Author: Darren Shan
Series: The Saga of Larten Crepsley (book 2)
Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks
Release Date: 29 Sept 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0007315901
Synopsis
Before Larten Crepsley was a vampire general...
Before he was Darren Shan's master...
Before the War of Scars...
Larten Crepsley was a teenager. And he was sick of the pomp and circumstance of fusty old vampires telling him what to do. Taking off on his own with his blood brother, Wester, Larten takes off into the world to see what his newly blooded vampire status can get him in the human world. Sucking all he can out of humanity, Larten stumbles into a violent, hedonistic lifestyle, where cheats beckon, power corrupts, and enemies are waiting.
This is his story.
My Review
Carrying straight on from book 1, Larten is geting used to being a vampire, but that doesn't mean he likes all that comes with it. Fed up of all the rules, training and hassle he sets off for a bit of freedom, taking Wester with him. Wester has also been turned into a Vampire by Seba Nile so the two become like brothers. They go after adventure, fun and end up drinking, fighting, chasing women and generally getting up to mischief with a group of like minded vampires known as the 'Cubs'.
I actually found this a bit frustrating, knowing what a great vampire Larten becomes, I was shocked to see him behave so poorly and disregard everything we later know that he believes in. He acts selfishly and immaturely and seems to have no regard for others. However it also shows how he changes and develops as a character to come through it all, but for me it seemed to go on a bit too long.
Larten ends up turning his back on that life, thoroughly fed up with no real purpose to his long life he ends up back at Vampire Mountain, but whereas Wester seems comfortable there and finds what he wants to do, Larten isn't ready to settle in one place and so he continues his search for more and ends up on a ship bound for America. Despite the book being called 'Ocean of Blood' he doesn't get on that boat until about half-way through. We are introduced to Malora, a human who used to serve Evanna the witch but who chooses to leave with Larten instead. She was an interesting character, I had to wonder what she saw in Larten to make her stay around and put up with him for so long, but I liked their dynamic and was excited to see where it would go.
I read this one just as quickly as the first and again it was good to see characters i recognised from the Darren Shan saga. I did find it a bit more exciting than the first but I wanted more from Larten, I want him to find his way.
My Rating
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