Skulduggery Pleasant:The Dying of the Light - Derek Landy - Book Review

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Something a little different this time and just in time for Halloween!!

I have been fortunate enough to receive a copy of Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant: The Dying of the Light to read and review with the help of my 10 year old brother.

The book usually retails at £14.99 here in the UK however you can find cheaper
copies online especially if you go for a second hand copy (most second hand books are in brilliant condition so save yourself a few £££!!)

The book is part of a series of books in which this particular book is the 9th and final book (correct me if I'm wrong) which follows the works of a skeleton detective.



The cover of the book is beautifully eerie which suits the story down to a tee without giving anything away.

The book is aimed at keystage 2 children and above, however due to the 600+ pages of the book I would say late keystage 2 is more suitable (9-11 year olds). The text in the book is fairly large so reading is smooth and also a great size for the younger readers.


There are no illustrations within the book but my 10 year old brother hasn't lost interest in reading due to this.

I have personally read this book both with and without my brother and I found it hard to put down.; there are so many twists and turns which kept me coming back for more. I can only compare the effect of this book on both children and adults as similar to the way JK Rowling had us all hooked to the Harry Potter series!!

The storyline was simple to follow. There were a few times that I had to explain what was happening to my brother, but that was more than likely because he wasn't paying full attention as the vocabulary used was that of a child around his age.

My brother and I haven't read any of the previous books in the series however I didn't feel that I was missing out on half a story due to this. It took a while to really understand and connect with the characters but the storyline was unaffected.




I wont go into the plot too much as I don't want to give anything away, however here's a very brief summary of what goes on;
 
"The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder.

And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals… and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.

The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive…"






 
 


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