In Skulduggery Pleasant The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy, Valkyrie Cain and Skulduggery Pleasant must solve multiple murders, protect the last of the teleporters, and prevent the return of the Faceless Ones...But just from the title, you can guess how that turns out.
Most series get worse with time, but Skulduggery Pleasant only gets better. The Faceless Ones was the best book so far, and you know how awesome the first two were. What made the book so amazing? The best of the characters shone through, the plot intensified to previously unparalleled levels, and the best, worst villains finally appeared.
In this book, I grew to love Kenspeckle He was very human, funny, and grumpy, but not cruel. Apparently, he's a something of a pacifist (like me), and he was a good friend to Valkyrie. I also loved Valkyrie’s parents. Like her, they were likable and funny, if not exactly fascinating. Tanith was fun, but she almost dies in every book. I was pleased Ghastly came back. I was afraid he might be one of those characters who stays "dead" as a symbol of heart-wrenching sacrifice, even though we never really knew him and don't particularly care he's dead. Now we have to chance to get to know him. I hope we learn more about Solomon Wreath in the next book. China had some part in Skulduggery’s troubles, which isn't surprising. Aside from her, it’s nice to have noble characters who are human and humane, without blatant cruelty or stupidity...usually (see second to last paragraph). Val and Skul don’t beat people up unless they have to, which they usually do, but if they can, they take the bad guys to jail. Yep, yep. Good stuff.
The bad guy, Batu, seemed suspect one moment and merely annoying the next, which makes it difficult to guess he’s the murderer. Skulduggery was the same as always: marvelous. Funny and friendly. Teleporter Fletcher Renn annoyed me, especially since he's hinted to be Valkyrie’s future love interest. Still, he's mostly okay.
Actually, I hoped the hints would amount to nothing. Val called him good-looking, but didn’t exactly swoon, so that could mean nothing. She helped him instead of helping Skulduggery up at the end, but that could also mean nothing, just a reason for Skulduggery to be funny. Nonetheless, I hear Val and Fletcher date in the next book. I guess, secretly, I feared what it might mean if the author put together a shallow match like Valkyrie and Fletcher, when he seems able to create deeper relationships. He could make another bad match, like *shudders* Skulduggery and China. If she and Skul got together, I’d..I'd...you know, I'd just...She’s AWFUL. She's uncaring and unheroic, and he’s kind and a total hero. Of course, that would be worst case scenario, but the Fletcherie pairing made me suspicious.
Actually, I was also quite saddened by that scene at the end since she did look to Fletcher first and minutes later the Faceless Ones pulled Skulduggery into their dimension. I was afraid that Fletcher would become more important to Valkyrie than Skulduggery, and she and Skulduggery would become less of a team. I felt bad for Skulduggery. He seems to have human feelings I can relate to, and if I were him, I’d make jokes about her helping Fletcher first but really I'd be sad and afraid I’d lost my best friend to someone she cared more about. But I guess Skulduggery does have more self-esteem than me and he’s used to being alone, so maybe he really wasn’t hurt. I felt like he would be, though, and just minutes later, he was pulled into another dimension full of evil gods.
Even without the Val and Fletcher incident, it was tragic enough we lost Skulduggery. I actually thought he might not come back. I was so happy to find he would. But how long would that take? Val might need another book to DECIDE to learn necromancy, another book to learn it, and another to rescue Skulduggery. Actually, that could improve the series even more because the storyline so far was "Save the World, Prevent the Faceless Ones from Returning." They did return and they were beaten. The books could have a whole new kind of storyline with "Rescue Skulduggery." Furthermore, if Val had to learn necromancy and fend for herself, it might add to her character. Nevertheless, I loved Skulduggery first and foremost, so I was sad. Then again, the author actually took out one of the two main characters. Most authors would be terrified of such an enormous change, but it's amazing! I definitely appreciated that.
Although I was sad, and partly because of it, this was still the best book. It made me care. The plot, simply put, was: everything that can go wrong does go wrong. It induced a wonderful kind of terror. And this book was IT. Everyone feared the evil gods would come back, and they finally did.
Also, the story finally seemed integrated with the rest of the series. The other books stood alone, and so did this one, but it also connected with the other books in ways that affected the plot. It even brought back previously less-important elements (like Billy-Ray Sanguine, the hilarious Finbar Wrong, and the mystery of Valkyrie's reflection). I didn't expect they'd be back, and I welcome their return. I prefer integrated stories to stand-alone ones because the former seem grander. That's another reason I loved this book.
I noticed something I've heard other people mention. The characters questioned whether a 14-year-old should the live the dangerous life Valkyrie does. The book gave no real answer. I’d accept that Valkyrie chooses this for herself, so Skulduggery isn’t to blame. She'd seek out trouble even without him. But if the book gave this answer, it was very brief.
Also, it asked whether sorcerers are superior to "mortals." It gave no answer there at all. Valkyrie showed distaste for the idea but didn't seem to come to a definite conclusion. I’d point out that your worth doesn't change based on what you do or what you can do. You have inherent value embedded in your soul no matter what, and that’s what makes us equal. But it doesn’t say anything like that.
Another part that bugged me. Usually, Skul and Val are somewhat careful about hurting people, but they readily and probably unnecessarily tricked Scapegrace and got him badly beat up by Cleavers. He probably deserved it, but still, really? Not classy.
I almost think I've criticized this book more than the first two, but I still say it's the best, and that should be a sign of how magnificent it is. It's easy to pick out the black spots on almost flawless white paper. Aside from those minor speckles, it only lacked a deeper emotional message, and made up for it with exquisite characters, plot, humor, and action.
9/10
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