Darren Shan, like any typical boy, has an obsession with spiders and sports and an overwhelming need to prove himself. Plagued with the curiosity also known to boys his age, he finds himself sucked into a world that had previously only existed in his darkest nightmares. With his bad-boy best friend Steve, he attends a late night “freak show” where he encounters beasts from the crypt and monsters from mythology.

When both boys find themselves drawn to different aspects of this dark and dangerous world, they end up putting their lives at risk and must face the consequences and pay the penalties for rules broken and property stolen. When Darren is forced to enter into an evil pact in order to save his best friend’s life, will he be able to uphold his end of the bargain, even if it means leaving behind everything that he knows and loves?

In all honesty, this book is not very well written and is clearly directed to a very young audience. My biggest complaint about the story is that there is nothing admirable about ANY characters. They are all lying, cheating, selfish and arrogant, not the kind of characters I would want my own children emulating.

Rated: Mild for scenes of terror and violence and very mild language.