thomasgammon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
lizardking124's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
anastasiacarrow's review against another edition
4.0
"well then, you tell me, young lady. which are you? angel or demon?"
valkyrie smiles again. "i'm like anybody," she says. "i'm a little bit of both."
i have ... MANY THOUGHTS.
i know this book is hella long already BUT it honestly could've used maybe 10-15k more words to wrap things up because there is SO DAMN MUCH TO WRAP UP.
NINE BOOKS. NINE BOOKS HAVE LED UP TO THIS. AND IT WAS GOOD BUT—
FINALES ARE NEVER COMPLETELY SATISFYING.
i'm aware there's a whole other series but i'm not gonna be reading it SO i'm treating this as the end. AND WHAT AN END. the last couple chapters might have felt a little rushed but the final act still had me STRESSED. darquesse is fucking terrifying.
all right let’s sound some cannons for our dead tributes:
stephanie :( i'm really surprised about how much i liked her. girlie deserved so much more—and that was a fucking BRUTAL death scene.
MELANCHOLIA. i really shipped her and valkyrie, damn it!!!! the enemies to lovers that could have been!!!
BILLY RAY SANGUINE. what a fucking redemption. if you had told me six books ago that he'd be one of my favorite characters, i'd have laughed. but that man will be missed.
ravel's a piece of shit. enough said.
okay now let’s show some love <3 for my faves:
thrasher and scapegrace. tell me why thrasher's "death" scene had me in tears. they are husbands. their friendship with clarabelle is beyond adorable.
finbar was in this for two seconds and for one of those i thought he died. but he DIDN'T and i'm ECSTATIC.
FLETCHER. my man never disappoints. he barely has any time on the page but i eat up his scenes anyway. if i had to live in this world i'd HANDS DOWN be a teleporter. fletcher if you're free on thursday i'm also free on thursday so on thursday we could hang if you're free—
china and tanith. china is gaslight and tanith is gatekeep. together they make a pair of badass girlbosses. (also i'll die on the #chinduggery hill so shut up.)
finally: VALKYRIE AND SKULDUGGERY. the stars of the show. my favorites until the end. i love their friendship so much i can't even describe it. watching skulduggery fail to accept losing valkyrie always breaks my cold heart and fixes it again. (THE CUFFLINKS. THE MOTHERFUCKING CUFFLINKS.)
but SERIOUSLY. skulduggery, would it fucking kill you (again) to tell valkyrie that you love her??? maybe words of affirmation aren't your thing but your adopted daughter deserves THAT MUCH.
bottomline: i'm just sad. i don't like endings. BUT i really appreciate these characters and how complex they are, how they wrestle with morals, how black and white aren't colors that exist in their world. the good guys do terrible things, and you sympathize with the villains. skulduggery and valkyrie—the so-called good guys—ARE the villains. these are nine books about a dead guy and his young partner fighting against their own dark sides and saving each other in the process. and i think that's GENIUS.
anyway. as a wise living skeleton once said:
"punishment is not the answer. punishment is easy. it's lazy. redemption is hard. redemption makes you work."
valkyrie smiles again. "i'm like anybody," she says. "i'm a little bit of both."
i have ... MANY THOUGHTS.
i know this book is hella long already BUT it honestly could've used maybe 10-15k more words to wrap things up because there is SO DAMN MUCH TO WRAP UP.
NINE BOOKS. NINE BOOKS HAVE LED UP TO THIS. AND IT WAS GOOD BUT—
FINALES ARE NEVER COMPLETELY SATISFYING.
i'm aware there's a whole other series but i'm not gonna be reading it SO i'm treating this as the end. AND WHAT AN END. the last couple chapters might have felt a little rushed but the final act still had me STRESSED. darquesse is fucking terrifying.
all right let’s sound some cannons for our dead tributes:
stephanie :( i'm really surprised about how much i liked her. girlie deserved so much more—and that was a fucking BRUTAL death scene.
MELANCHOLIA. i really shipped her and valkyrie, damn it!!!! the enemies to lovers that could have been!!!
