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Vampire Mountain

(Cirque du Freak #4)

Darren Shan (Goodreads Author)

4.17 · Rating details · 28,369 ratings · 758 reviews

In the fourth book of the bestselling Cirque Du Freak series, Darren Shan and Mr. Crepsley embark on a dangerous trek to the very heart of the vampire world. But they face more than the cold on Vampire Mountain-the vampaneze have been there before them.
Will a meeting with the Vampire Princes restore Darren's human side, or turn him further toward the darkness? Only one th ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 208 pages

Published September 1st 2003 by Little, Brown Young Readers (first published 2001)

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4.17 ·

Rating details

· 28,369 ratings · 758 reviews

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Nov 07, 2017 Miranda Reads rated it liked it

Shelves: ya-series, audiobook

This is not going to include anything to do with the actual Cirque Du Freak

You have been warned. I know, I was pretty devastated too...

It's not a bad book. Darren has settled into vampire life somewhat well but upon summons by the Vampire Council, both he and Mr. Crepsley have to trek to Vampire Mountain to plead their case.

Throughout the book, we are given snitches and tidbits of what vampire society is like - harsh, cruel and noble. The author has no qualms about depicting gruesome details. ...more

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Jan 04, 2015 Kyle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Good read but frustrating ending…

So great story, the plot is building, it’s really starting to get good and then, TO BE CONTINUED…

Really? The book is only 212 pages long! I get that the author is writing these for a young audience but we can sit and read a book that’s longer than 200 pages. The Harry Potter series should have proven that. If you’re going to publish a book then make it a complete story for crying out loud. Right now I just feel cheated. If the rest of the series ends up being

...more

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Jul 17, 2016 James Trevino rated it did not like it

This was pretty bad. It is really hard to judge the books in this series because they are parts of a bigger story. Even so, I felt that the first three entries were way better than Vampire Mountain was. I understand the need for an overreaching arc, but as a stand-alone novel this book offers almost nothing. It starts nowhere and leads nowhere, with a bunch of new characters being introduced and no climax. Nothing really happens until the last few pages that set up the next novel.
The only good ...more

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Oct 05, 2017 Rachel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, horror-i-read-in-2017, ontd-2017, horror, books-of-2017, autumn-2017-sfrc

Not my favorite book in the series so far, which isn't to say that the writing is bad or anything - the series is consistently good. If the series was a TV show, this might be considered the "filler" episode. I still liked the story quite a bit, but I'm more excited for the next one!

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Jul 07, 2010 Paul Eckert rated it really liked it

This marks the fourth book I've read in the Cirque Du Freak series, and I keep expecting to be disappointed, waiting for the magic to run out. Thankfully, the series is still strong and still gripping.

One of the things I like best about the Cirque Du Freak series is that the protagonist, Darren Shan (yes, also the author's name...which I thought was a pretty hilarious thing to do, thought I bet his intention was to make it more 'real' for the young adult audience), never has an easy time. Consi ...more

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Apr 14, 2017 Niki rated it did not like it

2 stars seems a little generous for this, since the book had nothing to offer, so 1,5 it is. It was basically an infodump about the "broader universe" just to set up the next book, with a little bit of "Darren's life in Cirque du Freak has gone stale so we have to move on" in the beginning. Just when I was expecting some action, the -already short- book ended.

Not to mention a terribly sexist remark at one point: "There aren't many vampire women because we can't have children" Obviously, when a w ...more

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Apr 06, 2019 Etienne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Another great adventure for Darren Shan, a bit less complete in itself, it's really a piece in this awesome story and it open up for the next one in a good way, but in itself, even if the characters evolve and we learn more about the vampire world, alone, it felt less complete then the other volume who could have been read has stand alone in some and still be enjoyable. I really looking forward reading another one, probably around next month! One of the best, if not the best, fantasy series for ...more

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May 15, 2019 Fernando rated it really liked it · review of another edition

He looked like a nice old uncle but was really a cruel, dark-hearted man who'd cut your tongue out as soon as say hello to you.

