The Vampire's Assistant, Vol. 2

Cirque Du Freak: The Manga #2

by Darren Shan

The Barnes & Noble Review

Darren Shan continues the saga of a teenage boy who gets unwittingly drawn into a world of vampires, werewolves, and other freaky creatures with this second installment in his innovative Cirque Du Freak series. Shan's protagonist, who bears the same name as the author, is one of the most complex and innovative characters ever to see the light of day -- a freedom he may soon lose if he gives in to his craving for human blood and becomes a full vampire rather than a mere half-blood. Darren's dilemma is a tough one: Drink the blood of a fellow human -- an act that will cost him the few remaining shreds of his humanity -- or die.

Feeling lost, lonely, and at odds with himself, Darren is delighted when his vampiric mentor, Mr. Crepsley, makes the decision to rejoin the traveling freak show. Among the oddball characters who comprise the show's performers, Darren finally makes some friends, most of whom are as weird or weirder than he is. In an effort to regain some semblance of his old life, Darren also befriends two outsiders, normal human beings whose well-intentioned actions will eventually lead to tragic results. As events unfold with the same sense of inevitability as the rising and setting sun, Darren is once again torn between his own needs and those of the others around him. His heroism and self-sacrifice -- all done in the name of friendship -- garner results that are both tragic and rewarding.

It's to the author's credit that despite their deformities, strange abilities, and offbeat appearances, most of the oddball characters who populate the Cirque Du Freak come across as refreshingly self-reliant, confident, and...well...normal. This tight-knit community of outcasts, with their strong sense of family and friendship, make for an intriguing supporting cast. And while most YA readers may not be able to relate personally to Darren's moral and ethical struggles with his vampirism, they will undoubtedly connect with his overwhelming desire to fit in somewhere and belong. (Beth Amos)

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Vampires, Horror, Graphic Novels, Supernatural, Young Adult

Unknown Binding

About the author

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 Series in the United States. He is the author of the series The Demonata, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, and Zom-B. He has also released the stand-alone novel, The Thin Executioner, and the stand-alone short novels, Koyasan, and Hagurosan. Plus, for adults, he released The City Trilogy (originally under the name of D.B. Shan), and Lady of the Shades..

Reviews

[Totoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

being a fan of darren shan and manga both, this book was like ice cream with coffee for me , both yummy and mixed together amazing. well the story doesn't need any explanation on it's own, and the art of manga is quite good.

من معمولا ریویو هامو انگلیسی مینویسم چون رایتینگم ضعیفه و دوس دارم تقویت بشه اما تصمیم گرفتم ازین به بعد دوتاشو بنویسم.
خوب من از بچگی طرفدار دارن شان بودم و خواهم بود یکی از بهترین مجموعه هاییه که خوندم. خوب داستان این کتاب هم مثل جلد اول حرف نداشت همه چی به اندازه کافی داشت وحشت کمدی تراژدی کلا همه چی. آرت مانگا هم خیلی خوب بود ولی به پای دی گری من و وان پیس نمیرسید البته شاید هنوز بهش عادت نکردم و به مرور بهتر بشه

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oooh, the action heats up in the second volume of Cirque du Freak the manga! I'm really enjoying reading the story as a manga and enjoy the great illustrations. Still, Mr. Crepsley looks awesome! I really like the way Takahiro-san imagined him and drew him!

Poor Darren is going through a lot, and starts to see a new beginning as a half vampire in this volume, but quickly, heartbreak is waiting for him at the end. And will he ever agree to drink human blood?

The best part about this.... I finished reading it while waiting in line to get into the Miley Cyrus concert! Woot!

2015 edit
Well, while I did really enjoy this volume, I changed the original rating from 4 to 3 stars because it just doesn't feel like a 4 star rating to me quite yet. There were a lot of emotions in this volume, and I definitely teared up. I really am enjoying the characters and the story. I think this story is most likely best told in graphic novel format. I like that Takahiro-san is not afraid to get a little gory with his artwork, and I definitely like the creep factor he brings to it.

It's a shame I was excited about Miley Cyrus... lol that was back when she was being awesome and not starved for attention *sigh* Oh well.

[J.S. Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like what my heart. How dare you. That was incredible. I can vaguely remember where it altered from the book but it was done perfectly. It was just so true to the book, in essence and in content. Yes like I said there were a couple of changes but it was in beautiful. No the art isn't my favourite but it's growing on me. I really like how they did the Larten and Darren scenes and Sam Grest is a precious child that needs saving. But oops too late.

[Viridiana Ruiz]

Que mejor manera de cumplir mi reto de goodreads que leyendo a Darren Shan!

[Makaylah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been so sad since I read this!
Cirque Du Freak Vol. 2 by Darren Shan, is so sad a character ,well leaves, and they were so sweet. It's a book that gives a lot of a emotions that will make you cry when something bad happens to a character you just met. It shows a great story that makes you question what happens next. I would recommend this to people who love fantasy and supernatural features. This is my review on Cirque Du Freak Vol. 2.

[Btheilmanngohr3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Darren, being a half-vampire, has trouble making friends, with his powers always negatively impacting the situation. Because of this, Larten gets the idea to go back to the Cirque. Here, Darren meets Evra Von, the snake boy, and becomes friends with him. I believe this book also introduces Desmond Tiny, but I'm not really sure. Anyway, we also meet two new humans, Sam Grest, a kid, and R.V. A.K.A. Reggie Veggie, A eco warrior. Because Sam was excited about the circus, Darren gave him tickets for him and R.V. to go see it. However, Sam wants to be part of the circus now, so Darren says to him he can't, so he wouldn't become a half vampire like he was. Then we see R.V. , whose angry because of the wolf man being locked up. R.V. tries to free wolf man, wolf man chases Sam, Darren tries to protect sam, but he dies. Because of this, Darren drinks his blood to preserve his spirit, but wouldn't do it before because he didn't like human blood. Anyway, the book was quite nice.

