This is the first book in the dark fantasy series by Derek Landy. The book was first published 2007 by HarperCollins and the audiobook is narrated by Rupert Degas. The story is a fantasy with magic and sorcerers but its integrated into other genre’s like mystery as Skulduggery Pleasant is a detective as well.
The story follows Stephanie Edgley who has just lost her uncle and gotten a large inheritance from him. Unfortunately, it comes with a lot of murderous sorcerers and monsters who is all after a key that should lead to a legendary scepter. Fortunately, it also comes with the welldressed skeleton detective Skulduggery Pleasant who is after the man behind the monsters.
Stephanie is a bored young girl at the age of 12 who just want to find her place in the world and entering a world filled with new rules and adventures are just what she is looking for. She is loyal, sharp and not afraid to get physical even when she is scared. Skulduggery is an ancient sorcerer who has become famous for his power. He takes a liking to Stephanie and though he prefers her to be safe, he starts to teach her magic. He is a gentleman, though people around him keep telling us that he is dangerous we only see his patience and his protective nature towards Stephanie. We rarely see his true feelings though so I’m not sure what he feels toward Stephanie or the people around him.
There are more people such as the sadistic antagonist or the seductive sorceress who they go to for help along with quirky elders who really doesn’t want to do anything. All leave an impact despite not having a large role, mostly because they feel quirky and mysterious.
This book gives us spades of atmosphere along with lore and an interesting world that pull you in. If there is a problem then I think it would be the character of Stephanie. I honestly thought she was older, maybe 17 or 18 since they were talking about choosing and education which often suggest university. Now, a twelve-year-old girl is fine in a story but she feels older because she is too strong. She overpowers adults, saves the 400-year-old Skulduggery along with fighting by his side like she is his equal. She is a child and no one seem to miss her, not even her parents. Now overpowered children are common in children’s books, Percy Jackson being the prime example, but I don’t like that theme as it makes the child in question feel unnatural or unreal. I find it interesting though that everyone calls it a Harry Potter rip-off while I personally felt it reminded me of Detective Gadget.
Now, personally, I wasn’t bothered since Stephanie was afraid, cried, got hurt and was saved several times so I still felt she had her mortality, but I did notice that some readers were far more sensitive to this than me. It wasn’t something that pulled down the enjoyment, though I wouldn’t consider it a positive.
So in conclusion, I liked the story. It had an interesting world, an atmosphere that pulled me in, and a plot that left me wanting more. I enjoyed the characters, though I would have preferred to either age up Stephanie or make her more like the twelve year old she was but I still enjoyed her enough to want to read more. I would all in all give the book an 8 out of 10. It has a strong beginning, and I personally both enjoyed it and would recommend it for those who enjoys a fantasy mystery with a lot of atmosphere.
With Kind Regards
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