Reviews with content warning for Death - Last Stand of Dead Men

A war is brewing. A war between the Sanctuaries around the world. When it all breaks loose the betrayals are plenty and friends turn into foes. Skulduggery and Valkyrie do what they can, but she's also fighting her own battle, against the evil being inside of her. If Valkyrie lets Darquesse take over, the whole world is in trouble.

When the series started Valkyrie (or Stephanie, as her real name is) was 12 years old. In this eigth book she celebrates her 18th birthday. She's learnt things and developed her powers over the years, but when it comes to her personal development not much has happened, I think. It's no big deal in this kind of books, that's not why we read them. It's like reading about, for example, Marvel heroes: you regognise them for what they are and just want to follow them on their next adventure.

Valkyrie has had her reflection as stand-in when she's been out with Skulduggery, fighting evil. The reflection, Stephanie, takes over more and more, and has become more solid and thinking for itself. She wants to take over Valkyrie's family and life at home, thinking that Valkyrie doesn't deserve it. When Valkyrie finally can't resist the darkness within and Darquesse surfaces, it looks like Stephanie gets her wish. But Skulduggery hasn't given up and thinks Valkyrie still can be saved. I'm looking forward to seeing where this development will take us!

Content Warnings

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Wow that twist!!! Was not one I saw coming!! I guess I expected the "reliving the good ol' days of the Dead Men" to show how serious and memorable this war's stakes also are, or to set up Skulduggery and Valkyrie's good side/dark side trauma arcs even more... and instead this twist really hit.

I think in a series so saturated with characters and their subsequent deaths, one of the few side characters I was actually invested in and rooting for was Ghastly. I wanted him to survive to Tanith somehow, magically, separating from her Remnant and for him to finally get whatever passes for a 'happy ending' in this world. So his death... made me actually sad.

Again, someone give me a thesis on political philosophy and Irish politics in this series. Also I was so right in my predictions back in like Book 4 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3c0b3c73-100f-412a-8af9-3cb8e596852e), but I am living for how correct I was.

We love murderous little mirror reflections who make out with your ex and realize that maybe they shouldn't have totally stabbed your cousin!

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