[Cassey · Rating 5 out of 5]

At the end it made me cry so much.Even though I already knew someone was gonna die because of my spoiling brother.I really cried that I had to stop for a bit and continue.I just really want to read the 3rd one.

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was sooo sad!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art gets better as you go but it always leaves me hyped after reading a chapter. The characters are just so fabulous that I can't help but smile. I feel like i'm going the journey with them.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

fast paced and entertaining

[J Jahir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segundo libro de esta serie. Darren tiene que empezar su nueva vida al lado de Crepsley, no como una persona normal, sino como el asistente del vampiro, ya que a raíz de un sacrificio que hizo para salvar a su amigo steve, la condición era que le proporcionaría el antídoto de la araña a cambio de convertirlo en un vampiro. Un camino donde tendrá que aprender la dura lección de alimentarse de sangre, aunque permanecía renuente a ello, pero ya formaba parte de su naturaleza... conocemos a un personaje que cae muy bien y se vuelvve amigo de Darren, aunque es humano pero logran un lazo entrañable... aunque lo triste es muy doloroso por ese final. es uno de esos que no te esperas y que duelen mucho.
Prepárense con Mr. Tinny, es un personaje muy misterioso que parece estar al tanto de los movimientos y la vida de Darren, y aparece ocasionalmente en el cirque du freak. Uno ni se huele quién es ni cuáles son sus objetivos hasta que llegues al libro 12, pero aún así te da bastante miedo.
A propósito, un detalle que no mencioné: la serie está relatada en forma de diario por el propio darren, de forma que conocemos de primera mano sus aventuras, vivencias y tristezas. en cada libro él va haciendo un pequeño resumen que se amplía con cada libro para ponernos en contexto y continuar relatando la historia, lo cual me gusta mucho ese recurso, y a pesar de ser narrado en primera persona, no te aburre, y le pone emoción en los puntos críticos cuando ocurre algo inesperado.

[Carrie-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely recommend reading the books before the manga series, there's a lot of info you don't get but my brain just filled in the blanks because of my knowledge of the books.

Like any adaption, some of the characters I really liked the look of and others felt way off base (I don't think I've ever seen a picture of Mr Crepsley that looks right in terms of how I've pictured him since a child) Darren and Evra don't necessarily look how I picture them, but I really like the way they've been brought to life.

The gruesome scenes haven't been watered down, which I very much appreciate

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a lot more gruesome than the last and even though there was heavy foreshadowing that something bad was going to happen, I’m still reeling. That was awful! But I can see why this had to be a point in the story. A couple of the plot holes I pointed out earlier were filled in too.

As for Steve, no appearance.

This series has 12 volumes and is based on the Darren Shan novel series Cirque du Freak.

[Ethan Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cirque Du Freak By: Darren Shan was extremely well. This volume was very dark and grim compared to the first. I love how they implemented the way of being a vampire and the introducing of lots of new characters. I love ending and how being a vampire isn't so bad. I would recommend this book to the people that like horror and twist. This book was definatly one of my favorites.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally really enjoyed reading the book. There were a lot of exciting and scary parts in the book. The Cirque was always travailing and they met a lot of different people wherever they went. I really enjoy the authors style of writing, Darren writes a lot of good books. I'm looking forward to another great book by Darren.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darren is back, and this time his choices while living amongst Cirque Du Freak could mean life and death for those he cares most about. "The Vampire's Assistant" is a brilliant sequel that amps up the fear and fun with stellar artwork by Arai. Be prepared for more suspense and surprises as the world of monsters come calling!

[Daniel]

I think that this book was really good and I loved it I will read the whole book series I really think the wolf man was unfair because at the end of the book he killed Sam and it was really sad and Darren had to drink Sams blood so he didn't die so he drank human blood and survived till the end but he probably wont drink human blood again.

[Xenneth E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is more like it. Moving into book two, the has to involve less of laying the general plot, and can really delve into the details. This does an excellent job of adapting the (albeit slightly truncated, due to the short format of a manga) plot. And he drew Sam (a boy who dies) with the most sweet little baby face, and his death is handled perfectly.

[Kayla Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the first one. The one thing that drives me crazy about the author, is he uses the word "poisonous" where he should be using the word "venomous". Nothing irritates me more than when an author doesn't do their research beforehand.

[Ösp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Önnur bókin í seríunni um Darren Shan (og eftir Darren Shan líka). Aðstoðarmaður vampírunnar reynir að læra að lifa sem vampíra en er ekki mjög hrifinn af þeim lífsstíl. Nokkuð um andlát og blóð er drukkið, svona eins og gerist og gengur í barnabókum!

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great book! I love Darren and Crepsley's friendship. And Evra is super cool. I look forward to reading some more!

[Raegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even more sad than the last book but really good

[Amara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatic drawing, emotional story, superb pacing compared to the original books.

[Meri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great to see the more emotional moments reproduced. I'm loving the art style - particularly for Larten Crepsley *swoons*

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the character designs here! Too bad only the cover is in color. There's not a lot of grey area characters - people are either on the side of the main character, standing for good, moral actions, or they're acting in an evil or misguided way.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ahmed Seyam]

It is a nice book ,very exciting, always leaves at a point where you just you want to continue, or just go the last page of the book to know how it is going to end up.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is very interesting with all the action and adventure happening so quickly. I love this series so far, I can't wait to continue.

[Penelope Sebastiano · Rating 5 out of 5]

very sad i literaly cried when sam died