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Skulduggery Pleasant #16
Nur Mord im Kopf
Ein Toter Mann steht immer wieder auf!
Ein Serienkiller treibt sein Unwesen in Roarhaven und Umgebung. Die Opfer sind alle Sterbliche, und auf den ersten Blick verbindet sie nichts miteinander. Skulduggery und Walküre tappen im Dunkeln, aber dann erhalten sie eine codierte Nachricht. Will der Mörder sie etwa testen?
Da hat er aber nicht mit Skulduggery Pleasants beeindruckender Fähigkeit zur Deduktion gerechnet. Derweil bringt sich Walküres kleine Schwester in Position. Denn auch in diesem actiongeladenen neuen Skulduggery-Abenteuer muss mal eben die Welt gerettet werden.
Ein Serienkiller treibt sein Unwesen in Roarhaven und Umgebung. Die Opfer sind alle Sterbliche, und auf den ersten Blick verbindet sie nichts miteinander. Skulduggery und Walküre tappen im Dunkeln, aber dann erhalten sie eine codierte Nachricht. Will der Mörder sie etwa testen?
Da hat er aber nicht mit Skulduggery Pleasants beeindruckender Fähigkeit zur Deduktion gerechnet. Derweil bringt sich Walküres kleine Schwester in Position. Denn auch in diesem actiongeladenen neuen Skulduggery-Abenteuer muss mal eben die Welt gerettet werden.
454 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2024
136 people are currently reading
1344 people want to read
About the author
Derek Landy
252 books5,282 followersDerek Landy is an Irish writer and screenwriter. In addition to the bestselling children's/YA series of Skulduggery Pleasant books, a supernatural mystery series starring Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton detective, and Valkyrie Cain, a young female magician, he has written two screenplays that have been made into films: the IFTA award winning "Dead Bodies" and the IFTA nominated "Boy Eats Girl". Landy himself was nominated for an IFTA for Best Script.
He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.
Derek plays too many video games, reads too many comics, and watches too many movies. He lives in Ireland with too many cats. Occasionally he talks to real people, but only when he absolutely has to.
He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.
Derek plays too many video games, reads too many comics, and watches too many movies. He lives in Ireland with too many cats. Occasionally he talks to real people, but only when he absolutely has to.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 197 reviews
April 1, 2024
you randomly pick up a book in the book section of a grocery store in 2008 just because it has a cool skeleton detective on the cover and you're 11 and obsessed with those and suddenly you're cursed to read a skeleton detective book every year because the author doesn't know when to fucking stop
when will he stop? this will be a trilogy and then what? phase 4? he's also bringing out a podcast audio drama this year which he will later turn into a book and who is asking for this. i used to be this series biggest fan but seriously man, let it die. it's time. it's been time years ago. this should have ended with phase 1 as it was originally planned. period. i said what i said.
anyway. the book was bad. badly written, badly plotted, badly everything. winter??? lmao. such a boring character. skulduggery talked a lot and that's the only thing derek still knows how to write: skul monologues. other than that? i was worried about reading the prequel but at least that was fun. this book? a snooze fest.
watch 11 year-old-me time travel and kill me for this rating.
when will he stop? this will be a trilogy and then what? phase 4? he's also bringing out a podcast audio drama this year which he will later turn into a book and who is asking for this. i used to be this series biggest fan but seriously man, let it die. it's time. it's been time years ago. this should have ended with phase 1 as it was originally planned. period. i said what i said.
anyway. the book was bad. badly written, badly plotted, badly everything. winter??? lmao. such a boring character. skulduggery talked a lot and that's the only thing derek still knows how to write: skul monologues. other than that? i was worried about reading the prequel but at least that was fun. this book? a snooze fest.
watch 11 year-old-me time travel and kill me for this rating.
March 30, 2024
I think Landy finally got diagnosed with ADHD and got meds because this actually made sense. It has a good concrete storyline that he STICKS TO, it has relevant POVs, and the new characters in it aren’t annoying.
Valkyrie gets a power cap, she’s not “all powerful” nor the solution to the issue.
And the story is an actual case. The set up to this book is something he should have been doing and sticking to from the start.
It just sucks we had to suffer through the last 6 books to actually get a good one.
Valkyrie gets a power cap, she’s not “all powerful” nor the solution to the issue.
And the story is an actual case. The set up to this book is something he should have been doing and sticking to from the start.
It just sucks we had to suffer through the last 6 books to actually get a good one.
March 31, 2024
Are you freaking KIDDING me rn?!? HOW did I just find out about season three’s first book being released in just a couple months?!?! I pre-ordered it from Ireland straight away ! Lmao! STARRRRS I’ve missed Val & Skulduggery SO DAMN MUCH! How could I doubt Landy would already be releasing book one (ahemm book 16 in the entire series) this year??? SO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY RN 🥳☺️🤷🏼♀️
April 3, 2025
I didn‘t know Melancholia hitting on Walkyrie is what I needed in a book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2024
As usual, I loved it. You don't go reading a series with almost 20 books and not love it with everything you reader heart has to offer. The mix if this is amazing - magic in various forms, mysteries, a living skeleton, the bantering between Skulduggery and Valkyrie, the humor, a wild range of characters...
