Larten, a boy raised in a very impoverished family with an abusive mother is forced into working at a silk factory with a horrible boss. He is then chased out of town after killing his boss who has murdered his cousin. When sleeping in a crypt, he meets a vampire who then takes him on mind bogglingly exciting adventures. I like this book because it is the prequel to one of my favorite series, the bestselling Cirque Du Freak saga. You should read this book because it is an immensely well written book, full of suspense and horror.