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Jun 11, 2009 Jeff_§of2014 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 7th-grade-ir-book-stacy

This is the fourth book in the Cirque Du Freak series. In this series Darren Shan assumes the role of a half vampire and travels with Mr Crepsley as he learns more about his new powers of a vampire and he adapts to the standards and needs of a new vampire life. In this book, Darren has to travel to vampire mountain, the journey can take months and they are forced to travel on bare feet. On the way to the mountain with Mr Crepsley, they met Gavner Purl, a Vampire General who was following Mr Crep ...more

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Nov 24, 2017 Maddison rated it really liked it

As I listened to this book, it all came back to me :D I love how this is the book where he (view spoiler) I also love learning about the (view spoiler) I'm so interested in how everyone just listens to (view spoiler) Also reminded me of how much of a shitfest the movie was. They most definitely ...more

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Jul 15, 2017 Joel rated it liked it

Shelves: yearly-reads-2017

Don't know really what happened with this one. It seems that perhaps the publisher might have pressured Mr. Shan to split a book in two, because this one is only half a book. Most of the book was used to do some infodumping and then end a cliffhanger. Still like the characters and where the story is going, but it was quite disappointing especially compared to how good the last one was which so far it has been the high point of the series. But hey, these books are short and fun, and the violence ...more

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Oct 11, 2014 Siobhan rated it really liked it

There is a time jump between the end of the last book and this one, jumping us forward to the next set of important events in Darren’s vampire life.

We’re once again introduced to a new set of characters, all of which you come to love. We’re also given more information about the vampire world, learning even more than we have been given in the last three books. It is here that we really start to see other vampires, coming to understand their lifestyles. Another great book in the series!

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Jul 05, 2013 Dan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, love

I AM LITERALLY SHAKING RIGHT NOW. THAT ENDING OH GOD WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO DARREN UGH I HAVE A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE BOOKS.

This book is way darker than the other ones. We're introduced to a whole new aspect of the vampire world and how the vampire politics works. I absolutely loved the dark tone in this book and I can't wait to read the next 8 books asdjsdgfsdjgjdsfs!

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Jun 29, 2016 Hannah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dutch

I was pretty dissapointed how Evra and Darren weren't close anymore in this book but I'll get over that I guess...
I really like the idea of the vampire mountain and the tests I can't wait to start the next book! (Arra is really bad ass I like her)

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Jan 11, 2018 Martin Kurij rated it liked it · review of another edition

Another enjoyable read, a few loose ends unanswered for but hopefully they will have answers in the next few books.
Not a fan of Kurda, He stinks of betrayal.

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May 29, 2018 Jemimah rated it it was ok

This book was so repetitive and annoying. I know it’s a middle grade book but c’mon it had the potential to be a great middle grade book. This book could have easily of been joint on to the previous book or the next book in the series rather than being a separate book. Not much was going on tbh it was just a whole lot of info-dumping and plus the story doesn’t include Evra or the other performers of the cirque du freak and that makes me sad because I loved the atmosphere at the cirque and it mad ...more

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Sep 01, 2018 Brenda Edwards rated it it was amazing

FINALLY FINISHED 😊
I really wished this book was longer, the 200 pages didn't satisfied me, i was so into the story then boom to be continued 😑
I definitely rated it a 5 stars on goodreads thou

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Nov 10, 2018 Alexis Barth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, owned-books, completed-reads

It wasn't my favorite out of all the books of the series, but this book is just as important as the others due to the significant amount of details it provides that will be useful to know for the future tale.

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Aug 23, 2018 Amber rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, read-2018, paranormal

The start of the new arc caused story build up slumping.

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Aug 30, 2018 Marcy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really enjoying this series! Don’t want to say too much in this review because this is the 4th book and I feel like anything would be a spoiler. Just know that this series is fantastic and I really recommend it!

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Oct 23, 2012 Julianna Martinez rated it really liked it

Book Report Guidelines – Good Reads
Name of book: Vampire Mountain
Author: Darren Shan
Pages: 208
Genre: Fiction
Reading Level of book:

Exposition (4-6 sentences)
In Vampire Mountain, Darren is a half-vampire. He is Mr. Crepsley’s assistant. Mr. Crepsley is the Vampire that turned Darren into a half-vampire. Mr.Crepsley tould Darren that they will be leaving the Cirque Du Freak because Mr. Crepsley had to present Darren to the Vampire Council. The Council only meets once every twelve years. They have Book Report Guidelines – Good Reads
Name of book: Vampire Mountain
Author: Darren Shan
Pages: 208
Genre: Fiction
Reading Level of book:

Exposition (4-6 sentences)
In Vampire Mountain, Darren is a half-vampire. He is Mr. Crepsley’s assistant. Mr. Crepsley is the Vampire that turned Darren into a half-vampire. Mr.Crepsley tould Darren that they will be leaving the Cirque Du Freak because Mr. Crepsley had to present Darren to the Vampire Council. The Council only meets once every twelve years. They have to go on a journey through the mountains without using any of their Vampire abilities.

