's books are more fun if you don't know what's going on before you read them.

Well, this was a very interesting book. I didn't really like the idea of the freak show, but I did think that it was a novel way to introduce this story, and a different sort of motif for a children's series. I've seen this series at the bookstore for years now, and waffled about reading it. The freak show concept turned me off. I am just not More...

15 comments like (10 people liked it)

Mar 13, 2008

Manshui rated it:

Cirque Du Freak #1: A Living Nightmare
Darren Shan
183 Pages
HaperCollins Publishers
UK £4.99
ISBN: 0-00-675416-3
A Living Nightmare will bring a chilling sensation right after you read the book told by the gruesome-styled author Darren Shan who is also the protagonist of the story. This book one of the series does not only demonstrate the ordinary school boy with a normal life but extended beyond to vampirism and his break of friendship by misunderstandings. The p More...

7 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2008

Franklin rated it:

This book was so scary, but it was AWESOME! I can't wait to read the next one.

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 30, 2010

♫ נєηη - ѕσυℓ σƒ ѕσυη∂ ♫ rated it:

Because of all of the great reviews of this book (I mean, JK Rowling! Seriously. If she wrote something as amazing as Harry Potter, she has to have a pretty good book taste), I picked up this book with a bit of reluctance, hoping that it wasn't just all hype. I still have to finish some other books before I read this, but I'm actually pretty excited to read it, too.

{After Book Review}

Did I enjoy it?

Yes.

Did I expect it to be better?

Yes.

More...

12 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Andrea rated it:

Cirque Du Freak is really popular. I even saw a jock at my school reading them, which is quite surprising.. So, I got this book last night, and I'm done. And I loved it! At first I read the introduction, and I was like, wow, this is real? Now, I do not think it is. Because well, vampires, and a huge colorful spider named Madam Octa? Yeah, I don't think so. But, I loved the characters.
So, I watching one of those book hauls/reviews on YouTube. The videos with the username chapter chicks. Yea More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 21, 2011

Rio rated it:

I chose this book because it seamed like a intrsting book. It was an intresting book no I am going to read the next book. The reason why I'm going to read "The Vampire's Assistant". "A Living Mightmare" is a good book the reason why is because it is intresting to me. The bigist problem is his friend gets biton in the neck by a spiter and he is in the hospital and the only way that he can save his friend is if he became a asistant to a vampier. At the end of the problen h More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 18, 2010

Kate rated it:

BEFORE:
Okay, first thing's first: I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THESE BOOKS! I usually don't post comments before I read books but I am just so psyched! Secondly, to all you people out there who have already read these books and loved them, I must confess that I have committed a horrible crime. This is a crime that only true book-lovers know: I saw the movie first. I know, I know, I am a terrible person. The crime I have committed goes against everything I believe in when it comes to books ma More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 25, 2010

Adam rated it:

Ah. Cirque Du Freak. One of my all time favorites. I cant say enough about these books.
Do NOT judge a series by its first book. Sure its good, but you dont realize its AMAZING until a few books in. But all epics are like that, right? And yes. This is an epic. And it is epic. So if you have read the first, liked it but didnt want to read the other ones immediantly, then I say- DO IT!!!
What is it about? Vampires, vampaneze, wolves, freaks, witches, wizards, romance, death, twists, surp More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2009

Debbie rated it:

For young adult boys I would probably give this a 3.5 but for adults I would rate this at a 2. I did see on IMDb that they are making a movie out of the book.

Description: Darren Shan’s an ordinary schoolboy, until he and his best friend Steve get tickets to the Cirque Du Freak, a bizarre freak show featuring such arcane performers as Hans Hands, Gertha Teeth, the Wolf Man and Rhamus Twobellies. In the midst of the ghoulish excitement, true terror raises its head when Steve recognise More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 18, 2009

Tevin added it

Cirque du freak

I recommend this book to people who likes scary books, and I just love the book. It starts out boring but it gets interesting. You see story is about a boy named Darren Shan who wins a ticket to the circus. Darren and his crazy friend Steve went to the circus and saw wonderful things, especially a beautiful arachnid named Madam Octa who’s master is named Mr.Crespley who is my favorite character because he’s so mysterious and always knows anything that you ask him, an More...

0 comments like

Jan 27, 2009

Zhong rated it:

Cirque Du Freak: A Living Nightmare is the first book in Darren Shan’s saga. And the protagonist of the book is the author, Darren. This fictional story started when Darren receive a traveling circus ticket from Steve, one of his best friend. The Cirque Du Freak collection consists of memories of Darren Shan. I recommend it to those who seek the extraordinary.
The story starts in the circus show, where Darren’s life flipped up-side-down. Thinking this was one of the ordinary magic tricks, D More...

0 comments like

Dec 22, 2008

Travis rated it:

In the book Cirque Du Freak a Living Nightmare a boy name Darren Shan, the main character of the book is a teenage boy who has to face many obstacles in this book. Because of him, his best friend is in danger of dying because of poisonous spider bite. Just because of one mistake he did, he lost his best friend. He went to a circus and took the vampire’s spider. So he has to help his friend from dying by going through this dangerous path, which is to go to the vampire that owns the spider. But he More...

