I love the comedy woven in to Skulduggery’s character in particular. Landy has mastered a perfect balance in his writing style, one that makes this book which is intended for middle graders and young adults accessible to any age. It keeps the reader on their toes the whole time without getting boring or rushing too quickly. Derek Landy absolutely nails this feeling in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and Playing with Fire is no exception. It is the idea that there is something more than the eye can see in our own reality, and that that makes everything both in the book and in our own lives feel just a little bit more magical and mysterious. I really do genuinely love fantasies like this where there is a world within a world. Altogether the characters remain delightful, providing both intrigue and entertainment.

Many new faces appear in Playing with Fire, but there are also many faces from the first book that we have grown to love. We spent quite a lot of time untangling evil motives and plots in this book, but there is still time for Skulduggery’s dry sense of humor and Valkyrie’s family reunion.

Playing with Fire has the feel of history repeating itself, but this history is just as new to the reader as it is to Valkyrie Kane. Now that the world has been unveiled Derek Landy has a bit of room to tease out the relationships between characters, including their sordid pasts. Playing with Fire is just as much fun as the first book in the series, and sets us up for even more danger and thrills to come as the series moves forward. These books have exactly the kind of exciting world I loved reading about when I was younger, and is still nostalgic today. Order it now in paperback, ebook, audio download or audio CD.The Skulduggery Pleasant books are absolutely hilarious and I enjoy them every time I read one.

Playing With Fire is available wherever good books are sold. But what if the greatest threat to Valkyrie is just a little closer to home…? With Baron Vengeous after the deadly armour of Lord Vile, and pretty much everyone out to kill Valkyrie, the daring detective duo face their biggest challenge yet. At least, that’s what Valkyrie and Skulduggery think, until the notorious Baron Vengeous makes a bloody escape from prison, and dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland. With Serpine dead, the world is safe once more. “Please forgive me,” Skulduggery said, then aimed the gun at the girl and pulled the trigger. Valkyrie parted her tunic, and Skulduggery pointed the gun at the vest beneath. “Yes.” He hesitated, then took his gun from his jacket. Just when you think you’ve saved the world…

Playing with fire derek landy