Conflict: (4-6 sentences)
On their journey, Darren and Mr. Crepsley found Vampire coffins, and they encountered a Vampaneze Bear. When Darren arrived at Vampire Mountain, he took a tour of the halls. Darren competed in a game. He had to compete against Arra, of the girl vampires. He competed with her because he wanted to earn her respect, and the Princes heard about that and they were surprised. Darren and Arra fenced, and when Darren beat Arra, he earned her respect.

Climax: (4-6 sentences)
When Mr. Crepsley presents Darren to the Vampire Princes, they don’t like that Mr. Crepsley blooded a child. They disapprove because it was against the rules to blood a child. Mr. Crepsley told them not to punish Darren, but to punish him because it was his fault. Since Mr. Crepsley had a history with the Princes, they respected him, and gave him a chance to prove the boy worthy. The Vampire Princes said that Darren has to show that he is worthy of being in the Vampire Ranks.

Resolution: (4-6 sentences)
In order for Darren to show he is worthy, he has to complete the Trails of Death. The Trails of Death is a test. Darren learns that if he passes, he will be accepted into the Vampire Ranks. However, if he fails, or quits, he will be killed. Darren’s adventure continues onto the next book.

Choose a theme in your book and compare to any piece of literature we have read in class. What is similar? What is different? What have you learned about the human experience? (7-10 sentences)

A theme of Vampire Mountain would be friendship. It is similar to The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie makes two friends who he thought were funny, and he connected to. In Vampire Mountain, Darren found two friends as well. They were Vampires who were much older than him, and he used their advice to help him understand the ways of a Vampire. Similarly, Charlie received advice from his older friends about his life and being weird. Additionally, these two books are similar in that Charlie is a teenager going through hard times, and Darren is a young kid trying to understand the world. In Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie is lonely and sensitive, but in Vampire Mountain, Darren is tough, and confident. In the end, Charlie makes friends and is no longer alone, but Darren has to take a bigger risk and be alone. Both books teach that no matter where you come from, you’ll always be similar to someone.
...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Fabio rated it really liked it

Shelves: 9th-grade-advisory

Vampire Mountain
By: Darren Shan

ISBN: 0316905747
208 Pages
Publisher: Little Brown Young Readers
2004

Vampire Mountain Is the 4th book of the cirque du freak series. It is as great of a book as the others. But now Darren and Mr. Crepsly are traveling to take several trails for Darren Will Darren pass them and continue his life? Or does it all ends at the trails? Darren Shan continues his great work of description. His new characters are just unbelievably amazing. Darren just continues on with this Vampire Mountain
By: Darren Shan

ISBN: 0316905747
208 Pages
Publisher: Little Brown Young Readers
2004

Vampire Mountain Is the 4th book of the cirque du freak series. It is as great of a book as the others. But now Darren and Mr. Crepsly are traveling to take several trails for Darren Will Darren pass them and continue his life? Or does it all ends at the trails? Darren Shan continues his great work of description. His new characters are just unbelievably amazing. Darren just continues on with this great plot and he makes it even greater than before each time.
Darren Shan just continues to describe everything better and better. Each book is another movie playing in your head. When Darren runs into the wolves on his way to Vampire Mountain, and they start to act like dogs. You can just see the wolves, ravage animals at first, then mans best friend. And when he describes them walking to Vampire Mountain, you imagine your self walking towards Vampire Mountain.
Darren’s new characters just made the book even more all the best. They just make this book more and more fantastic. These new vampires make it seem as if it’s the beginning all over. You just want to learn more and more about these characters and continue reading. He gives the characters such great characteristics. You would imagine they are real people he just turned into book characters.
Darren’s plot just gets even better. Each book he makes, everything gets so much better. He continues to write his books better each time. The plot becomes more captive. You would not want to put the book down. All you would want is to find out how things would end out. He makes a ravaging savage wolf turn into a vampire’s best friend. Vampaneze’s trying to kill Darren and his crew, trying to prevent them from reaching Vampire Mountain.
Darren Shan never stops writing his awesome stories. He makes them so realistic and so imaginable. His plots in each book gets better and better. His descriptions are just amazing. The characters are just great. You will die of reading hunger from reading this book.
...more