This start to the newest trilogy makes no difference. It's all there. I laughed so much and I was practically glued to this book - I just didn't finish faster because I had so many real life appointments. Remind me to not make any when the next books come out. The only thing that bugged me was that the big bad in this book was called Ersatz and as a native German speaker that somehow really stood out in the English text but I get why that name was chosen.
I don't want to give away too much so I'll just end with: yes, this is a new trilogy but if you're thinking of just now getting into this series, you might just need to read it all or at least the Grimoire, Until the End and everything released after that.
This start to the newest trilogy makes no difference. It's all there. I laughed so much and I was practically glued to this book - I just didn't finish faster because I had so many real life appointments. Remind me to not make any when the next books come out. The only thing that bugged me was that the big bad in this book was called Ersatz and as a native German speaker that somehow really stood out in the English text but I get why that name was chosen.
I don't want to give away too much so I'll just end with: yes, this is a new trilogy but if you're thinking of just now getting into this series, you might just need to read it all or at least the Grimoire, Until the End and everything released after that.
May 15, 2024
I just can’t do it anymore. The writing is so cliche now and it’s kinda pretentious (which the og books were too, but in a wink-nudge kind of way, not its a huffing your own farts kinda way). I can’t believe I’m actually DNFing a skullduggery book but here we are. I’m also going to declutter my era 2 books since I never liked them as much as the OG books. Very disappointed in how this series progressed.
Pre release: Here we go again lol hopefully I’ll like this phase more than phase 2 🫠
Pre release: Here we go again lol hopefully I’ll like this phase more than phase 2 🫠
May 7, 2024
2024 review:
It was SO much fun seeing Valkyrie and Skulduggery doing some good-old detective work again. I was a little apprehensive about a new trilogy, but it was cool seeing the world post-Deletion, plus getting to see some of my fav characters again was a bonus.
pre-read thoughts:
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????
I'VE MISSED VAL AND SKUL SO MUCH <3
It was SO much fun seeing Valkyrie and Skulduggery doing some good-old detective work again. I was a little apprehensive about a new trilogy, but it was cool seeing the world post-Deletion, plus getting to see some of my fav characters again was a bonus.
pre-read thoughts:
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????
I'VE MISSED VAL AND SKUL SO MUCH <3
Read
March 29, 2024I’m left … confused. I don’t know how to rate this book. It feels totally different from any of the previous 15 volumes. It’s more like a comfort read — in the sense of: “Here’s a plot that could have easily fit in with totally different characters and a different genre, but let’s spend some more time with our known and beloved main characters!”
I’m grateful for all of the moments we have together. But I need to sort out my conflicting thoughts in a review FULL OF SPOILERS:
Speaking of characters — very few of them are featured. Most of them are not even mentioned. Omen who? Maybe he’s the mayor of Roarhaven now? Will we ever know?
The disappointing thing is that the most intriguing aspects only appear in A Mind Full of Murder for a minute. Then, they are dropped. I am left hoping that they are the seeds from which the rest of the series will grow. But how can the following be wrapped up in just two volumes? The most promising parts were:
- an alternate non-magical Valkyrie
- an all-powerful rib (that must be from Abrogate Raze or Ragner’s father?)
- Cadaver Cain and the Necromancers coming back (?)
- Alice angling for world domination as future leader of the isolationists (?)
- True Name mayhem
The Alice reveal was really disappointing. I felt no connection to her. There was no emotional impact to her appearance. Nothing hinted at the girl we knew from the prior books. It was also wasteful to reintroduce Reflections, without that going anywhere. All of the questions of identity were left unanswered: Will Alice reunite with Malice? Why did she choose this new name? Who are the parents of the other Corrival students (especially Tier)? Who is the Child of the Ancients??? I still stand by my theory that Auger or Omen Darkly would have taken that role if they’d had to confront Malice.
All the above important and promising aspects comprise less than 20% of the book. Sadly, most of the time is spent on solving the murder mystery. It involves way too many people the readers have no emotional connection (from prior books) to. My theory was that Rumour Mills was still alive: either as Ersatz or Cadence Clearwater. That turned out as false. The truth was a let down to me. It felt very messy. The whole sub plot about a mask secured through a deal with the Devil feels shoehorned in in order to make a reference to another book. The mask did not have any powers, nor did the Devil figure come into play. Most of the new mortals and sorcerers that were introduced didn’t make any impression on me, or at least not a positive one.
I feel like there were far more Valduggery moments than moments with Militsa. Militsa was barely featured, and after all these years, I still don’t understand Valkyrie’s feelings for her or their relationship. Val’s parents were also dearly missed, apart from one small conversation with Melissa.
Let’s just focus on the one good aspect: More time with Skulduggery and Valkyrie.
I’m grateful for all of the moments we have together. But I need to sort out my conflicting thoughts in a review FULL OF SPOILERS:
Speaking of characters — very few of them are featured. Most of them are not even mentioned. Omen who? Maybe he’s the mayor of Roarhaven now? Will we ever know?
The disappointing thing is that the most intriguing aspects only appear in A Mind Full of Murder for a minute. Then, they are dropped. I am left hoping that they are the seeds from which the rest of the series will grow. But how can the following be wrapped up in just two volumes? The most promising parts were:
- an alternate non-magical Valkyrie
- an all-powerful rib (that must be from Abrogate Raze or Ragner’s father?)
