Procession of the Dead - Darren Shan

Darren Shan is one of my favorite authors. Honestly, if the only way that I could read one of his new books/series would be if I went cliff diving or something else crazy dangerous and scary, I would do that thing without hesitation. He's just that close to my heart. Procession of the Dead was really good. Though, a bit difficult for me to get through, I can still see the badassery that went into its making.

Capac Raimi comes to the City to work for his uncle and eventually take over his trade. That trade being blackmail and other gangster-like activities. However, soon his path crosses with the of The Cardinal, the ruler of the fine streets in the City. He knows and sees all, and Capac knows that being recruited by him is no small deal. But, the Cardinal seems to know things about Capac's past that he can't remember, and he sets him on a path to succeed. He wants to figure out the Cardinal's deal, but can only do so if he sticks around and listens. 

Obviously there is a difference between an adult series and a young adult series. There are small things in Procession of the Dead that would never occur in Cirque du Freak, namely the whole sex aspect. Though, it's not an overabundance that takes anything from the plot. Really, it doesn't. If anything, it's just there to show a more mature setting and whatever.

The story for me was a bit difficult to get through. Gangsters? Not my first choice in picking out novels, but I figured that I'd give it a chance because it was written by Shan. While some of the aspects went a bit over my head, it was still good. 

Pacing-wise, I found it a bit slow. It was the first fifty or so pages that really killed me. However, by about a hundred pages the story really picked up and kept me going until the end. 

Character-wise, there was a lot of diversity. Some of them were likeable and interesting, others were just interesting. Intriguing. I have no complaints. 

Overall, I really did enjoy this book, no matter how difficult it was for me to get through. Gangsters and insurance sales galore await you in this book, and I severely hope that you don't let this deter you if that's not your kind of thing. Darren Shan is a fantastic writer, who you can completely trust your time with. He'll show you the grit that makes his characters who they are and place you in a world that is so realistic that you'd never want to go there.

Personally, I just hope that the last two read a bit better for me. 

☆☆☆☆☆/5

Recommend?: If you've read other books by Shan and want to see what these are about.

If you want a new twist on a gangster life.