Revelling in the dark comedy, action set-pieces and unforgettable characters that are a hallmark of the Skulduggery Pleasant series, this standalone novel transports readers to early eighteenth-century Italy where our heroes are forced to save the Lord of the Dark Sorcerers' Waterstones, Books You Need to Read in 2023 was it the only thing that made me laugh today and a welcome distraction from life for a couple hours and did Skulduggery give Valkyrie his hat and did it make me realise that no matter what i say i am definitely not over this stupid book series? You cannot read this book if you haven't read at least Phase 1 (books 1-9) of the main Skulduggery Pleasant series. I mean, you *can*, of course, but you probably wouldn't enjoy it. Because it doesn't exactly give you much information on the characters or the events this short novel depends on.

Hell Breaks Loose : r/skulduggerypleasant - Reddit Hell Breaks Loose : r/skulduggerypleasant - Reddit

I fell off Skulduggery Pleasant during the second phase due to a mix of time and not vibing with the new stories, but I was attracted at the idea of a prequel focusing on Skulduggery's adventures with the Dead Men- I distinctly recall hearing about Derek Landy mentioning this would be a story years before Valkyrie entered the picture, and I thought a standalone novel would be a fun side-adventure, given how long the fanbase had been asking for a story focused on the Dead Men. Ok. So: I've read the first Skulduggery Pleasant book when I was 12 and have read every book in the series published so far. I love Derek Landy's style of writing, love the Skulduggery Pleasant universe, love the characters, and I'm a massive fan of the original series. But I'm not a huge fan of this. Playing with Fire – With Serpine dead, the world is safe once more. At least, that’s what Valkyrie and Skulduggery think, until the notorious Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison, and dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland. With Baron Vengeous after the deadly armour of Lord Vile, and pretty much everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet. But what if the greatest threat to Valkyrie is just a little closer to home…?After this Sister Rapture and Sister Stone are devastated. But THEN we find that Sister Stone is in fact Valkyrie (ik, SURPRISE!!) from the future. And she had some vision that this dude (i still don't remember his name) would change reality or something. My memory is terrible. But future Skulduggery told future Valkyrie to go to the past and kill this dude whose lifeline is attached to the murde He doesn’t like to brag about all the awards he’s won, such as the Irish Book of the Decade, or the Red House in the UK, or all the other awards that he humbly displays on his mantelpiece. He is also far too modest to mention things like the first book being a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, but would like to extend an invitation to Oprah to pop around one day for tea, in thanks for selecting his book for the Oprah’s Book Club Kids Reading List.

Hell Breaks Loose: A prequel from the Sunday Times

I think people forget that this is a middle-grade series and is meant to be fun. I guess a 12-year-old would love the ride this book provides! I also appreciated some conversations the characters had (e.g., the talk about beauty Ghastly and his mother have) and think it's important for younger people to read them. There is nothing wrong with the book; it's neither stupid (and, thus, looking down at a child's intellect) nor harmful. Being overly critical about a book whose prime demographic is children because you can only consider it through the lens of an adult is quite silly, I would say. Also, my god what a dedication. These books are known for funny dedications, but we've never had one that terrified me to my very soul.) Would give 1.5 stars if available. Spoilers are mentioned. tldr review- good first half that is tainted by proxy with a second half that feels like I've read the premise better in fanfiction.I would be interested in seeing where this goes as it does set up a potential plotline for a potential Phase 3 while also managing to wrap up the main conflict of the book well but I will admit that while the character dynamics were still strong and it was entertaining and enjoyable to read, I did find that the humour and trademark Skulduggery Pleasant charm was missing from this one. Maybe it's because I've expanded my taste and knowledge with books meaning I can recognise that the writing is much simpler than I remember or I'm not looking at it with rose-tinted glasses. I am quite sad though that Dexter and Saracen's, how do we say, romantic development happened only in a "what might have been" sense of events. I am glad that all of them didn't die but since all of them but Dexter did in fact die in the end, I'm still really sad. When I heard about a Skulduggery Pleasant prequel to say I was excited is an understatement. I can and will consume everything Derek writes relating to this series, and that includes books that are prequels but also aren’t prequels. This isn’t really a prequel. Of course it was good, in the way that Skulduggery Pleasant is always good because it is Skulduggery Pleasant, but I felt it didn’t have the same excitement and rush as some of the other books. Obviously they are longer and are part of an overarching plot, but this as a one-off didn’t hit the same mark.

Skulduggery Pleasant: Hell Breaks Loose

My only question, however, is (and I'm assuming that Ravel put his plan in action by this stage or at least started to plan his plan) why did Ravel not panic when Valkyrie is hostile and obviously upset towards him, and later tells him that "The Sanctuaries don't interfere in the mortal world." very sharply. Surely this is enough clues to tell him that his plan failed, or at least be worried that Valkyrie would tell the others what he was going to do? This story wasn't what I expected, while simultaneously being precisely what I should have seen coming. Once it gets into the swing of things, it's the classic action-adventure I fell in love with as a child, alongside the good old-fashioned drama and comedy that my adult self appreciates even more so. I loved seeing an earlier time period than we're used to with this series, and seeing a younger version of Skulduggery and the rest of the Dead Men - and what really worked for me was this being written from Ghastly's POV, the man doesn't get enough love and seeing his view on everything was fascinating!Seasons of War – War is coming. To avert catastrophe, Skulduggery and Valkyrie are sent on a secret mission that takes them away from everything they know, to a forsaken land of magic and grim, unrelenting terror. It is here that Valkyrie will have to fight the hardest — not only against the enemies who want her dead, but also against her own self-destructive impulses. It’s only by crawling through the darkness that she’ll be able to once again stand in the light…

Hell Breaks Loose (Skulduggery Pleasant) - Bookstation Hell Breaks Loose (Skulduggery Pleasant) - Bookstation

I have always been a big fan of the Skulduggery Pleasant universe and book series and so it's always nice to have new releases following the end of a Phase of the main books even though this wasn't anything incredible or innovative, it did keep me entertained and having a good time whilst I read it.The idea that his own friends had to jump him to stop him from sabotaging the mission. The whole thing is incredibly unfair on Skulduggery but it's hard to imagine Skulduggery risking the whole mission for his own personal gain, but he does. In book 1 China tells Valkyrie that he will do this, but this is the first time we actually get to read about it happening. In case you were wondering, Dexter's the most honest, Saracen's the most charming, Ravel is the most loyal and you are the most decent."