“The hands of Fate keep time on a heart-shaped watch."

I loved this installment in Cirque Du Freak. Reading each trial and its effects on Darren were quite an enjoyable read. The ending was a bit of a surprise/let down but sets up next installment remarkably well.

Think this might be one of my faves in the series.

En esta entrega nos enfocamos en los Ritos por los que tiene que pasar Darren para demostrar que Mr Crepsley no cometió un error al convertirlo. Por suerte durante su periodo en las cuevas se ha ganado varios amigos que lo ayudan a prepararse para ellos.

Me gustó este libro, ya empezamos a tener nociones de lo que se viene para los siguientes. Hay menciones de un tal Lord Vampaneze que podría ser el fin de los vampiros y siento que las piezas comienzan a avanzar.

Admito que me sorprendió el final, ocurre una traición importante que provoca que los hechos se desvíen de lo que esperábamos (es cierto que llegado en cierto punto, la traición era evidente). Tengo muchas ganas de leer el siguiente.

Trials of Death by Darren Shan is an outstanding book! I have been an avid reader and fan of the series since its debut in 2000. I remember reading the series since 6th grade and loving it ever since, despite the less than adequate movie. This book is the fifth installment in the franchise and never gets old. This story takes place after Darren and Mr. Crepsley, his vampire mentor, have been traveling from the Cirque for a while. Darren has been a half-vampire for a while now but cannot be a full one until he is acknowledged by the vampire princes atop vampire mountain, the last book. In trying to get the approval of the vampire higher-ups Darren has to face several trials... of death, to prove his vampiric abilities. “The trials happen one night after another” (Shan 9). so they are not easy they can sometimes involve, snake pits, drowning, scorching, and scarring, these are tasks not to be taken lightly. Failure to complete these trials in immediate death to the vampire in the trial along with whatever number of mentors he has at that time. During the novel Darren has to overcome five frightening trials that include, water prisms, stalactite venturing, fighting wild boars with bare hands, and fire prisons. Ultimately on his last trial, Darren is on the floor of the arena almost to be killed by a boar when harkat, his friend who sint a vampire, saves him from dying and then returns to their room at vampire mountain. Darren is confused with the fact at hand, he has always thought to do things they way they are for the vampires, to which His friend Kurda says, “Your verdicts inevitable... That doesn’t mean that you have to stay and face it” (Shan 163). Darren has to flee from the mountain along with Mr. Crepsley and Gavner Purl so that they will live.

Páni... tak tohle byl zatím nejlepší díl ze všech. Doufám, že to takhle bude i dál a s každým dílem to bude lepší a lepší

5/5
YESSSS THE TIME HAS COME THAT I GIVE A FIVE STAR. AND NO OTHER BOOK DESERVES IT LIKE THIS ONEEE. The best way i could describe it was that this book was like "ignite me" out of all the books in the shatter me series. IT WAS JUST TOOOOO GOOOOOOOD. And as ways, Mr Crepsley

پسر... =))))))))

Dit was tot nu toe verreweg mijn favoriete boek in deze serie. De plotwending had ik niet zien aankomen, al is het achteraf wel logisch. Ik heb echt een band opgebouwd met de personages en wilde het beste voor ze. Hartverscheurend dat dat niet altijd kan. Ook gaaf om de dilemma's te zien tussen ouderwets vampirisch denken en nieuwe ideeën, en om te zien hoe erg Darren veranderd is in zijn denkwijze sinds boek 1.

Bonus: Trials of Death heeft serieuze Hungergames vibes en is constant spannend. Heel erg gaaf!

Haiyyaaaa...

this was my FAVORITE in the series growing up !! all of these books just left me on the edge of my seat.

Re-read 14.7.17: Vrátila jsem se k re-readu, protože se mi o sérii zdálo... Od pětky dál je to pěkně depresivní. Věděla jsem, proč čekám. Zkoušky mě ale baví z mnoha důvodů - ať už to samotné zkoušení, opilecká fiesta nebo ten konec... Oh, you break my heart every time I read this, Darren.

Nakonec se mi to líbilo ještě více než předchozí díly. Hezky to uteklo a zkoušky byly fakt vymakaný nápad. Bohužel ten konec... Ach! To mi Shan neměl dělat...

4/5*

This was good, but a bit repetitive and was a bit lackluster until the ending. Also STILL NO CIRQUE DU FREAK. I miss it. Bring it back, I beg of thee. I will say that I really did enjoy Darren's character development in this book, and how he almost doesn't even realize how he is adapting. At the beginning, we saw him scoff at many of the customs that the vampires partake in, but in this book we see Darren really start to accept and adopt them himself.