Mrs Mad's humble opinion 9/10 Very good. I am pleased with this. What's it about? A teenager whose life is changed forever when he becomes involved with a freak show, an enormous spider and a vampire! What happens? Darren and his friend Steve find a way to visit a mysterious Freak Show, they are amazed by what they see but Steve seems to recognise one of the company and stays behind. Darren, worried about his friend hides and hears him ask the strange man an outrageous request. Darren is frightened by his friends interest in the macabre, but is fascinated by the spider, Madam Octa. He steals her and sets in motion a terrible chain of events that will lead to his friends near death and his own demise! Is it easy to read? Easily read and not too long, these books will be ideal for the growing reader, boys who are finding it difficult to choose a new book should give these a try as long as they don't mind horror. Girls will enjoy them too. Anything else? I am not a great lover of horror books but I couldn't put this one down. It is really well written and full of suspense. Shan takes his time laying down his plot, there are at least six books in the saga so he can do that. He brings new ideas to the old Vampire legends and creates a world that runs alongside our own and frequently the two cross. There are lots of chills in this book and it does get scary but there are no gory descriptions that make you want to chuck. A good read.