Skulduggery Pleasant – Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
(Book 2 in the Skulduggery Series)
After eighty years of imprisonment in one of the most high tech and secure magic prisons, located deep in the Russian mountains, Baron Vengeous, one of Mevolent’s infamous Three Generals, has escaped. No trace of how Vengeous managed to escape the prison was left but, nine Cleavers (magic security personnel) and almost one third of the prisoners were killed during it. This should give Skulduggery Pleasant reason to worry because if that’s what Vengeous does to those who were imprisoned with him, you can only imagine what he’d do to those who had imprisoned him…which of course in this case just happens to be Skulduggery Pleasant, the Skeleton Detective. Lucky for Skulduggery, Baron Vengeous is too busy trying to resurrect The Grotesquery in time (basically a magic Frankenstein, only made with the most powerful magic creatures in existence). The Grotesquery would then, if it all goes according to Vengeous’ plan, open a portal to an alternate dimension and allow his brethren, a race of insanely powerful, Godlike and what do you know ‘grotesque’ looking beings, or The Faceless Ones for short, to roam over the world once again and of course ultimately destroy it! Making Skulduggery’s luck possibly short lived. But, to actually do this, Vengeous will first need to locate and collect all the necessary ingredients to preform the sacred ritual to bring The Grotesquery to life, but secondly he would have to perform it before the full moon, otherwise the ritual would essentially become void and Vengeous would have to wait until the next full moon before he could do so again. This is why Skulduggery is safe…for now! When ancient enemies and unlikely allies fight united in the face of the world’s end, how are you supposed to tell who you can actually trust and who is just trying to get close to ensure your successful demise?
Teen Rating: The perfect blend of action and comedy, with an incredible story line to boot. Bursting with witty remarks and loaded with fun, this series is just too good to miss! 4.8/5 12+