BILLY RAY SANGUINE. what a fucking redemption. if you had told me six books ago that he'd be one of my favorite characters, i'd have laughed. but that man will be missed.
ravel's a piece of shit. enough said.
okay now let’s show some love <3 for my faves:
thrasher and scapegrace. tell me why thrasher's "death" scene had me in tears. they are husbands. their friendship with clarabelle is beyond adorable.
finbar was in this for two seconds and for one of those i thought he died. but he DIDN'T and i'm ECSTATIC.
FLETCHER. my man never disappoints. he barely has any time on the page but i eat up his scenes anyway. if i had to live in this world i'd HANDS DOWN be a teleporter. fletcher if you're free on thursday i'm also free on thursday so on thursday we could hang if you're free—
china and tanith. china is gaslight and tanith is gatekeep. together they make a pair of badass girlbosses. (also i'll die on the #chinduggery hill so shut up.)
finally: VALKYRIE AND SKULDUGGERY. the stars of the show. my favorites until the end. i love their friendship so much i can't even describe it. watching skulduggery fail to accept losing valkyrie always breaks my cold heart and fixes it again. (THE CUFFLINKS. THE MOTHERFUCKING CUFFLINKS.)
but SERIOUSLY. skulduggery, would it fucking kill you (again) to tell valkyrie that you love her??? maybe words of affirmation aren't your thing but your adopted daughter deserves THAT MUCH.
bottomline: i'm just sad. i don't like endings. BUT i really appreciate these characters and how complex they are, how they wrestle with morals, how black and white aren't colors that exist in their world. the good guys do terrible things, and you sympathize with the villains. skulduggery and valkyrie—the so-called good guys—ARE the villains. these are nine books about a dead guy and his young partner fighting against their own dark sides and saving each other in the process. and i think that's GENIUS.
anyway. as a wise living skeleton once said:
"punishment is not the answer. punishment is easy. it's lazy. redemption is hard. redemption makes you work."
robin_h's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
eileen_12's review against another edition
4.0
Richtig gutes Ende für die Reihe. Fängt sehr langsam an, aber die letzen hundert Seiten waren das beste an der ganzen Serie!!!
scrollsofdragons's review against another edition
4.0
Perfect ending to an amazing series but I would have preferred more of a wrap up because it ended abruptly.
raven_nivhaar's review against another edition
5.0
I was fine reading it, managed to not cry, but then I finished it, put the book away and it hit me.
This is it.
That's when the tears came, but I had a quote jump into my head that I think is quite fitting (I have absolutely NO idea who said it :P):
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
I think in my mind I was giving a eulogy to this series after finishing. I just can't believe it's over.
But it will live on forever in my heart :)
(and I still managed to make this sound like a eulogy... oh well)
This is it.
That's when the tears came, but I had a quote jump into my head that I think is quite fitting (I have absolutely NO idea who said it :P):
"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."
I think in my mind I was giving a eulogy to this series after finishing. I just can't believe it's over.
But it will live on forever in my heart :)
(and I still managed to make this sound like a eulogy... oh well)
sfitzgerald04's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Skulduggery Pleasant: the dying of the light.
This book is my all time favourite in this fantasy series by Derek Landy. I’ve completed my third reread of phase 1 and I was not disappointed. From villains from the likes of Serpine, Baron Vengeous , Lord Vile and the over arching big bad Darquesse. Her long awaited arrival was brilliantly written. I really felt the stakes with ever page turn. Characters fates on the line, not everyone gets out alive and this was everything the supposed ending to the series that made me love reading so much and what got me into Fantasy.
Bring on phase 3 next year. In the meantime a reread of phase two is in the plans.
This book is my all time favourite in this fantasy series by Derek Landy. I’ve completed my third reread of phase 1 and I was not disappointed. From villains from the likes of Serpine, Baron Vengeous , Lord Vile and the over arching big bad Darquesse. Her long awaited arrival was brilliantly written. I really felt the stakes with ever page turn. Characters fates on the line, not everyone gets out alive and this was everything the supposed ending to the series that made me love reading so much and what got me into Fantasy.
Bring on phase 3 next year. In the meantime a reread of phase two is in the plans.
panicked_llama's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
nicole_flnr's review against another edition
4.0
not the biggest fan of the ending but this was *chefs kiss*