- Cadaver Cain and the Necromancers coming back (?)
- Alice angling for world domination as future leader of the isolationists (?)
- True Name mayhem
The Alice reveal was really disappointing. I felt no connection to her. There was no emotional impact to her appearance. Nothing hinted at the girl we knew from the prior books. It was also wasteful to reintroduce Reflections, without that going anywhere. All of the questions of identity were left unanswered: Will Alice reunite with Malice? Why did she choose this new name? Who are the parents of the other Corrival students (especially Tier)? Who is the Child of the Ancients??? I still stand by my theory that Auger or Omen Darkly would have taken that role if they’d had to confront Malice.
All the above important and promising aspects comprise less than 20% of the book. Sadly, most of the time is spent on solving the murder mystery. It involves way too many people the readers have no emotional connection (from prior books) to. My theory was that Rumour Mills was still alive: either as Ersatz or Cadence Clearwater. That turned out as false. The truth was a let down to me. It felt very messy. The whole sub plot about a mask secured through a deal with the Devil feels shoehorned in in order to make a reference to another book. The mask did not have any powers, nor did the Devil figure come into play. Most of the new mortals and sorcerers that were introduced didn’t make any impression on me, or at least not a positive one.
I feel like there were far more Valduggery moments than moments with Militsa. Militsa was barely featured, and after all these years, I still don’t understand Valkyrie’s feelings for her or their relationship. Val’s parents were also dearly missed, apart from one small conversation with Melissa.
Let’s just focus on the one good aspect: More time with Skulduggery and Valkyrie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2024
i am a simple girl. valkyrie almost dies and skulduggery goes utterly feral, and i die
April 3, 2024
I've been here for 12 years so there must be something. Finally, a contained plot (minus the weird succession of pointless reveals at the end - if you want characters to interact it doesn't have to be a 5 point plan). The tone felt more mature and it worked well with the central plot. Valkyrie and Skulduggery in an adult horror when?
The central murder/case was well written and had solid emotional beats! This is where their dynamic shines, I was just a bit disappointed that Valkyrie apparently hates her job? They seem to have regressed in this book. She's always kept pace with Skulduggery but for some reason 15 year old Valkyrie had a better handle on being a detective than a 30 something with 20 years experience. I get that Valkyrie was always a 'punch now ask questions later' kind of gal but this never made her dismissive to what was going on. Meanwhile, Skulduggery has been taken in the opposite direction, apparently rattling off fourteen loosely connected facts means you're an incomprehensible super genius. The year is 2024 I think we've well and truly moved beyond late 2000s Sherlock. This may have been what made their dynamic feel a little ... strange.
The reduced cast works really well. Winter probably needs a little more fleshing out but I appreciate their more moody teen energy. Not sure why Militsa is in this book. Why carry her forward when she hardly meant anything to the previous six. She never got a personality in ph2 and their relationship feels more like a place holder than anything else.
Overall, relatively solid. I don't know if we'll ever hit the highs of ph1 ever again but there's potential.
The central murder/case was well written and had solid emotional beats! This is where their dynamic shines, I was just a bit disappointed that Valkyrie apparently hates her job? They seem to have regressed in this book. She's always kept pace with Skulduggery but for some reason 15 year old Valkyrie had a better handle on being a detective than a 30 something with 20 years experience. I get that Valkyrie was always a 'punch now ask questions later' kind of gal but this never made her dismissive to what was going on. Meanwhile, Skulduggery has been taken in the opposite direction, apparently rattling off fourteen loosely connected facts means you're an incomprehensible super genius. The year is 2024 I think we've well and truly moved beyond late 2000s Sherlock. This may have been what made their dynamic feel a little ... strange.
The reduced cast works really well. Winter probably needs a little more fleshing out but I appreciate their more moody teen energy. Not sure why Militsa is in this book. Why carry her forward when she hardly meant anything to the previous six. She never got a personality in ph2 and their relationship feels more like a place holder than anything else.
Overall, relatively solid. I don't know if we'll ever hit the highs of ph1 ever again but there's potential.
April 23, 2024
Добър рисет и връщане към корените 🔥
March 26, 2024
Absolute perfection - the murder mystery, the horror references, hints at what's the come, all of it so much fun! The deductions went over my head, but that's 100% a me thing, but everything else was fantastic!
TW for blood, gore, murder, grief, mentions of burning alive, injury detail, near-death experiences, attempted murder, mind control, mentions of religion, xenophobic comments, guns, stabbing.
TW for blood, gore, murder, grief, mentions of burning alive, injury detail, near-death experiences, attempted murder, mind control, mentions of religion, xenophobic comments, guns, stabbing.
April 1, 2024
I’ve been a dedicated fan of the series for going on sixteen years now. I’ve read the first nine at least a dozen times if not more, and my copy of the first book is held together with nothing but love and scotch tape. I have a tattoo of Skulduggery himself. Derek Landy single-handedly inspired my love of reading and my passion for writing. My point being, my love knows no bounds.
And even I hated Phase 2. Nearly everything about it. I threw books across the room and screamed out loud. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a book outside of laughter or tears, anger was entirely new to me. (Then I read ACOTAR but that’s a story told in other reviews.) Needless to say, I was by and large devastated with the news of Book 16. How could it get worse? The characters that have been with me since I was a lonely little kid, who were there for me through it all, had either been killed in some horrific manner or their characterization had been.
