Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men by Derek Landy [Book 8]

Title: Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men

Author: Derek Landy

Publisher: Harper Collins

Age Range: 11+

Release Date: Out now!

Rating: 5/5

Last Stand of Dead Men is the eighth book in the amazing Skulduggery Pleasant series, and the penultimate book overall.

War has finally broken among the Sanctuaries around the world, and things are looking bad for the Irish Sanctuary and everyone has had enough. Allies turn to enemies, leaving Valkyrie and Skulduggery to team up with the rest of the Dead Men and it seems to be their only chance of survival.

But Valkyrie has another problem to deal with much closer to home; the other half of herself, Darquesse, has also had enough and is ready to take control of our heroine to wreck havoc across the world. But will it all become too much for Valkyrie to handle?

Now, my family and myself are huge fans of Landy’s Skulduggery series, and I have followed the series from the start (Last Stand of Dead Men is book eight).  They are sold as children’s fiction, and you will find the series in the children’s section of the bookshop, however, I am 20 and adore this series; my mother and younger brother also love it, so please don’t assume that this series is too young for you to read, you would be sorely missing out! The humor in the books is what makes me come back to Landy again and again, they really are very funny; the humor isn’t crude or rude, it is the kind of comedy that everyone – no matter their age – can enjoy. Having said that, this series is perfect for getting younger children, especially boys, involved in reading.

So, how does this book compare to the rest in the series? Well, there are important plot developments, not all of which are good. We loose one or two characters in one way or another in this installment, and things are definitely heating up for the next book – last in the series. I won’t say anymore about that, but I was pretty upset.

My favourite characters, by far, are the (now former) zombies, Scapegrace and his useless sidekick, Thrasher. Truth be told, I read the books to see what kind of hilarious situation they’ve found themselves in now. And if you thought Scapegrace’s journey from human to zombie to a head-in-a-jar to man in an attractive woman’s body was bad enough, you probably haven’t been following the series. Very funny, as always!

Tanith and Sanguine turn to different tactics to achieve their goal (what actually in their goal? I know Tanith’s but… anyway) and try and gain the trust of Skulduggary, Valkyrie and co., which works surprisingly well, actually.

In Last Stand of Dead Men, we learn more about the other Sanctuaries around the world, rather than just the Irish Sanctuary; in previous books the world Valkyrie and Skulduggery live in has felt small, confided to Roarhaven, which I loved but now things are getting out of their control.

Needless to say, I cannot wait for book 9, the last in the series, which is due out August 2014. But until then, enjoy this penultimate adventure!

Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan

Please note, this review includes spoilers if you haven’t read the first book…

Talulla Rising is the second book in Glen Duncan’s excellent Last Werewolf series; the first being, not surprisingly, The Last Werewolf. We pick up where The Last Werewolf left off, without our hero Jake, who sadly died in the first novel, leaving his girlfriend, Talulla Demetriou, pregnant and alone.

Now, as you might imagine, if you haven’t read the first book, this one will make just about no sense, and you won’t fully appreciate how good the series is. There are a few months missing between where the first book ended and the second begins, so you might want to refresh your memory with how The Last Werewolf finished off.

With the absence of Jake, the storyline seems to start a little flat; I found it hard to warm up to Talulla as our new heroine straight away (however I did warm up to her a few chapters in). Having said that, the presence of Jake is not forgotten; Talulla often reads extracts from his journals, and recounts memories that she had with him, and in a way this is enough. He left his mark on the series, in more ways than one. Talulla is pregnant with his child (which we learn early on is actually twins) and being one of few werewolves in existence, this is no small matter. Of course, there are a lot of people that would love to get their hands on the children, if not Talulla herself.

As with the first book, Duncan’s writing never holds back, in both strong language and brutal honesty. Rather than deterring some readers, I think the audience appreciates things being told as they are, and not romanticized or sugarcoated in any way. The fact that this realism occurs in such an obviously unrealistic and fictional story makes it all the more believable and readable.

There are a few new characters introduced, some much more intriguing than others. Judging by the ending of this installment in the trilogy, we’ll have to wait for book three to get our questions answered. An amazing second book in the Last Werewolf trilogy, an easily consumable book, and more of a supernatural horror than some of the half-hearted attempts currently on the market; if you want a good horror to get your teeth stuck into, this is the series for you.

A strong 4/5 overall. 

Book Review: Spook's: Alice by Joseph Delaney

Quick warning to those that aren’t up-to-date with the series, this review may contain a few spoilers…

Alice is not only book twelve in the Wardstone Chronicles but also the penultimate installment, which means only one thing; the series is almost coming to its long-awaited climax. Having followed the series for years, I am sad to be nearing the end. But the work doesn’t just stop in the County, so let’s get to the review.

