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stivaktis 's review for:
Skulduggery Pleasant
by Derek Landy
I had actually read the Greek translation of this one when I was about... 14? 15? Or so. I remember liking the concept but not the main character, but I figured I should give it another shot, despite being too old for it.
Much of it reads, of course, like a children's book; which it should, but it could be a little bit more complex, even for its genre. I find myself tired of the eternal Clearly Evil characters and motives, even in stories for younger audiences. Reading it in my 30s, it's not that Stephanie is unlikable, it's that she acts five to ten years older than she actually is about 99% of the time. She feels like a part of another story; she's clearly in an, albeit dark, children's book, but she herself acts like she's in a YA novel. It's strange.
I do enjoy the darker twists in the whole setting, however, and despite his weird flaws, Skullduggery Pleasant is, goddammit, delightful as hell. He's a charming, interesting bloke that feels a little bit... I don't know, how the 11th Doctor should have been. Good weirdo with a darker side. I'm into it.
Strangely, the little bit of a short story in the end was possibly the best part of this book, and I kind of wish the rest of it was written in this particular comedic style instead of leaning into the seemingly inevitable battle between good and evil. It felt much more genuine and I hope the next books read more like this one.
Much of it reads, of course, like a children's book; which it should, but it could be a little bit more complex, even for its genre. I find myself tired of the eternal Clearly Evil characters and motives, even in stories for younger audiences. Reading it in my 30s, it's not that Stephanie is unlikable, it's that she acts five to ten years older than she actually is about 99% of the time. She feels like a part of another story; she's clearly in an, albeit dark, children's book, but she herself acts like she's in a YA novel. It's strange.
I do enjoy the darker twists in the whole setting, however, and despite his weird flaws, Skullduggery Pleasant is, goddammit, delightful as hell. He's a charming, interesting bloke that feels a little bit... I don't know, how the 11th Doctor should have been. Good weirdo with a darker side. I'm into it.
Strangely, the little bit of a short story in the end was possibly the best part of this book, and I kind of wish the rest of it was written in this particular comedic style instead of leaning into the seemingly inevitable battle between good and evil. It felt much more genuine and I hope the next books read more like this one.