But I dove in headfirst upon receiving A Mind Full of Murder, and I was hooked. I sat down maybe a total of three times to read and I was finished. I haven’t flown through a Skulduggery novel this fast since the days of The Faceless Ones’ worshippers being the biggest threat known to Ireland and the world at large. I felt like a ten-year-old again, laughing out loud and flipping through pages as fast as I could. AMFoM brought the Skulduggery series back to its roots, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed Skul and Val together, being that Phase 2 tore them apart so often. Their partnership really gets to take center stage and shine again. The reveals caused me joy or shock rather than indignant rage. I couldn’t be more pleased, and when I inevitably reread the series from the start again, I may end up skipping Phase 2 entirely and skipping from book 9 to 16.
Tl;dr, 11/10, easily. The entire time I spent reading was filled with a fond, warm nostalgia, and I find myself looking forward to Book 17 rather than dreading it. And even though I didn’t get to see him in this one, thank you, Derek, for giving me one of my absolute favorite characters back from the dead. Here’s to hoping he pops up in the next one.
And even I hated Phase 2. Nearly everything about it. I threw books across the room and screamed out loud. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a book outside of laughter or tears, anger was entirely new to me. (Then I read ACOTAR but that’s a story told in other reviews.) Needless to say, I was by and large devastated with the news of Book 16. How could it get worse? The characters that have been with me since I was a lonely little kid, who were there for me through it all, had either been killed in some horrific manner or their characterization had been.
But I dove in headfirst upon receiving A Mind Full of Murder, and I was hooked. I sat down maybe a total of three times to read and I was finished. I haven’t flown through a Skulduggery novel this fast since the days of The Faceless Ones’ worshippers being the biggest threat known to Ireland and the world at large. I felt like a ten-year-old again, laughing out loud and flipping through pages as fast as I could. AMFoM brought the Skulduggery series back to its roots, and I hadn’t realized how much I missed Skul and Val together, being that Phase 2 tore them apart so often. Their partnership really gets to take center stage and shine again. The reveals caused me joy or shock rather than indignant rage. I couldn’t be more pleased, and when I inevitably reread the series from the start again, I may end up skipping Phase 2 entirely and skipping from book 9 to 16.
Tl;dr, 11/10, easily. The entire time I spent reading was filled with a fond, warm nostalgia, and I find myself looking forward to Book 17 rather than dreading it. And even though I didn’t get to see him in this one, thank you, Derek, for giving me one of my absolute favorite characters back from the dead. Here’s to hoping he pops up in the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2024
3.5 stars.
The solution to the mystery is hokey, absurd, badly foreshadowed, and the reader could never have worked it out. But then, that's kind of what it's supposed to be, so maybe that's not a flaw?
It was cool to get a glimpse into how Skulduggery's mind works, but he does kinda feel like an exposition machine in this book, and not always exactly like himself.
Landy has gone back to failing to write an engaging relationship between Valkyrie and Militsa. I think Militsa had one line of dialogue in this book. And that's a problem if he wants to make the emotional stakes of their relationship a key part of the book's climax.
Winter's storyline was cool.
Disappointed that this book doesn't have any Omen or especially Auger in it. If we don't get Auger's reaction to what he did as Obsidian then this series will have fundamentally failed.
This is not a middle grade book. There is nothing at all in it that I think a middle grade reader would be interested in. This is not even a YA book. This is just an adult book. And don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with that. But it shouldn't be marketed as middle grade anymore. Skulduggery has always skirted the line of what's acceptable in middle grade. But now the main character is in her thirties, there is no middle grade age main character to supplement her. This book is entirely about catching a serial killer, and it's incredibly gruesome.
The solution to the mystery is hokey, absurd, badly foreshadowed, and the reader could never have worked it out. But then, that's kind of what it's supposed to be, so maybe that's not a flaw?
It was cool to get a glimpse into how Skulduggery's mind works, but he does kinda feel like an exposition machine in this book, and not always exactly like himself.
Landy has gone back to failing to write an engaging relationship between Valkyrie and Militsa. I think Militsa had one line of dialogue in this book. And that's a problem if he wants to make the emotional stakes of their relationship a key part of the book's climax.
Winter's storyline was cool.
Disappointed that this book doesn't have any Omen or especially Auger in it. If we don't get Auger's reaction to what he did as Obsidian then this series will have fundamentally failed.
This is not a middle grade book. There is nothing at all in it that I think a middle grade reader would be interested in. This is not even a YA book. This is just an adult book. And don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with that. But it shouldn't be marketed as middle grade anymore. Skulduggery has always skirted the line of what's acceptable in middle grade. But now the main character is in her thirties, there is no middle grade age main character to supplement her. This book is entirely about catching a serial killer, and it's incredibly gruesome.
