Vampire Mountain.

Author: Darren Shan
Genre: YA, Fantasy-Horror.
Source: Nook Book.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Book 4 of 12 in Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan.

When Larten Crepsley comes to Darren one night and tells him to pack his bags, Darren is automatically filled with curiosity. They are about to make the long, hard trek to Vampire Mountain to attend council with the Vampire Princes. But before they can leave, Mr. Tiny has a message for them to deliver to the Princes, which he sends through two of his little people - which Larten is less than thrilled about. On that road they encounter many obstacles and surprises, and once they reach their destination, Darren finds he must face challenges he never even dreamed he'd be up against.
Pulling away from my "old friend" way of reviewing these books, this book didn't really give that feeling at all. It felt more like one of those "leading up to..." reads, a set up, if you will, for the next book which looks even more promising. I still enjoyed this book though, very much. It was familiar, and I think Darren really faced things head-on, not backing down, and did what he had to do to prove himself.
Larten on the other hand, stayed almost the same as he has always been in previous reads. But there was something different about him, and the reader notices it right along with Darren - he showed some excitement, and just a peek inside of himself, which was refreshing. I hope in the next books he continues to grow a bit more and becomes more of an understandable character.
So, even though this book fell a smidge on the flat side in the way that it wasn't as exciting as the others, I just enjoyed reading more about Darren and seeing the way he takes things as a young half-vampire. Doing his best, no matter what the challenge and how hard it may be.