3 comments like

Jan 29, 2012

Butter Knife Gal rated it:

Hey, I just gotta say, this book rocks! I read it a couple years ago and still remember the series filled with surprises. It was scary, but not quite as scary as Shan's other series the Demonata series (check that out too!). Yeah, back then in 5th grade, I went through a horror book phase, good times, good times. While everyone else was crushing over Edward Cullen, I was busy reading about vampaneze and giant spiders. Why? Because I'm just that cool. *sarcastic expression*.

Okay More...

0 comments like

Jan 06, 2012

Liz rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Dec 14, 2011

Liyana rated it:

Tell me: how many of you read the Cirque du Freak series before you found out that the movie was coming out this year? *looks around*

...oh.

Well, that's really the only reason I started reading this. I've heard many good things about this series but since I'm a contrary person, I thought it was all hype. Luckily for me, I put my doubts to rest and actually tried this book out.

It starts off well. The protagonist calls himself Darren Shan. He's not actually Darren Sha More...

1 comment like

Nov 29, 2011

Rencca rated it:

Originally, I was looking for The Hunger Games when I found the book and I thought it was interesting. Since I was working on a poetry collection at the time revolving around fear, and since it had the commendations of J.K. Rowling printed on the front page, I decided to buy it.

I was dismayed at first to learn that it was more of a children's book. I had expected it to be a more mature read (being a horror story and all), but I grew to like it as it went on. This simplistic style of st More...

0 comments like

Nov 01, 2011

Chiara (Oscuro y Seductor Romance) rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Oct 28, 2011

John rated it:

Cirque Du Freak A Living Nightmare By Darren Shan

Hello my name is John gatchel and today I am going to tell you about a fiction book called Cirque Du Freak by Darren O'Shaughnessy born 2 July 1972 in London, England, who commonly writes under the pen name Darren Shan is an Irish author. He has also written the Demonata, Koyasan, The Thin Executioner, The City Book Trilogy, and the saga of Larten Crepsley.
The Story’s main character is Darren Shan and Steve Leonard (leopard) Darr More...

0 comments like

Oct 17, 2011

Caden added it

Mrs. Hansen English 8
Caden Gatherum

Cirque Du Freak
A Living Nightmare

The story was about a kid named Darren and his friend Steve go to a Cirque Du Freak show. Darren stole a vampire’s big spider then the vampire came to his house and killed him and the vampire made him his assistant.

The main characters are, Darren, Mr.Crepsley and Steve. Darren is the boy who stole the spider from the vampire at the Cirque Du Freak show. Mr. Crepsley is t More...

2 comments like

Oct 12, 2011

Raleigh rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Sep 07, 2011

miyna rated it:

Darren Shan and his best friend, Steve Leonard, had read horror comics and stories about werewolves and vampires the entire childhood life. When the Cirque du Freak came to town, they desperately wanted to go so they did everything they could to buy the tickets and sneak out of their houses. As they watched the entire freak show, Mr. Crepsley and his giant spider, Madam Octa, caught their eyes. Darren had always been amazed by spiders. After the show, Steve pleads Mr.Crepsley to turn him into a More...

0 comments like

Sep 07, 2011

qiqing rated it:

Darren Shan's friend found a place call cirque Du Freak. And Steve get the ticets to the Cirque Du Freak, and have only 2 tick, but they have 4friends. Then they have to battle to get the tickets. to see the Cirque Du Freak show. In battle Steve and Darren won the tickets. when the wiching the last act of the show know avampire comes out and Steve know about it, but no one knows about it. Steve tell Darren to go back home.and Steve talk to Mr.repsley(the vampire). But Darren did not liste More...

0 comments like

Aug 28, 2011

Vincent rated it:

As soon as i saw this book i had to read it. I love to read scary books. My friends have told me to try this book out so i did. This book is about Darren Shan and his best friend Steve Leopard sneaking out to go to a freak show. His friend Steve always had a thing for stuff like that, wolf man,and vampires.During the show Darren and Steve are fascinated by this vampire, Mr.Crepsley and his poisonous spider. After the show Steve asks him about turning him into a vampire. But Mr.Crepsley tastes hi More...

0 comments like

Aug 28, 2011

Sam rated it:

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan is about a teenage boy, Darren, and his best friend, Steve, going to a mysterious freak show. To their surprise, the people in the freak show are not acting, but instead they are actually born that way. Darren and Steve end up getting pulled into something much bigger than they imagined because Steve decides to accuse one of the freaks as a vampire. The theme of this book is do not believe everything you hear. I believe this is the theme of the story because Darr More...

0 comments like

Jul 31, 2011

Stephen rated it:

I read this book when it first came out in the 90s and even at the age of 10 I knew this book was truly awful maybe because being a young aspiring writer it jades you so you see through a lot of things which is a curse.

Plot.
Very predictable

Characters
Everyone in this book is a complete and utter douche none of them are redeeming in anyway which makes reading harder because if characters annoy you they are just irritating.

Writing style
This book got s More...

0 comments like