Alice, perhaps not surprisingly, follows the character of Alice from the series; in the same way Delaney has previously written Slither’s Tale and Grimalkin.

Alice, loyal companion of Tom and the Spook, get’s straight down the business; travelling into the realm of ‘The Dark’ to find the third object needed by the Spook and his apprentice, Tom, in order to destroy their greatest enemy, The Fiend. The Dark is not a place anyone would want to go – a place where the non-human folk end up when they die on Earth. It just so happens that Alice has done her fair share of killing some on the more dangerous and evil creatures over the year – or at least been a helping hand – and by travelling into their realm, they finally have the chance to take their revenge.

This makes for a bad situation for Alice but a brilliant, action-packed story for the reader! Alice not only encounters past threats but also takes readers down memory lane by revisiting her childhood through an encounter with a particular enemy. Unlike the majority of the books in the series, Alice isn’t told through the viewpoint of our hero and protagonist, Thomas Ward, but, as the title suggests, is written in first person by Alice.

As always, Delaney is able to effortlessly create an atmospheric world fit for witches and other such unsavory creatures that I have grown to love so much. I feel that Alice is slightly more gruesome than previous installments, particularly the scenes in which Alice remembers magic she saw her mother, Boney Lizzie (my old favourite!), preforming when she was a child. It involves flies and rats, that’s all I’ll say!

The writing is easy enough for a younger audience to read by the content is gory enough for adults to enjoy just as much as children. It is vital – and enjoyable - to start at the beginning of the series and read the books in order to be able to fully appreciate this series as one of the best of the decade.

Another thing to touch upon before I finish is that this series is currently being turned into a film, called Seventh Son I believe, which is scheduled to be released towards the end of this year.

If anyone is interested in the order the Spooks series should be read in, I have complied a list below:

1)    The Spook’s Apprentice
2)    The Spook’s Curse

3)    The Spook’s Secret
4)    The Spook’ Battle

5)    The Spook’s Mistake

6)    The Spook’s Sacrifice

7)    The Spook’s Nightmare

8)    The Spook’s Destiny

9)    Spook’s: I am Grimalkin

10) The Spook’s Blood

11) Spook’s Slither’s Tale (reviewed here...)

12) Spook’s: Alice

Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson REVIEW

Jessica McClain’s story continues in Hot Blooded, the second installment in the Jessica McClain series.

I feel that a quick recap of the first book is needed for some context here; Jessica has just discovered that she is the only female werewolf in the world. However, this is no reason for celebration. It means she is now a target. She recently found her mate, Rourke, only for him to be kidnapped by a powerful goddess.

Hot Blooded picks up where Full Blooded left off, with Jessica eager to begin searching for her mate. But things are never as straight forward as they seem when you’re the only female werewolf around, and in Hot Blooded, Jessica comes to realise this more than ever when she is able to unimaginable things, things that no werewolf has ever been able to do, with powers that no other supernatural – or ‘supe’ as they are nicknamed in the series – can do. It’s clear that the sooner she can learn and understand her new powers, the better.

As with Full Blooded, I am surprised at how much I love this series. It could so easily become another – very forgettable – werewolf series ridden with plot holes and pointless characters; however, Amanda Carlson once again has exceeded my expectations and managed to pull off a second installment with just as much sass as the first. Jessica is a feisty; no nonsense woman who knows when enough is enough. She has close ties to her twin bother, Tyler, and her Pack mate, Danny, who help her on an adventure/quest to rescue her mate. They also enlist the help of two vampires, Naomi and Eamon, who bring some unexpected scenarios when Naomi is badly injured and only Jessica can save using a power she never knew she had.

It is in this book Carlson starts to slowly reveal just what an exception to the werewolf race Jessica really is. Her powers are unheard of, but is that a good thing or bad? There is the small matter of a prophecy claiming that ‘her birth will signify the end of their race’. How true is that?

The interaction between the characters is quick-witted and humorous, and despite Hot Blooded being such a fast paced novel, Carlson does an excellent job of making us the forget the wider threats and enjoy the small banter between the main characters. The best scenes are between Jessica and Ray, who seems to be in the series for the long haul judging by how things were left in this book…

There are also hints at relationships developing between some of the characters in this novel, and certain threats to be faced in the future novels, so nothing is wrapped up in this installment – and hopefully there will be many more Jessica McClain books to come. 

Review of Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising Trilogy

I am reviewing this series based on my faith in the author, and not on the plot or storyline this trilogy follows. In fact, reading the blurb on the first book, it does nothing to draw me in. I feel that all young adult books have become one and the same. If authors want to get their book noticed among the hundreds of thousands currently available to teenagers, they should really put more effort into wording the blurb on their novels. This is the deciding factor for most readers about whether they are willing to invest their time in your story or not, and I feel that some out there at the moment could do with a good rework, this series included.