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Apr 20, 2015 Nikki May rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was another good book in the cirque du freak series that didn't let it down not one bit, it was about Darren and Mr Crepsley's Journey to Vampire mountain, where they would seek counsel with the vampire princes about Darren being blooded by Mr Crepsley. This wasn't an easy journey they weren't allowed to flit, they had to do it all almost like a human, in the cold wet dark and dangerous woods, land, caves. They met a few characters along the way bears and vampinese and wolves who they befri ...more

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May 22, 2015 Parker O'connor rated it really liked it

I think Cirque Du Freak Vampire Mountain was a great book. The book was full of great moments. The Vampaneze make a comeback and it is the main issue in the book. Mr. Crepsley and Darren decide to go to Vampire Mountain for the meeting of the counsel because it only happens every 8 years. It is a terribly hard journey and Mr. Tiny forces them to take two little people along with them. On their way they stop and find a dead vampire. They think he was ambushed by a animal and move on. They then sm ...more

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Jun 02, 2015 Elio Zebinato rated it really liked it

The book overall was good and it introduced some new characters and a new setting. However, it did use the same formula as the old books but still did change enough things to keep the story interesting and fun to read. The story moves on from the old circus that the main character used to live in and brings the story to a more vampire exclusive place, Vampire Mountain. However, before he goes there he meets a Little Person which follows him to Vampire Mountain to deliver a secret message for the ...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Migelle Orobia rated it liked it

Cirque Du Freak, Vampire Mountain by Darren was not enjoyable as i thought it would be. Overall it's a fantastic book to read but it was not like the other series. I would have to say that this was not my favorite book out of the series because the whole book was Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and Gavner trying to reach Vampire Mountain. There was some interesting parts like a vampaneze was lurking around the area and they meet a pack of wolves. Even though this was not my favorite out of the series I wo ...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Molly S rated it it was ok

I have to say, I didn't enjoy this book as much as i hoped to. I thought it was kind of boring. Like, at some points it could be really interesting but other parts just kind of fell flat. I also think that the first half was a lot better than the second.
In this book a lot of the adults really bugged me. I feel like they thought that just because Darren Was a kid, that meant he wasn't strong or smart. Like, he can do a lot more than what these people give him credit for. I mean, he did make it al ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Patryk Stypulkowski rated it it was amazing

Darren Shan has been a half-vampire for most of his life. Now, for reasons unknown to him, he must make the dangerous trek to Vampire Mountain and be presented to the Vampire Princes. However, at Vampire Mountain, he is not safe.
Vampire Mountain was a book that stood out from the previous three books in the series. The first three books were all focused on the hardships of Darren’s life. The books were about how Darren was forced to accept being a vampire. The fourth book suddenly changes the ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

So this is my third attempt of trying to read this book something would always come up never got past the first page trip to London was the first attempt Second attempt was stopped because I was working too many hours at work so I finally got a chance to do this in a buddy read
My favourite bit was when Darren got on with the Wolves and I even gave one of them a name then we got told that vampires And wolves are cousins wow
I thought the elephant underwear was funny lol
I found this book little b ...more

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Dec 15, 2009 Reagan rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This book is the third book to this series and it is about how Darren, Mr.Crepsley,and Gavner Purl set of on an incredible journey to Vampire Mountain for the council to get Darren actually approved to be a half vampire. On the journey they bring two little people because of Mr. Tiny's orders, and meet some incredible wolves on the way.

I personally thought this book was okay (especially not as good as the other ones) because the journey was way to long and the journey after a while got realy i ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cirque Du Freak-A...: Vampire Mountain	16	24	Sep 24, 2018 02:11PM
Who is your favorite character?	3	20	Dec 20, 2014 03:03PM
Scary or not ?	29	93	Aug 19, 2014 04:38AM
could you adapt to the vampire world and what would hold you from doing so?	17	28	Jun 17, 2012 05:22AM

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About Darren Shan

Darren Shan

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Librarian's note: Also writes books for adults under the name Darren Dash. And in the past he has released books for adults under the names D.B. Shan and Darren O'Shaughnessy.

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 ...more