April 11, 2024
some people may be like "come on derek, give up the ghost, let those old bones lie still". not me, im glad he's back. and this is a return to form for our irish king. plus more gordon edgley lore and that's always fun
Read
October 6, 2024I’m sorry how did I not know about this
November 30, 2024
➽ Rating: 5.0★ 💀 || [07.04.2024-18.04.2024]
Charaktere: ★★★★★
Plot/Spannungsbogen: ★★★★☆
Unterhaltungsfaktor: ★★★★★
Charaktere: ★★★★★
Plot/Spannungsbogen: ★★★★☆
Unterhaltungsfaktor: ★★★★★
July 16, 2025
A return to form! Only took me a year to finish it. I reckon I’ll read the next one quicker though, the quality is back.
April 3, 2024
SPOILERSSSS:
So… I’m conflicted. This is gonna be long rant so hats off if u get to the end. These are the things that stuck out to me, I’ve probably missed out some things. - reply with anythin i missed, if u want.
Firstly, this was very different to any of the previous books in the series. Completely different vibe - which is probably a good thing as we’ve had 5 books in phase 2 of doom and gloom and the universe literally ending so maybe a ‘simple’ murder mystery is what we need to set things back in place and ground the story again.
The deductions and actual clue solving parts went completely over my head. I was as confused as Valkyrie in those parts, perhaps more cuz WTF Skulduggery just be connecting dots with the most random things. But ig they kinda made sense so I just went with it to see where it led.
I think the whole reveal of Winter being Alice was done really well. We don’t have any attachment to Winter before we know she’s Alice but when you find out its like oh shiiiiiittt. ALSO her POV chapter was insane. Her bordline hating Val feels like such a slap in the face after Val spent such a huge chunk of Phrase 2 trying to save Alice and literally took her place as the child and mother of the faceless ones to save her from that like… I don’t know how to feel about it. Definitely didn’t see it coming but I’m interested to see what Winter will get up to in the next books.
The relationships in this were questionable…
Ghastly and Tanith - I would’ve liked ALOT more. The only interaction we get between them is a kiss on the cheek and some casual talk and abit of wit and that’s it??? We’ve been waiting for this for aaaaaagesssss, literally since mortal coil in phase 1 - please Derek do them justice after everything they’ve been through. I get its been 6 years and they’re probably past the whole OMD UR ALIVE thing but cmonnn, give us somethinggg.
Val and Militsa - I don’t even know where it’s going anymore… It was hinted by Derek on his instagram that Val would be having relationship problems in this book - I didn’t really see any?? We’ll get to Melancholia in a sec but we barely got to see any Valista interactions anyway. Come to think of it, all of their rs delevopment kind happens off page (them getting together, moving in together, militsa meeting vals family, them breaking up in phase 2, it goes on..). We’re supposed to be rooting for them but atp, and in the politest way, i don’t care?? And it feels pointless breakinf them up if that’s whats going to happen cuz why did we spend most of Until The End with Val hung up over Militsa and wanting to get her back if it was going to be meddled with again in phase 3?! I can’t really see the passion there personally, I’m just abit lost on their relationship. Moving on…
MELANCHOLIA. Was not expecting that AT ALL. I completely forgot about her icl but her coming back was literally amazing. And I love her interactions with Val in general in that chapter but the flirting. Please. I’m more excited for what will happen with these two than Militsa whos been here since book 10 so thats saying alot. And If it doesn’t go anywhere then why throw that in the mix?
The twist at the end was slightly confusing and underwhelming personally, I’m not surprised it was her father. But her other father and also Cadaver was abit much idk.
ALSO speaking of Cadaver - so cool and charming and evil and just a weirdly endearing different skulduggery that I didn’t know I needed but now that he’s here he brings so much to the books. His interactions with skulduggery have been hilarious and I just enjoy him being there. And his unpredictability makes him sm more interesting, you never know what his intentions are but you’re always suspicious of him and then he hits you with charm and you think he’s good and them BOOM he’s evil again. Overall it was a genius idea to ‘bring him back’ in the first place. (hehe)
That’s all I can think of that stuck out to me, there was alot going on in general and things I’m guessing being set up for the next 2 books. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next. I’m not overwhelmed by this one but I’m hoping the next one will pick it up. 3/5 just because it doesn’t compare to the phase 1 books that I’d put at 5/5 and phase 2 that i’d put at 4/5 as an average.
if you made it to the end… meow.
So… I’m conflicted. This is gonna be long rant so hats off if u get to the end. These are the things that stuck out to me, I’ve probably missed out some things. - reply with anythin i missed, if u want.
Firstly, this was very different to any of the previous books in the series. Completely different vibe - which is probably a good thing as we’ve had 5 books in phase 2 of doom and gloom and the universe literally ending so maybe a ‘simple’ murder mystery is what we need to set things back in place and ground the story again.
The deductions and actual clue solving parts went completely over my head. I was as confused as Valkyrie in those parts, perhaps more cuz WTF Skulduggery just be connecting dots with the most random things. But ig they kinda made sense so I just went with it to see where it led.
I think the whole reveal of Winter being Alice was done really well. We don’t have any attachment to Winter before we know she’s Alice but when you find out its like oh shiiiiiittt. ALSO her POV chapter was insane. Her bordline hating Val feels like such a slap in the face after Val spent such a huge chunk of Phrase 2 trying to save Alice and literally took her place as the child and mother of the faceless ones to save her from that like… I don’t know how to feel about it. Definitely didn’t see it coming but I’m interested to see what Winter will get up to in the next books.
