The Book Addicted Girl: Death Bringer by Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant, Book One

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Paperback

Published: 29^th March 2012

Number of Pages: 604

Book: Bought

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Comedy, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Action-Adventure, Mystery, Children's, YA, Children's-YA Crossover

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains: Violence, Death, Swearing, Very Mild (And Hilarious) Sexual Innuendos

No Alcohol or Drug References

Author's Blog: Derek Landy Blogs Under Duress

Skulduggery Pleasant Site: Skulduggery Pleasant

WARNING: COULD CONTAIN SPOILERS... AND A LOT OF FANGIRLING.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: detective, magician, warrior.

Oh yes, and dead.

The Death Bringer has risen. Skulduggery and Valkyrie have seven days to uncover the Necromancers’ secret before it’s too late.

The clock is ticking. Lord Vile is loose. And after this one, nothing will ever be the same again.

Review:

"On Sunday the world changes."

"On Sunday the world is saved."

"Yes," Skulduggery said, "well, we’ll see about that..."

The Death Bringer has been chosen – but it's not Valkyrie Cain (for once)... The Death Bringer, who is meant to bring about the mysterious 'Passage', which is meant to make the world better and solve death. Too good to be true? Almost certainly...

Lord Vile, the previous candidate for Death Bringer, has also returned. He's also a notorious war criminal. Not good.

And meanwhile the Sanctuary is going through massive changes, the Faceless Ones fanatics are stirring again, Tanith is missing, China's being blackmailed and Val is having some serious boyfriend troubles...

I'd forgotten about Death Bringer – forgotten, repressed, same difference... All the Skulduggery Pleasant books get progressively darker as the series goes on. But this one... it just breaks my heart every time. So very many things go so very wrong and... uh! I can't read Death Bringer without getting this horrid spasm in my heart. And yet even as these painful little twinges were happening, I was laughing my head off. Because Derek Landy has a serious gift. Hell, he has gifts plural; mad gifts. He's so gifted that his freaking gifts have gifts, and they too have gifts, and then they... You get the picture, right? My point is I adore Skulduggery Pleasant.

Skulduggery... you understand so much more about him in this book – why he is who he is, why he's like he is. And... to begin with it's a little disturbing but then... then your heart breaks in two. Oh, Skulduggery! I just want to give him a hug, even if it would be a little bit of a painful hug – you know, all the bones. He is a skeleton, after all. Ok, sorry: these jokes suck... Moving on: he's so amazing, he's so funny and he's so damaged. I love him.

As for Valkyrie: she annoyed me in this one. She was just... selfish. And also a little mean – poor Fletch! However, she was also badass and funny and real and good at heart. Come on: what teenager isn't a little self-involved? And also the poor girl's had a hell of a lot to deal with, especially for a sixteen-year-old. You just have to see her with Skulduggery or her uncle or her parents or her baby sister to see what a good person Val really is. I really love this girl – flaws and all.

Speaking of Fletcher Renn – break my heart! Poor poor Fletch... I really felt for China in this one too: she's done some bad stuff but she's trying to make amends. She has friends for the first time ever and she doesn't want to be alone anymore. I want to give her a hug too. And then there's Caelan... Um, he creeped me out. He was also unintentionally hilarious – with his cliché gothic proclamations of "eternal" and "burning passion". Ha! Seriously: so funny! But my fave supporting character? Val's dad: that man seriously kills me!

Once again, and as always, Landy's writing is second to none. It's not the most elegant, but it's adrenaline-fuelled, action-packed, hilarious and surprisingly emotional and deep for a MG fantasy book featuring a skeleton detective. I love Landy's writing – so, so much. And as for the plot for this one: Unpredictable. Awesome. A roller coaster. Non-stop. These are just a few of the words that pop to mind. Awesome in particular, since Derek Landy is undeniably awesome. Oh, totally twisty is another phrase – because damn! Death Bringer is just full of twists! Seriously: this book is as unpredictable as a rabid dingo on drugs! Does it get any more unpredictable than that?

To sum it up, Death Bringer was the most awesome book out of the most awesome series. I know I say that with each new book, but it's true. Death Bringer was emotional, hilarious, addictive and a perfect escape. I wish I could live in this world, with these people – even if I died or was just in the background. Because I love them all that much. Love Derek Landy and SP that much. And I really, really want you all to read this series if you haven't yet. I mean, you've been listening to me gush about this series for six books: when are you going to take my advice and read this amazing, amazing series?!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and reread Kingdom of the Wicked. Ciao!

Oh: P.S. This should be Derek Landy's catchphrase: "Be off with you. I have a book to write, characters to kill, and a party to plan." That is literally the most Derek Landy thing ever, even if it came out of Gordon’s mouth.

Star Rating:
5 Out of 5