Half vampire Darren Shan is caught between the warring worlds of the Vampires and the Vampireze -- and comes out remarkably transformed, in this sixth spellbinding volume of Cirque du Freak. Picking up where Book 5 left off, the Vampire Prince springs into action as Darren is carried through a raging Vampire Mountain river toward uncertain consequences. Thankfully, the boy escapes and meets up with a pack of old wolf friends, and when he secretly finds himself back in Vampire Mountain on a mission to thwart Kurda's ascension to princely status, Darren becomes the catalyst in a gruesome battle between the Vampires and the Vampireze. As the fighting reaches its apex, the boy witnesses some of the bloodiest killing he's ever experienced, but when all is over, Vampire law still mandates that he face punishment for failing the Trials of Initiation. To his surprise, Darren's leadership puts him in a situation he never dreamed of. A surprising and plot-thickening read, Shan's sixth book will keep you on pins and needles until the very end. The author taps into Darren's half-vampire/half-human emotions like never before, and he brings his character to another, amazing level that will leave you thirsting for Book 7. A heart-stopping shocker you'll definitely want to sink your teeth into.