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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
I'll admit in the beginning of the book there is a bit of a pacing problem and the plot is a tad far fetched in parts.
But overall, it's fantastically written, hilarious, and clever.
But overall, it's fantastically written, hilarious, and clever.
I read this one as part of the Magical Readathon and I’m glad it finally got me to pick up this series. I missed out on this when I was younger and yet I know many people who really enjoyed this. I can see why and I’ve no doubt the story probably picked up and develops with the later instalments too.
We follow Stephanie, a 12 yr old girl who’s uncle recently passed away. Once the will is read Stephanie inherits some pretty big things, including a whole load of secrets and mayhem just lurking under the surface. She is quickly pulled into a realm of magic and she is accompanied by a skeleton called Skullduggery.
The banter between Stephanie and Skulduggery was a little cringe-worthy at times as they tease one another a lot and have a lot of sass. I’d say worth a read if you can keep a sense of humour. Easy going overall and 3.5*s in the end.
We follow Stephanie, a 12 yr old girl who’s uncle recently passed away. Once the will is read Stephanie inherits some pretty big things, including a whole load of secrets and mayhem just lurking under the surface. She is quickly pulled into a realm of magic and she is accompanied by a skeleton called Skullduggery.
The banter between Stephanie and Skulduggery was a little cringe-worthy at times as they tease one another a lot and have a lot of sass. I’d say worth a read if you can keep a sense of humour. Easy going overall and 3.5*s in the end.
Ahoy there me mateys! I don’t know where I first found out about this one. But I do know that it has a kick-ass cover. With that cover I had to see what it was about.
So this involves a detective named Skulduggery Pleasant who just happens to be a walking, talking skeleton who can do magic. Through a series of truly quirky circumstances that I won’t spoil, he meets 12-year-old Stephanie who inadvertently becomes involved in a mystery and then refuses to go back into her ordinary life. Curiosity wins.
The banter between the two and the humor in this story overall made this a quick and fun read. The downsides were that Stephanie didn’t do very much, her parents are clueless, and the mystery was not the focus of the plot. I wanted it to be a skeleton and girl solving weird cases. Instead it is the two of them fighting the evil ancient enemy to save the world.
That said it was very enjoyable and I liked the magical world the author has set up. I think I might read more in the series but there are 10 books in it which makes me wary. But every now and again this might be just the type of light fluffy fun read I am looking for.
Side note: I truly loved the illustrations by Tom Percival!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
So this involves a detective named Skulduggery Pleasant who just happens to be a walking, talking skeleton who can do magic. Through a series of truly quirky circumstances that I won’t spoil, he meets 12-year-old Stephanie who inadvertently becomes involved in a mystery and then refuses to go back into her ordinary life. Curiosity wins.
The banter between the two and the humor in this story overall made this a quick and fun read. The downsides were that Stephanie didn’t do very much, her parents are clueless, and the mystery was not the focus of the plot. I wanted it to be a skeleton and girl solving weird cases. Instead it is the two of them fighting the evil ancient enemy to save the world.
That said it was very enjoyable and I liked the magical world the author has set up. I think I might read more in the series but there are 10 books in it which makes me wary. But every now and again this might be just the type of light fluffy fun read I am looking for.
Side note: I truly loved the illustrations by Tom Percival!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
6th booktalk
This book, like most good mysteries, starts off with the sudden death of a beloved man. Gordon Edgely, famous fantasy writer, was seven words into the twenty-fifth sentence of the final chapter of his new book when he died. Unlike most good mysteries, Gordon’s death was not entirely suspicious. There was, however, a strange visitor at his funeral – a man in a tan coat, buttoned up all the way with a scarf wrapped around his face. Strange visitors are usually in good mysteries… this seems promising.
The strangeness really starts, though, at the reading of Gordon’s will. It seems that his niece Stephanie, the least greedy and demanding and downright unpleasant of Gordon’s relatives (discounting her parents), was willed all of Gordon’s property and possessions, his assets and royalties. Quite a large responsibility for a girl of twelve. But Stephanie Edgely is no ordinary twelve-year old girl. And this is no ordinary mystery.
That night, a set of mystery-story circumstances (a broken-down car, a rainstorm, a flood, and a “there’s no way I’m leaving you in a strange house by yourself, Stephanie” from Mrs. Edgely) leave Stephanie alone for the night in Gordon’s mansion – not a strange house to her, by any means. Unworried, Stephanie settles in for the night. And then the phone rings – a very angry man on the other end warning her not to “mess up my master’s plans” and “don’t talk to me like that.” She began to feel uneasy. And that was before the pounding on the front door and voices demanding she let them in. Stephanie was just beginning to feel quiet unsafe (as the man, who of course had broken in through the door, had wrapped his hand around Stephanie’s throat and had begun to squeeze) when the strange funeral visitor appeared.
Stephanie remembered that his name was Skulduggery Pleasant. She saw him quickly dispatching the two intruders, knocking them out after beating them quite soundly. She thought she saw his scarf fall down from his face, and she thought she saw that all he had was a skull for a head. Confused, Stephanie watched as Skulduggery began to clean up the mess he’d made beating up the intruders.
And thus begins their partnership. Skulduggery Pleasant is, as you might have guessed, a skeleton. A skeleton detective, to be more precise. And when I said that Gordon Edgley’s death may not have had any mysterious circumstances… I may have been lying. This series is one you absolutely should not miss – not if you love fantasy, or mystery, or humor, or … really books in general.
