THIS WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JUNE 11th, 2007

In my review of Vampire Mountain, I said that I was concerned with the way things were heading, and hoped that the trials Darren would be faced with would be not of the garden variety. I need to retract that statement.

The tests that Darren undertook were challenging and very well written. And the author did not spare Darren an ounce of respite. Authors need to hurt their characters, and this author put Darren through the wringer. These challenges slayed Darren to the bone — burned him, scarred him, and at one point would have killed him if not for an intervention from an unlikely source.

Because of this, Darren is shamed, and the entire Vampire community is up in arms over what to do. Anyone who does not complete the Trials of Death, or has someone intervene on their behalf is dishonored, and the fate is death. As usual, the book is full of twists and turns, was delightful to read, and had a terrific, terrific cliffhanger.

Also, there was a stunning turn of events that I’m sure left most readers with their jaw on the floor.