This is one of the best Cirque books yet! Love a whole book dedicated to my boy Harkat Mulds. I love the escape room vibes and can't wait to learn more about Mr. Tiny's deal. Very disturbed yet entertained by Spits the pirate.

About the Book:
Shan takes a step back from the War of Scars and focuses on a character that we all have come to know and love: Harkat Mulds. Harkat's nightmares have returned, and Mr. Tiny shows up to transport Darren and the Little Person to another world so that the latter can figure out who he was in his past life.

Review:
Well, this book has definitely taken a different path from the rest of the series, and I must admit I very much enjoyed it. It was like a nice vacation, only not so relaxing. Darren and Harkat must come across a series of trials so that they may reach the lake of souls. Shan did a wonderful job at creating action in this book. It was definitely a page turner. His monstrous creatures were extremely vivid as well, such as the giant (and I mean GIANT) toad. I especially liked the Grotesque. It was completely unique and revolting. In this book, we are also introduced to the Kulashkas, which seem to be kinsfolk of the Guardians of Blood that we witnessed in the Vampire Mountain trilogy. I still wish we could have learned more about the Kulashkas/Guardians of Blood and their culture. Why do they milk the Grotesque? Why do they eat the dead? Hell, how did the Grotesque even come into being?

Then, once more, Shan continues to drop surprises and twists. I was especially shocked when I found out where they were and who Harkat was. Now, with the hint Mr. Tiny leaves, you may be able to figure it out on your own though it seems to have surprised a good chunk of people. This was definitely my favourite of the series so far, and I cannot wait to read the final two.

After the devastating events at the end of book 9 I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. I knew a huge gap would be left by the fallen and I wasn't sure how it would move forward without him.
But Darren is our storyteller and he manages to spin his tale and make everything work. Although I still deeply missed our fallen comrade.
This book mainly focuses on Darren and Harkat, it is time for Harkat to discover the truth about his past and journey through barren lands, dark tunnels, big lakes and dragon infested mountains. Possibly the hardest journey they have faced yet, they are on their own and there is no going back until their quest is fulfilled.
I found parts of this a bit silly and wasn't sure all things were necessary - I really didn't like Spits Abrams, he creeped me out and just made me wonder what he was on!
It also takes you away from the Battle of Scars and the impending Vampire War. It seems a bit strange to move away from that when you are on the edge of a mass battle, but I suppose Shan is saving that for the last book or 2 in the series. And it was a nice change in some ways. I like Harkat as a character and was intrigued by the ending when we discover who he was. I won't give it away but I never expected it.
Looking forward to seeing how the series ends, but will be sad when I have to let it go.

AMAZING !!! Each book just gets better and better.

Once again, Darren Shan has done it! This installment is an interesting and fun read. I am enjoying reading about Darren and how mature he has gotten. But... I’m still a bit mad with the death of one of my favorite characters.

Still, this one is really good. The setting comes into play in this one and it’s crazy, but totally awesome!! And I’m also super happy about Ralph Lister being the narrator again. There’s just something in his voice that makes this series all the better!

I’m pretty sure I said this previously, but I’m keeping this review on the shorter side because I want to review the whole series once I’m done.

So without further ago... of course I recommend this to readers!! Those who like a good dash of fantasy, friendship, and craziness, then this is for you!! But do start at the beginning or else you’ll be uber confused.

"What's happening? Where have the lights gone?"
"The lights, Spits!" I say innocently.
"I can't see!" He gasped. "It's pitch black!"
"Really?" I said, eager to punish him for fouling things up with the Kulashkas. "I cam see fine. How about you, Harkat?"
"Perfectly," Harkat murmured. "I wish I had...sunglasses, it's so bright."
"My eyes!" Spits howled. "I'm blind!"

A couple of huge twists in this one. The story is pretty much Harkat Mulds and Darren on a quest to find out who Mulds was when he was alive. Toss in some dragons, cannibalism(?!) and a huge revelation and you have a pretty cool story. It really did get away from the main storyline but I'm assuming it's all going to tie back and become very important later. I'm near the end of the series and I have to say it's bittersweet as it has been a great read.

Darren Shan must help his friend Harakat Muld figure out his true identify. For Harakat to find his identity he has to go on a quest to the lake of souls but Mr.Tiny has one heck on a journy planned for them. So Darren and Harakat go on the adventure that is planned for them and on the way they find something unusual. Will they find out who Harakat is? This book is about friendship,loyalty and good vs evil. Read more to find out.

This was a bit of a ride. Kinda guessed that Harkat would be someone like who he was (in the way that he was made and the time thing) but never thought it'd be that guy.

Maybe Im burning out, but this book was not that interesting. Also, a new character is introduced with 2 more books to go. Who does that?

4/5 ⭐

This book was unlike any other in this series. It's as if the characters just got plopped into a whole other world (literally, they did) and nothing else from this series that had happened mattered. I'm all for it though, I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. It was a nice break from the events from last book (

tDarren Shan and Harkat Mulds, the mysterious little person, are sent on a quest to discover who Harkat was in his previous life, but the quest they are sent on was not what they expected.
t“Lake of Souls” was an interesting book that made itself different from the other ones, taking place in a land previously unknown to Darren and Harkat, or any of the main characters. In this new land, the author has nothing holding him back from letting his imagination go wild, and the book is filled with all sorts of adventures that the author wouldn’t have been able to incorporate in the series regularly. There is also an aspect of mystery, since after all, they trying to discover Harkat’s previous identity.
tThere wasn’t much that I disliked about the book. Being very unique from the others, while also keeping what made some of the other books so good, I highly enjoyed “The Lake of Souls.”