Killers of the Dawn

So....ridiculously.....sad. The ending of this book packs a wallop of emotional punch. So....sad. The books won't be quite the same now (again, SO SAD.)

The way it went down, though? Brilliant, epic in scope.

All the three hunters have grown on me more. The assistance of two humans was a fun touch as they added to the storyline.

The twist turned my head around at the end, making me circle around previous assumptions that actually have turned out true. Red herring alert that was massacred. Such a brutal ending to bring this book to a darker level, as some of the others have been, but not all, making it a fantastic young adult book that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Such a bitter feeling with a certain turnout, especially considering how show more more bitter it is since the author slipped in a sweet chapter in the middle that gave false hope. Almost mean to do but this only emphasized the tragedy much more and was a brilliant, unusual move; I applaud.

Again intense in action, firm with pacing, characters hold up strong and become more likeable (in some cases before they meet tragic fates.) The world only continues to become more complex and layered.

Shan definitely has a talent with writing emotionally wrenching, tragic scenes. Ugh. Second time in a row with this series that I’ve sobbed as a child would. show less

Recensione su FantasyAmo

Darren, Larten e Vancha si sono scontrati coi Vampaneze e il loro Signore. Sono riusciti a mettersi al sicuro per un pelo, e hanno rapito Steve, ex-migliore amico di Darren e mezzo-Vampaneze. Ora sono ricerati non solo dai loro cugini della Notte, ma anche dalla polizia, che li crede autori degli omicidi perpetrati dai loro nemici.
Devono restare nell'ombra, e aspettare la loro occasione per tornare dai Vampaneze e uccidere il loro Signore una volta per tutte.

Questo libro riprende da dove si era chiuso quello precedente, ovvero in una brutta situazione per i nostri tre Vampiri.
È come se questi dodici volumi siano, in realtà, un'inico libro. Da quello che ho capito è stato qualcosa di voluto dall'autore, e show more sinceramente non mi lamento: in questo modo posso leggerli tutti di fila e ricordarmi la storia.
Devo dire che tra quelli che ho letto fino a ora, questo nono libro è il più violento, anche se è una serie per ragazzi: si capisce davvero che c'è una guerra di mezzo.
Non parliamo poi delle ultime pagine. Le ho lette in treno e mi sono messa a piangere... Sì, questo è anche uno dei volumi che mi ha presa di più. Non solo per la storia, che è molto legata alle azioni dei personaggi, ma per una morte in particolare che non voglio spoilerare. Le ultime parole di quel personaggio sono piuttosto importanti, e credo ritorneranno nei prossimi volumi.

In questo volume seguiamo sì Larten, Darren e Vancha, ma anche altri personaggi, in particolare Gannen e Steve.
Steve è uno stronzo, e mi rifiuto di dire altrimenti. L'ho trovato rompi balle. Fissato con qualcosa che lui ha travisato nella sua mente in modo errato, rifiuta di vedere la verità. Mi ricorda certi miei parenti.
Gannen... Non so ancora cosa pensare. Sembra rispettabile, ma per ora mi tengo a distanza. Vorrei più interazioni con suo fratello Vancha, e magari una riappacificazione. Ma non voglio sperare in vano, ecco.
Un altro personaggio che ha molto spazio è RV, che mi ricorda sempre di più di Murlough, un personaggio incontrato nel terzo volume. Pazzi uguali, quasi lo stesso personaggio! RV mi è sembrato piuttosto inquietante la prima volta che è comparso nella storia: mi dava i brividi, era inquietante. Non un' "anima buona", secondo me.
Alice è un personaggio forte, che mi piace molto. Da quello che so avrebbe dovuto mettersi con Debbie, ma la cosa non è accaduta per via dell'editore. Peccato.
Debbie mi era piaciuta quando l'abbiamo incontrata la prima volta. Ma ora mi sembra totalmente diversa. E molto più fifona. È un personaggio che non mi piace più.

Questo libro mi è piaciuto moltissimo: è pieno di azione, quasi senza attimi di tregua, e quello che è successo ha lasciato un segno nel mio cuore.
Ovviamente, è in inglese come gli altri, ed è un inglese abbastanza semplice d comprendere. Ma, se lo volete in italiano, ci sono le biblioteche! show less

I absolutely loved it ... and then at the end, I hated it simply because of what happens. I now feel like I have to mourn...

I didn't think it possible, But The Saga of Darren Shan just keeps getting better! I read the Killers of the Dawn this afternoon, I just couldn't put it down. Darren Shan writes a brilliant story with some real evil twists, just when you think you have figured out how the plot is going, it twists completely round again. It's real gripping, Nail biting stuff leaving you wanting more, more, more!!