The relationships in this were questionable…
Ghastly and Tanith - I would’ve liked ALOT more. The only interaction we get between them is a kiss on the cheek and some casual talk and abit of wit and that’s it??? We’ve been waiting for this for aaaaaagesssss, literally since mortal coil in phase 1 - please Derek do them justice after everything they’ve been through. I get its been 6 years and they’re probably past the whole OMD UR ALIVE thing but cmonnn, give us somethinggg.
Val and Militsa - I don’t even know where it’s going anymore… It was hinted by Derek on his instagram that Val would be having relationship problems in this book - I didn’t really see any?? We’ll get to Melancholia in a sec but we barely got to see any Valista interactions anyway. Come to think of it, all of their rs delevopment kind happens off page (them getting together, moving in together, militsa meeting vals family, them breaking up in phase 2, it goes on..). We’re supposed to be rooting for them but atp, and in the politest way, i don’t care?? And it feels pointless breakinf them up if that’s whats going to happen cuz why did we spend most of Until The End with Val hung up over Militsa and wanting to get her back if it was going to be meddled with again in phase 3?! I can’t really see the passion there personally, I’m just abit lost on their relationship. Moving on…
MELANCHOLIA. Was not expecting that AT ALL. I completely forgot about her icl but her coming back was literally amazing. And I love her interactions with Val in general in that chapter but the flirting. Please. I’m more excited for what will happen with these two than Militsa whos been here since book 10 so thats saying alot. And If it doesn’t go anywhere then why throw that in the mix?
The twist at the end was slightly confusing and underwhelming personally, I’m not surprised it was her father. But her other father and also Cadaver was abit much idk.
ALSO speaking of Cadaver - so cool and charming and evil and just a weirdly endearing different skulduggery that I didn’t know I needed but now that he’s here he brings so much to the books. His interactions with skulduggery have been hilarious and I just enjoy him being there. And his unpredictability makes him sm more interesting, you never know what his intentions are but you’re always suspicious of him and then he hits you with charm and you think he’s good and them BOOM he’s evil again. Overall it was a genius idea to ‘bring him back’ in the first place. (hehe)
That’s all I can think of that stuck out to me, there was alot going on in general and things I’m guessing being set up for the next 2 books. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next. I’m not overwhelmed by this one but I’m hoping the next one will pick it up. 3/5 just because it doesn’t compare to the phase 1 books that I’d put at 5/5 and phase 2 that i’d put at 4/5 as an average.
if you made it to the end… meow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 1, 2024Yes, I'm 24. Yes, I still buy new releases of this children's book. Yes, I LOVED it. Fight me.
April 29, 2025
oh Derek, who hurt you?
May 2, 2024
Go on then, I'll give it a 4.
I wasn't going to buy this. After being repeatedly underwhelmed by most of the books in phase 2, I thought it was time to give up on this series. Buuut it released on the day I got my monthly Audible credit, and I impulse bought it. Oops!
And I'm giving it a 4, rounded up, because it's actually not too bad. I think the writing here is great, and some of the early scenes were really tense and properly grabbed my attention. It felt like Landy had stepped things up a bit to me.
It was also really fun to have some old favourite characters back and interacting with Skulduggery and Valkyrie again - despite my earlier doubts about "the reset" - albeit with some very different power dynamics going on.
There were parts I didn't like, such as any part that referred to the convoluted parts of phase 2's plots, and the ending which went a bit that way too, but overall it was entertaining enough, and the audiobook was very well-made as always.
Now, will I read part 2 of this new trilogy? Hmmm... probably.
I wasn't going to buy this. After being repeatedly underwhelmed by most of the books in phase 2, I thought it was time to give up on this series. Buuut it released on the day I got my monthly Audible credit, and I impulse bought it. Oops!
And I'm giving it a 4, rounded up, because it's actually not too bad. I think the writing here is great, and some of the early scenes were really tense and properly grabbed my attention. It felt like Landy had stepped things up a bit to me.
It was also really fun to have some old favourite characters back and interacting with Skulduggery and Valkyrie again - despite my earlier doubts about "the reset" - albeit with some very different power dynamics going on.
There were parts I didn't like, such as any part that referred to the convoluted parts of phase 2's plots, and the ending which went a bit that way too, but overall it was entertaining enough, and the audiobook was very well-made as always.
Now, will I read part 2 of this new trilogy? Hmmm... probably.
November 6, 2024
It's wild to me that after around 15 years and 16 books, I still love this series as much as I did when it first started. I've finally caught up with the main story, so will have to wait a while for the next book, but I'm so excited to see where this story goes!
June 30, 2025
Fire as always mr landy stays winning
April 27, 2025
16 Books read and done yet I still want more banter
April 17, 2024
Wow. For the first book back since "Until The End", this was a lot of fun. We're going to get a bit rambly here.
I think after the increasingly large and convoluted scale of the last few books, it was nice to have a more grounded story. There were some good hints of thriller mystery in there that felt refreshing, as opposed to having a million world-ending battles like in the last few books. I think some of that mystery stuff was lost on me. I don't read those types of books a lot, but it felt really convoluted, the deductions that Skulduggery was making, referring to obscure movies and stuff and I know he said he was running through multiple trains of thought simultaneously in his head but that seems like a really convenient and almost lazy explanation at times. It never got too bad though, and in terms of convolution from the plot overall, I liked that I never had to backtrack and think about what was going on for the most part while reading this book. Until the end that is... Not gonna lie, I didn't see Ersatz being Salter, but then it was secretly Clutter Gaines who was Avant Garde and he was actually being influenced by Cadaver a little bit which was only deduced because of obscure hints in the clues.... It did get a bit much at the end, but again, for the most part I liked the plot and thought it kept me hooked.
