A review by courtneyfalling
The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book started to feel a lot darker, with much heavier stakes, than the first two in the series. We still get Valkyrie's conflict over using her reflection so much and missing out on her early teen years/non-magic life, but we also start to get more hints about China's shady past with the Diablerie and Skulduggery's potentially evil past deeds too. Even on reread the final plot twist
with the reveal of Batu
surprised me, though I'm not sure how I feel about it beyond the successful shock. The violence started to feel less campy and more gritty, and a few scenes
particularly the short one where a Diablerie member cuts off his arm to avoid possession by a Faceless One
actually made me clench my teeth. And the cliffhanger ending
with Skulduggery and Valkyrie separated and shifting alliances determining Valkyrie's next steps
set up Dark Days really well. 
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