This book, like most good mysteries, starts off with the sudden death of a beloved man. Gordon Edgely, famous fantasy writer, was seven words into the twenty-fifth sentence of the final chapter of his new book when he died. Unlike most good mysteries, Gordon’s death was not entirely suspicious. There was, however, a strange visitor at his funeral – a man in a tan coat, buttoned up all the way with a scarf wrapped around his face. Strange visitors are usually in good mysteries… this seems promising.
The strangeness really starts, though, at the reading of Gordon’s will. It seems that his niece Stephanie, the least greedy and demanding and downright unpleasant of Gordon’s relatives (discounting her parents), was willed all of Gordon’s property and possessions, his assets and royalties. Quite a large responsibility for a girl of twelve. But Stephanie Edgely is no ordinary twelve-year old girl. And this is no ordinary mystery.
That night, a set of mystery-story circumstances (a broken-down car, a rainstorm, a flood, and a “there’s no way I’m leaving you in a strange house by yourself, Stephanie” from Mrs. Edgely) leave Stephanie alone for the night in Gordon’s mansion – not a strange house to her, by any means. Unworried, Stephanie settles in for the night. And then the phone rings – a very angry man on the other end warning her not to “mess up my master’s plans” and “don’t talk to me like that.” She began to feel uneasy. And that was before the pounding on the front door and voices demanding she let them in. Stephanie was just beginning to feel quiet unsafe (as the man, who of course had broken in through the door, had wrapped his hand around Stephanie’s throat and had begun to squeeze) when the strange funeral visitor appeared.
Stephanie remembered that his name was Skulduggery Pleasant. She saw him quickly dispatching the two intruders, knocking them out after beating them quite soundly. She thought she saw his scarf fall down from his face, and she thought she saw that all he had was a skull for a head. Confused, Stephanie watched as Skulduggery began to clean up the mess he’d made beating up the intruders.
And thus begins their partnership. Skulduggery Pleasant is, as you might have guessed, a skeleton. A skeleton detective, to be more precise. And when I said that Gordon Edgley’s death may not have had any mysterious circumstances… I may have been lying. This series is one you absolutely should not miss – not if you love fantasy, or mystery, or humor, or … really books in general.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Bääm. Ein Coup gelungen, wird gleich noch einer draufgelegt. Dieses Buch ist soooo rasant ohne Unterbrechung. Hin und wieder hätte ich mir eine kleine Verschnaufpause gewünscht.. Die Fantasie von Derek Landy scheint unendlich. Ich werde definitiv an dieser Reihe dran bleiben und noch mehr von Skulduggery Pleasant lesen.. 💕
I decided to reread this. I first read it when it came out. And it hasn't lost its charm. Funny, exciting and so Irish. I listen to the audio book version and it was brilliantly performed.
When 12-year-old Stephanie's famous uncle dies, she is shocked to find that he has left his fortune and his house to her. But trouble ensues when she stays at the house by herself, and she soon finds herself plunged into a magical underworld she never knew existed. Luckily, her uncle's good friend Skulduggery Pleasant--a witty detective and walking skeleton--is there to help her find the answers she seeks.
Skulduggery Pleasant is a horror story, but also a story with a new and refreshing take on the age-old plotline of a hidden magical world beneath our own. Landy doesn't mess around here--the violence is scary, people get hurt, and magic is serious business. But the whole thing keeps from getting too heavy because it's all accompanied by a fairly large dose of humor. Stephanie and Skulduggery are an excellent buddy cop pair.
The only real issue that I had with this book was that while Stephanie is smart, independent, and brave (all while still being believable! Hooray!), every time you turn around she's in mortal danger and in desperate need of saving. At first this makes sense, since magic and the dangers of the magical world are new to her. But after a while, I started to get a little irritated. I was hoping that at least by the end of the story she'd prove capable of taking care of herself, but she doesn't quite get there by the end of this one(maybe in the sequels?).I almost started to feel like maybe Stephanie was just a walking liability for Skulduggery....almost, but not quite.
Over all, I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I would recommend it to people who like Percy Jackson (Riordan), The Graveyard Book (Gaiman), and Ghost Knight (Funke).
Skulduggery Pleasant is a horror story, but also a story with a new and refreshing take on the age-old plotline of a hidden magical world beneath our own. Landy doesn't mess around here--the violence is scary, people get hurt, and magic is serious business. But the whole thing keeps from getting too heavy because it's all accompanied by a fairly large dose of humor. Stephanie and Skulduggery are an excellent buddy cop pair.
The only real issue that I had with this book was that while Stephanie is smart, independent, and brave (all while still being believable! Hooray!), every time you turn around she's in mortal danger and in desperate need of saving. At first this makes sense, since magic and the dangers of the magical world are new to her. But after a while, I started to get a little irritated. I was hoping that at least by the end of the story she'd prove capable of taking care of herself, but she doesn't quite get there by the end of this one(maybe in the sequels?).I almost started to feel like maybe Stephanie was just a walking liability for Skulduggery....almost, but not quite.
Over all, I found this to be a very enjoyable read. I would recommend it to people who like Percy Jackson (Riordan), The Graveyard Book (Gaiman), and Ghost Knight (Funke).
(I finished it 4 days ago don't come at me)
Remains one of the best opening books to a series that I wholeheartedly love.
Remains one of the best opening books to a series that I wholeheartedly love.