Book Review - The Dying of the Light

Title: The Dying of the Light

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant (Book 9)

Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks

Release Date: 28 Aug 2014#

ISBN-13: 978-0007489251

Synopsis 
  The War of the Sanctuaries has been won, but it was not without its casualties. Following the loss of Valkyrie Cain, Skulduggery Pleasant must use any and all means to track down and stop Darquesse before she turns the world into a charred, lifeless cinder.
And so he draws together a team of soldiers, monster hunters, killers, criminals… and Valkyrie’s own murderous reflection.
The war may be over, but the final battle is about to begin. And not everyone gets out of here alive…    

My Review  
Contains Spoilers!!!  
If you have been following my blog for a while you will know that I am a massive Skulduggery Pleasant fan. I have been following this series for years, have met Derek Landy 5 times now, and have every single book by him signed. As you may have read last week, I was lucky enough to go to the launch party for this book in London which was incredible, so I was so excited to finally be able to read this last book.  
There were so many questions left unanswered, so many things left to figure out at the end of the 8th book, that this one had a lot to live up to.
 I can't believe this is the last book, it is all over, no more new Skulduggery. It seems weird, it's something I look forward to every year.
So here we are, on the brink of the end of the world. Valkyrie is gone, Darquesse is madly controlling those around her and spreading fear and disaster behind her. Stephanie is by Skulduggery's side, Tanith is still possessed and basically everything is in a mess.  

This book is 600 pages of awesomeness. The usual sarcastic humour is still there, the action packed adventure and jaw dropping moments.
The book has seperate stroylines running side by side through it, some told from Skulduggery's point of view, some from Darquesse, some Tanith and one told by 'Danny'. This was the most intriguing to me as he is a new character and it is told in a different perspective. Throughout I was wondering what was going on, which version of Valkyrie/Stephanie he is dealing with and basically how he got involved in it, and I have to say the mystery stayed unsolved for me until the very end. I never did manage to figure it out!
There are some truly epic moments in this book - in fact it is majorly epic but there are some moments when it is a bit slower and it makes you wonder what Derek is plotting.
I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the end, it felt like a little bit of a deflation, I don't know - I think that maybe I was expecting so much that it was destined to fall flat slightly, but it was only slightly. Don't get me wrong, I still think that it is amazing but it didn't quite live up to my astronomically high expectations.
And besides there are more than enough parts to make up for it, so many heart pounding, breath-taking moments. And some truly 'Heck yeah' moments. 

This is of course a must read, if you have read this far you can't stop now. And if you haven't read this series, don't start here- go all the way back to the beginning and settle down for the adventure of a lifetime. 

I still can't believe this is the end. It feels like I am leaving my friends behind, but at least I still have them with me, and I can visit at any time.

My Rating