Other things I really liked, Alice's taken name being revealed to be Winter was really well done I think. I was reading the first passages centered on Winter like "Why do I care?" and then it got revealed who she really was and I was like "OOOOOOOOOH". Very well played Derek.
I also think the story and the murders had a really gripping emotional core. I figured Rumour got rejected by her friends during the pre-deletion stuff but holy fuck, they BURNED HER ALIVE???? God damn that shit was dark. Dark and sad. More. I want more. Rip my heart out dammit.
I also loved the humour. There were a bunch of moments in the book that made me laugh and so I think this book is one of the funnier ones in the series and I welcome that. Handsome Whitlock exuding himbo vibes and Skulduggery actually displaying the desire to throttle him made my day.
A few questions/critiques though:
-There's a wand. It can basically do anything. And yet Ersatz didn't just eviscerate his enemies whenever he was in danger? Like, there were so many points in the scene where he just "knocked them away", and I'm like, "is that really all he could do"? And yes, the wand is limited by the user's imagination and experience but there are times when Ersatz does something completely off the rails (Switching Val's body with an alternate dimension version of her was WHACK) but then other times it'll be like "oh no, he pushed me back again...". I'd just like a little bit of consistency with the power level of this thing Derek. Is it an all-powerful weapon or is Force-Pushing people it's best move??? And if the inconsistencies in power ARE in fact, because of the user's limitations, then be more clear with that. Because there were times where I read "Skulduggery got knocked back" and I'm like "well if that's all he's going to do then there's no danger is there...". That's the problem with things in stories with limitless potential, the limitation often ends up being the writer's imagination (the Flash as he is written has similar problems for anyone who reads the comics).
-Maybe I missed this, but why does the Hidden God have anything to do with anything?? Like, he gave Salter a mask and that's it. The mask was bullet-proof. Great. There are a lot of other masks that do that....
-And finally, the Veritas device. Holy shit. Derek. This is a can of WORMS. You have introduced a device that can basically create sorcerers who know their true names at will?!??! I'm really not seeing how this doesn't blow up in the face of the universe. And if it's written in a way where it doesn't, I have a hard time seeing how it's going to be believable. You're telling me nobody thought to try and attain godlike power by using the device on themselves?? I mean shit, I would do that... So yes, I'm interested to see what direction this device is taken in, but this really seems like a Pandora's box you've opened.
Threads I'm excited to see followed up on in future books:
-Winter/Alice. Will she end up ruling the world??? I'm really excited to see where she goes. Her motivation is really messed up, but I get it. It'll be really cool to find out what she does.
-A bunch of necromancers came back??? And they were being really vague about it??? Oh boy, this won't definitely be a huge issue. Also Melancholia is written as kind of a baddy now. What do I do with this information...
-The guy who brought the wand to this dimension. What's-his-face I forget. Where did he come from? Why is he being chased? Who is chasing him???
I know Derek loves to set up all these threads to keep readers enticed in future books, but now I have to wait for the next one for more answers.... UUUUUUUUGHH.
Ok, Overall though, I thought this was a nice return to form for the series with a bit of a darker edge. It was grittier, more visceral, but it still had the charm of the first few books. This series is like Fortnite to me, in that it remains enticing by balancing introducing new elements and changes while also keeping the core elements that made the work so enjoyable in the beginning. Good job Derek. Overall, 4/5 stars on Yelp and I'm excited to see where the series goes next!
I think after the increasingly large and convoluted scale of the last few books, it was nice to have a more grounded story. There were some good hints of thriller mystery in there that felt refreshing, as opposed to having a million world-ending battles like in the last few books. I think some of that mystery stuff was lost on me. I don't read those types of books a lot, but it felt really convoluted, the deductions that Skulduggery was making, referring to obscure movies and stuff and I know he said he was running through multiple trains of thought simultaneously in his head but that seems like a really convenient and almost lazy explanation at times. It never got too bad though, and in terms of convolution from the plot overall, I liked that I never had to backtrack and think about what was going on for the most part while reading this book. Until the end that is... Not gonna lie, I didn't see Ersatz being Salter, but then it was secretly Clutter Gaines who was Avant Garde and he was actually being influenced by Cadaver a little bit which was only deduced because of obscure hints in the clues.... It did get a bit much at the end, but again, for the most part I liked the plot and thought it kept me hooked.
Other things I really liked, Alice's taken name being revealed to be Winter was really well done I think. I was reading the first passages centered on Winter like "Why do I care?" and then it got revealed who she really was and I was like "OOOOOOOOOH". Very well played Derek.
I also think the story and the murders had a really gripping emotional core. I figured Rumour got rejected by her friends during the pre-deletion stuff but holy fuck, they BURNED HER ALIVE???? God damn that shit was dark. Dark and sad. More. I want more. Rip my heart out dammit.