The book of Killers of the Dawn is written by Darren Shan. There are two hundred six pages in this book. The setting takes place in Mr. Crepsley’s hometown, under the city’s tunnel and in the city’s prison. The prison is one of the places where three of the main characters are held for questioning.
The main characters of the story are the three vampires Darren Shan, Larten Crepsley, Vancha March and one of the little people named Harkat Mulds. The ways the characters act seem so real when you are reading this book. One of the things in the story that seem so real is that the vampires fight to the end for what they wish for. Mr. Crepsley fought hard for his life by running away from a mob even though his leg was swollen to his show more knee. After hurting his knee Mr. Crepsley was still able to get energy to run.
The character who I liked the most was Larten Crepsley, because he sacrificed his life for the vampire clan even though he was tricked at the very last moment. Mr. Crepsley gave his life so that the rest of the vampires would set free during a conflict with the vampaneze. I can relate to Mr. Crepsley because I would also do the same in giving up my life for the people I cared for. As much as I believe I can relate to Mr. Crepsley I could never do half the things he can.
The main conflict is that the vampires are trying to destroy the lord of vampaneze. They have been hunting for him but have failed to capture him. In order for the vampire clan to be at rest is if they end the War of the Scars and that is by destroying the lord of the vampaneze. Another conflict is that the people in the city have the vampires mixed up with vampaneze and think that the vampires are the ones killing the people in the city. When the cops get alerted were the vampires are located the surround them and tell them to surrender. Then Vancha being as smart as he is he takes the chief police hostage.
The rest get captured and taken to jail when Mr. Crepsley hurts his ankle. During the time that the vampires are in jail they find out that there are vampets working as police officers. When Darren finds out about the vampet the vampet lets Darren escape. When he rescues Mr. Crepsley and Harkat they meet Vancha in the tunnels.
The vampires and the vampaneze try to make a compromise on who will fight the Lord of the Vampaneze. They try to set the Lord of Vampaneze and Steve against Darren but the match ends up with Mr. Crepsley. During the conflict Mr. Crepsley kills the decoy who was dressed as the Lord of the Vampaneze. Steve being the coward he is pushed Mr. Crepsley towards the edge and luckily Mr. Crepsley brings Steve with him. At last Mr. Crepsley trades his life for the rescue of his friends. After Mr. Crepsley dies Darren saves Debbie, but finds out that the real Lord of Vampaneze was Steve Leopard.
I don’t like the ending, because Mr. Crepsley dies thinking he killed the Lord of Vampaneze but didn’t. The thing I liked about this book is how it is written, and the action in the book. I wouldn’t change anything of the book, because I like just how it is written. I learned that when something goes wrong or you loose someone you care it should only make you stronger. Based on how this book is written, I rate it a four star. I liked this book so much I couldn’t put it down show less

The vampires continue to fight the ongoing war with the vampeneze, the War of the Scars as it is to be known. The vampaneze are an evil race of vampires who broke off from the Council hundreds of years ago and don't follow any of the vampire's rules of conduct; in particular, they have no respect for human lives.

As prophesied by Mr. Tiny, the three vampire hunters—Darren, Mr. Crepsley, and Vancha March—must defeat the Lord of the Vampeneze in one of four potential encounters. The fate of the entire vampire race depends on the outcome of this war; for if they do not manage to kill the Vampeneze Lord, then the vampires will perish, and the vampenze will rule.

The hunters, along with Little Person Harkat Mulds, have already let the show more Lord of the Vampenze slip through their hands once. So now they have only three more chances to defeat him. Unfortunately for Darren and the hunters, they don't even know the true identity of the Vampaneze Lord, and they have no idea what he looks like either, so their task is quite difficult! There's also several surprises and a few sad endings in store in this one....

Killers of the Dawn picks up right where the previous book, Allies of the Night, left off. With this series, there's sometimes be a little break in action between books; but at other times, you're left at a cliffhanger and the next book picks up right where the previous one left off, often at the very same scene. The latter has been the case with the last few books.

Like all the previous books, I really enjoyed this one too. It was quick and action-packed. Plus there's some really neat revelations beginning to come out! *shhh* LOL I really wanted to start on the tenth book, The Lake of Souls, right after I finished this, but for a change, there actually seemed to be a bit of a break at the end. So instead, I'm holding off while I catch up on some other reading, and then plan to finish the series with books ten through twelve all in one fell swoop, since I do have the remaining three waiting on Mt. TBR. :) show less

Wow! The hooks are in deep... I was unable to stop reading this nail-biter! How can an author make me care so much about a half-vampire prince and his friends so much? I can't wait to read the last three books (and the Larten Crepsley prequels).