The Faceless Ones (Skulduggery Pleasant, Book 3) (Skulduggery Pleasant… (utgåvan 2009)

I think this series is wonderful. I love books that mix action and humor, and these do that beautifully. Plus: talking skeleton. Yes. ( )

More fast paced and OTT fantasy adventure, this time with a big cliffhanger. ( )

It appears two was my limit with this series before it finally hit a rock...

Skulduggery Pleasant and his sidekick, Valkyrie Cain, have to save the world from evil once more. This time, someone is trying to bring The Faceless Ones. And our two detectives will have to stop it from happening. But will this time be like the others or will they not escape unscathed?

I admit I was happy to get my hands on this one. Having loved the previous books, I was eager to see what kind of adventures that wonderful pair would get into! Not to mention the humor that is right up my alley and the wit!

And as expected, it didn't disappoint when it came to those parts!

But, as I kept reading, something kept bothering me. At first, I didn't really understand what it ws, until Scapegrace pointed it out (thank you, dear Vorien): Valkyrie.

Our dear, lovely Val, was becoming more and more like her mentor. I know, she's a teenager, and teenagers are supposed to mimic their elders. But it wasn't ok for me. Because I was watching, helplessly, as a girl who should be someone with her own individual personality, was giving it her best to be somebody else. And while everyone kept pointing it out from some point onward - yes, Scapegrace wasn't the only one who noticed - she just ignored them all. That wasn't some kind of sassy attitude or wisdom beyond her young years. That was what I call "being a brat". And while that would seem normal for a teenager, it still pissed me off at some point.

I hope this doesn't happen in the next book. Now that she has no one to act like, maybe she will get a personality of her own... ( )

Young Reader Reaction: Our daughter preferred to have us read Faceless Ones, even though she can read it herself. It took a bit to sort the characters and that distracted her from immediately loving the story. That said, it didn't take long before she was totally hooked.

Adult Reader Reaction: I can see why our 9-year-old wanted us to read the book to her. The number of characters and the speed of the scene changes can be overwhelming. This is an exceptional read-aloud selection, and the cliffhanger at the end is brilliant.

Pros: Fast-paced action, ghosts, magic, and a sophisticated quest that transcends two worlds will grab readers of all ages and interest.

Cons: There are a lot of characters and scene changes. Although some characters come and go quickly ("cameos"), they play a part in the story and may be too much for some readers.

Read our full review and add yours at The Reading Tub®.

OMFG!

The action was non-stop in this installment of the series. I was amused by Valkyrie's reaction to her reflection receiving her first kiss. It seemed like it was well deserved on her part, because of her hooky playing habits; good intentions or not. The ending well the book had an unfortunate time flying across my bedroom. Off to the next, and wanting a decent resolution to this end.
Cheers Pretties! ( )