I also loved the humour. There were a bunch of moments in the book that made me laugh and so I think this book is one of the funnier ones in the series and I welcome that. Handsome Whitlock exuding himbo vibes and Skulduggery actually displaying the desire to throttle him made my day.
A few questions/critiques though:
-There's a wand. It can basically do anything. And yet Ersatz didn't just eviscerate his enemies whenever he was in danger? Like, there were so many points in the scene where he just "knocked them away", and I'm like, "is that really all he could do"? And yes, the wand is limited by the user's imagination and experience but there are times when Ersatz does something completely off the rails (Switching Val's body with an alternate dimension version of her was WHACK) but then other times it'll be like "oh no, he pushed me back again...". I'd just like a little bit of consistency with the power level of this thing Derek. Is it an all-powerful weapon or is Force-Pushing people it's best move??? And if the inconsistencies in power ARE in fact, because of the user's limitations, then be more clear with that. Because there were times where I read "Skulduggery got knocked back" and I'm like "well if that's all he's going to do then there's no danger is there...". That's the problem with things in stories with limitless potential, the limitation often ends up being the writer's imagination (the Flash as he is written has similar problems for anyone who reads the comics).
-Maybe I missed this, but why does the Hidden God have anything to do with anything?? Like, he gave Salter a mask and that's it. The mask was bullet-proof. Great. There are a lot of other masks that do that....
-And finally, the Veritas device. Holy shit. Derek. This is a can of WORMS. You have introduced a device that can basically create sorcerers who know their true names at will?!??! I'm really not seeing how this doesn't blow up in the face of the universe. And if it's written in a way where it doesn't, I have a hard time seeing how it's going to be believable. You're telling me nobody thought to try and attain godlike power by using the device on themselves?? I mean shit, I would do that... So yes, I'm interested to see what direction this device is taken in, but this really seems like a Pandora's box you've opened.
Threads I'm excited to see followed up on in future books:
-Winter/Alice. Will she end up ruling the world??? I'm really excited to see where she goes. Her motivation is really messed up, but I get it. It'll be really cool to find out what she does.
-A bunch of necromancers came back??? And they were being really vague about it??? Oh boy, this won't definitely be a huge issue. Also Melancholia is written as kind of a baddy now. What do I do with this information...
-The guy who brought the wand to this dimension. What's-his-face I forget. Where did he come from? Why is he being chased? Who is chasing him???
I know Derek loves to set up all these threads to keep readers enticed in future books, but now I have to wait for the next one for more answers.... UUUUUUUUGHH.
Ok, Overall though, I thought this was a nice return to form for the series with a bit of a darker edge. It was grittier, more visceral, but it still had the charm of the first few books. This series is like Fortnite to me, in that it remains enticing by balancing introducing new elements and changes while also keeping the core elements that made the work so enjoyable in the beginning. Good job Derek. Overall, 4/5 stars on Yelp and I'm excited to see where the series goes next!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2024
Omg this was amazing. I loved the cute moments between Skulduggery and Val and their witty banter. And to see Tanith and Ghastly FINALLY get their happy ending too made me so happy. (Ghastly is my favourite character so honestly all of the parts with him in it made me giggle and kick my feet hahaha. So happy to have him back in the books!) The plot twist with uncovering Ersatz was insane too, genuinely could not see it coming. I honestly felt a little disappointed to begin with because the initial uncovering (with it being Salter Such) felt a bit obvious but then when it turns out he actually wasn’t the perpetrator (AND AVANT GARDE WAS?! AND HE HAD A HIDDEN PERSONA THE WHOLE TIME TOO?!?!) I was gasping, never saw that coming, it was genius. Immediately took back that disappointment. THE PLOT TWIST WITHIN THE PLOT TWIST TOO OMGGG (I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD LINK BACK TO CADAVER CAIN AHHH). Essentially to sum it up, I am obsessed with each and every one of the books in this series and this most certainly lived up to my hopes for it. I enjoyed reading this thoroughly. Honestly read it far too quickly because now I have to wait a whole year for the next one😫. But so so so good omg!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2025
Everytime there is a new installment to this series I get SO excited because I just know it'll slap.
Well... this one lowkey didn't. I felt like all the storylines with the old characters were okay-ish but felt a bit slow paced in comparison to everything that happened in the last 6 books.
And I HATED the new characters. They had literally no personality and their dialogs were awfully written.
The ending was cool and twist-heavy to an absurd level, which actually made sense in the context of this series.
Well... this one lowkey didn't. I felt like all the storylines with the old characters were okay-ish but felt a bit slow paced in comparison to everything that happened in the last 6 books.
And I HATED the new characters. They had literally no personality and their dialogs were awfully written.
The ending was cool and twist-heavy to an absurd level, which actually made sense in the context of this series.
February 23, 2025
3.5 Stars 🌟
I read this purely for the nostalgia factor, as I grew up reading the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The recent books don’t seem to top the Phase 1 books; however, this was still an enjoyable read.
I'm not too keen on what Derek is setting Winter up to be, though. I'll wait and see what happens in the next two books in this new trilogy!
I read this purely for the nostalgia factor, as I grew up reading the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The recent books don’t seem to top the Phase 1 books; however, this was still an enjoyable read.
I'm not too keen on what Derek is setting Winter up to be, though. I'll wait and see what happens in the next two books in this new trilogy!
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