"Suddenly my days as a human were over. My nights as a vampire's assistant had begun......"In book one of the series, A Living Nightmare, young Darren leaves the human world with Mr. Crepsley, a powerful vampire, to become his assistant. He had no choice in the matter.Now as we meet up with Darren again we find that life as a half-vampire is not so easy. Darren still has human needs and urges. He is also fighting the temptations of being a vampire and what he must do to stay alive.Mr. Crepsley takes Darren back to Cirque Du Freak where he can be around people [and creatures] like him. Unfortunately Darren also bonds with human friends. A bond that reminds him of the life he had and leads to a horrific twist of fate.If you liked the grotesque figures and blood-sucking vampires of the first book in the series you'll be happy to know even more exist in this book. I did find this book much more gruesome then the first, but perhaps it was my imagination getting the best of me.The Vampire's Assistant is as thrilling and page-turning as A Living Nightmare was. You won't want to put the book down until you are finished and you'll be left wanting to read more. I would however recommend not reading at night.Although my 12 year old son couldn't read the book fast enough and is begging me for then next in the series, this book may not be suitable for very young readers.The Vampire's Assistant, book one of Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan, is soon to be a major motion picture by Warner Bros., watch for more news coming soon!