SONS OF DESTINY BY DARREN SHAN

rating
(Cirque Du Freak, #12)
  URBAN FANTASY, YA


The stunning finale to the "New York Times" bestselling series brings Darren face-to-face with his archenemy, Steve Leopard. One of them will die. The other will become the Lord of the Shadows and destroy the world. Is the future written, or can Darren trick destiny?




A finale that ends up being depressing and cheerful at the same time. A beautiful ending that somehow seems hollow but ultimately stays imaginative in its twists and creative in its results. Darren Shan's character being named after the author is fully revealed and makes ironic sense in a warped humor. I think the hollowness is the feeling of so many lives touched that, in the presence and the reality, don't know what they're missing anymore since the events were so changed. But it was a respite to see Darren's end and how all worlds and all lives must come together anyway, so it's good after all. Again, depressing and sad - but cheerful and peaceful in a way too. I would another paragraph or two would have been added to show more of a reunion I wanted, but the magic of mystery stays strong by keeping it short.

There's plenty of action in this one; again the pacing is non-stop and the book easy to breeze through. There's a lot of tragedy and loss, in the ending as well, but the book ends in such a creative way you can't help but admire the plot structure. The fights are brutal and drawn out but not overbearing, and even the worst of the villains become more three-dimensional as they show more sides than 'just evil.' Well, besides that Mr. Tiny...

Such an excellent series, my favorite YA world. Every book has it's ups and downs but it all added together to be a gritty, surreal, one-of-a-kind journey. In a way I admire the ending, in a way I wanted a different one.

The Cirque Du Freak has been visited, it has been experienced, and part of me even survived it.


   Book Quotes:

“Even a minute of dying is better than an eternity of nothingness. ”

“But in life we don't usually get to choose the time of our defining moments. We just have to stand and face them when they come, no matter what sort of a state we're in.” 

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