But don’t let the vague blurb put you off, Armstrong’s writing could pull off the worst plotline in history, and do it well.

The world seemed to dip and darken and I smelled wet earth and thick musk and fresh blood. The wind whipped past, like I was running. Running so fast the ground whizzed beneath me and the wind cut across my skin . . .

I’ll start at the beginning, with the first book in the trilogy, The Gathering. We are introduced to Maya Delaney, a sixteen-year-old girl living a relatively secluded life in the tranquil town of Salmon Creek, which has a population of only two hundred. Maya has always felt a close bond with nature. She practically lives in the woods, and spends most of her time looking after the animals that get hurt in the area, and she feel like the paw-shaped birthmark she has on her tattoo is a sign that she belongs close to these wild creatures.

Things start of relatively normally, with Maya going to the local, and only, high school. It is described as being a state school with all the benefits of a private school; students have extra curricular activates that Maya suggests are a big part of her and her friends life, for example swimming, boxing, dancing, singing, climbing etcetera. When her life-long best friend, Daniel, the school boxing champion, is suspicious of the new student, Rafe, Maya takes notice. Daniel has a gut instinct for knowing what people are like from the off, and its never been wrong before. But he begins to feel these ‘bad vibes’ a whole lot more than usual.

But Daniel isn’t fully recovered from his girlfriend, and Maya’s best friend, Serena’s death a year ago. Are his instincts off? Maya is intrigued by Rafe; a guy who likes to make everyone believe he is a typical bad-boy, but Maya knows he doesn’t really smoke and drink, so what’s his game? Then there’s his sister, Annie, who Rafe claims had an accident, and is brain damaged. But when Mays notices the same paw shaped birthmark on Annie’s arm as Maya has on her hip, Maya realizes this may be more than just a coincidence. To top everything off, a journalist starts asking questions and hanging around the otherwise quiet town. Something that out of the ordinary is noticeable, so when she goes missing and later turns up dead, Maya knows something very strange is happening.

Is it a tragic accident that Selena, captain of the swim team, and the best swimmer in Salmon Creek, drowns? Or is it something more?

Maya and Daniel do some digging and begin to suspect that the St. Clouds, the owners of Salmon Creek, are involved in medical research that is less of the ‘research’ and much more experimentation, with a supernatural element.

The first book isn’t all that I felt The Summoning (the first in Armstrong’s previous YA trilogy, Darkest Powers) was; the plot was very predictable, and I found I really didn’t care much for the characters at first. Especially as the main characters are a large group of friends, it is hard to get to know the personality of each.

This is why the second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy was much better, in my opinion. By this time, the reader has already got to know which characters they prefer and why, and the predictability of the plot has past. The Calling begins where The Gathering left off; with the gang leaving Salmon Creek on a helicopter to escape a forest fire, which Maya suspects is man-made. Things take a turn for the worst and they find themselves stranded in a dense forest with no food or water, and the wildness of nature surrounding them – not to mention a cougar or two.  It is this book that Armstrong pulls the friends together and puts to use her best talent; writing amazing characters with witty dialogue.

The third and final book in the trilogy, The Rising, sees Armstrong doing something unexpected; she links this trilogy to her previous YA series (mentioned earlier) by a meeting between the two groups of teenagers. There were many references to them in the first books in the series, but to actually introduce the characters to each other gives fan of the other series, like myself, a chance to catch up with the other characters and see how they’ve coped since the end of the trilogy.

As this book is set in the same world as her previous Women of the Otherworld series, expect Armstrong to reference many of the more popular characters and names fans of the books – like myself – will be delighted to recognize.

Perhaps this series isn’t all I was hoping for, and I strongly suggest reading her first Young Adult trilogy, Darkest Powers, before starting this one. They are closely entwined but I far preferred the character building in Darkest Powers to Darkness Rising. However, if you are already familiar with the Darkest Powers trilogy, and became fond of the characters, then Darkness Rising is the series for you. Catching up with Derek, Chloe and Simon made me glad I read this new series, even if it fell short of the un-clichéd YA novels I had hoped for.

This review is not aimed at dissuading anyone from reading this series, and if you do, I have no doubt you will find it better than almost all the other YA urban fantasy novels currently on the market, but Kelley Armstrong has written much better, and will write a much better series in the future, I have no doubt. 

To buy The Gathering, click here.

To buy The Calling, click here. 

To buy The Rising, click here. 

To read more about Kelley Armstrong's previous YA trilogy, Darkest Powers, click here.