Aeons ago, while I was still taking piano lessons, I used to borrow books from my piano teacher. One of those books was Skulduggery Pleasant, but because it’s been ages, I’ve more or less forgotten what it’s all about. However, Abi of Pellinor has been rereading and reviewing the Skulduggery Pleasant series and her review convinced me to pick up the books and reread them.

Skulduggery Pleasant starts with a death, and then it gets darker. While mourning the death of her uncle Gordon, Stephanie meets one of his friends – a skeleton called Skulduggery Pleasant. Stephanie happens to find this interesting and she soon involves herself in a plot to save the world by finding an incredibly powerful artefact before the villain finds it.

The story actually reads as though it’s the final book in a series – people who could have been mentors die, there’s lots of betrayal, and a big showdown between the villain (who’s the reason Skulduggery is a skeleton) and our two heroes. And to think it’s actually the first book! As you can tell, the action started almost immediately and the book is a roller-coaster ride as Stephanie and the reader learn about this world of magic and dangerous beings.

Stephanie may be twelve but she’s also resourceful and likeable. She pretty much knows that she could have turned away and gone back to a normal life, but she chose to help Skulduggery and I loved that about her. She’s also acutely aware of her weaknesses as someone who’s never been trained in magic (she’s no Mary-Sue prodigy) but she can still contribute to the team.

Honestly, this was an extremely fun read that just flew by. I’ve been reading more nonfiction lately due to school and it was such a joy to just pick this up and fall into a new world. I’m definitely going to continue reading this series.