A Soul Full of Shadows, Derek Landy

 

Book Title: A Soul Full of Shadows

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #18

Date Started: April 4th  2026

Date Completed: May 4th 2026

Genres: Fantasy, Action, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Comedy

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

Regardless of where you find yourself in the Skulduggery saga, Derek has yet to disappoint in the new chapter he's added. With more than 20 full-length novels at this point, still every book is a truly original story, always with new ideas and fresh humour to make me laugh out loud (and that never happens). Nothing is redundant in a Skulduggery story, everything comes back around, and everything comes to an end. And, of course, this wasn't the real end.

I struggle these days with the sheer scale of people, places, magic systems and (now) timelines in the Skulduggery Pleasant world. It's somewhat inevitable, 18 main books and several spin-offs down the line, and luckily the hijinks and thrills don't suffer too much from it. I did find the first half of A Soul Full of Shadows a bit of a drag with predominantly talking and lots and lots of set-up, but the second half was a pure joyride and made up for it.

The sequel series/set of trilogies is not what the original 9-book/3-part trilogy series used to be; they've evolved significantly. Some parts I like, some parts I'm not as keen on - but I don't think I'll ever stop coming back for more, so I'm here for whatever road Derek wants to send a burning Bentley down. It would be nice if Tanith got to have something nice for more than 100 pages, though.

A Court of Wings and Ruin, Sarah J. Maas

Book Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #3

Date Started: August 22nd  2025

Date Completed: September 13th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Action

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

I'm gradually coming around to the ACOTAR series, after absolutely hating the first one - but it just doesn't compare to Throne of Glass for me. It's a lot of fun, I raced through the just-about-700 pages and didn't want to put it down, but ultimately I don't connect with the characters. Nesta is my favourite - and feels the more real, presents conflict but is grounded in a compelling narrative arc - and while I like the others, I don't feel close to them which brings the stakes down by quite a bit.

Maas is renowned for the grandeur of her worlds and their places, cultures and politics. But A Court of Wings and Ruin reminded me how great she is at writing battles, in a way that allows the plot to flow through and heighten the excitement. There's just enough action to feel epic, enough chaos to intimidate, but not so bogged down in the movements and strategy that the story is sacrificed.

It firmly feels that this was originally written as a trilogy that then expanded, and while I was a little disapponted at the lack of character deaths and long-standing loss for the world, I really enjoyed the way Maas satisfyingly wrapped up the story, but left the door open just enough for another - which it evidently went on to do and perhaps will continue to.

Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros

Book Title: Fourth Wing

Author: Rebecca Yarros

Series: The Empyrean #1

Date Started: June 18th  2025

Date Completed: June 29th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Action

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

This book takes a leisurely, indulgent journey to get to the heart of its story - but when it gets there, it undeniably kicks ass. It is addictive, exciting and glorious escapism, but it wasn't until the last 100 pages that I totally jumped on board.

I have notes from the middle of the book complaining about the sacrifice of story for a couple of hundred pages of smut and angst, and there was a point where it felt like we weren't going to move beyond sexy dragon training for this first instalment. I can't lie and say it wasn't fun - the whole thing was hard to put down - but I really wanted more. The book did eventually deliver, and it's cleverly set up that I'm itching for more.

As a side note, I appreciate that the characters are set up so deliberately in the world order, but Violet really is the perfect example of nepotism in action. Yarros doesn't seem to want to draw critical attention to the fact that she'd be dead 20 times if it weren't for tiny actions of favouritism that really let her skip some ladder rungs (I don't mean the saddle or her medical support, I'll get to that). None of this means Violet doesn't work hard - she absolutely does, and has to carry the expectations of her name - but in the current climate, I think it's a useful example of the status quo's normalisation of nepotism.

With that said, it made my heart happy to see the story adapt to Violet's personal abilities and challenges, particularly in its clear point that there's no shame in using mobility aids or your body having different needs. It is nebulous, so I don't know if identifying it as a disability is right or not, but it struck me nevertheless. I would really love it to be more explicitly represented in future books, especially in this of story and genre.

I'm excited to pick up the next one now that the world building, the politics, the relationships and the real threat are set up in prime position. It would've been nice to get a bit more of it in this first book, but I recognise the care that's gone into establishing how we feel about the actions and emotions of Violet and her peers - I'm sure Yarros will make it hurt sooner rather than later.

Faithbreaker, Hannah Kaner

Book Title: Faithbreaker

Author: Hannah Kaner

Series: Fallen Gods #3

Date Started: May 13th  2025

Date Completed: June 5th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

What a series to dive into across a year. It definitely started on a high and felt like walking down a very long mountain to reach the valley at the bottom, in both the good and the bad of that. This final book had my attention drifting until two thirds in, but I admit I got goosebumps at the finale.

What I remember loving so much about Godkiller was the sense of an epic landscape and history woven in between this closely whispered story of a trio of strangers and a rogue little god. In Faithbreaker, those characters and their lives had been so lost in the noise, the sweeping war, the tumultuous world building, and the cresting wave of the plot that at times they felt almost forgotten.

I miss what was achieved in that first book, but I especially miss knowing Kissen like the back of my hand, longing for Elo to find what was right for him, for Inara to stand her ground and Skedi to win me over. By the end they felt most like pieces on a chess board - which is thrilling in itself, but not quite how I wanted to part with them.

That all being said, I have to praise the vast normalised representation that is so organic and natural you almost forget it's there. The ease at which Kaner paints all of her characters in hopes and beliefs and ambitions, not regardless of their backgrounds - their disabilities, race, gender, class, sexual orientation etc etc - but because of or in spite of it. It felt effortless and I would really love to read more stories that make it so.

Circle of Flight, John Marsden

Book Title: Circle of Flight

Author: John Marsden

Series: The Ellie Chronicles #3

Date Started: May 4th  2025

Date Completed: May 14th 2025

Genres: Action, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

I'm actually quite emotional at finishing this book, the final in this trilogy plus the original Tomorrow series. I've been reading these since sometime around 2010 (when a family friend gifted me the first book after seeing me read under the table at a family dinner rather than socialise).

I've said it before, but John Marsden makes domestic things like farming, auctions, court hearings and more interesting and emotionally involving. These books are set in high-strung environments, literally and politically, and they have their fair share of adrenaline and pandemonium. But the characters exist in the downtime too, and not just a filler between fights. In so many ways, it differs from my usual reading preferences, and yet I am always drawn magnetically to the next book.

And when all hell does break loose - which, with Ellie, is pretty often - the action continues to rival the best I've ever read. It's exciting, fluid, chaotic but coherent, and oh so intelligent without being over-explained. It's not just this person does this move and then this; it's Ellie sees an opening so moves over here, has an intrusive thought and then gets her head back in the game, tries to do this and completely fails but manages to do this instead, gets hurt but lets the adrenaline take over etc etc. It's messy and raw and scary, but just like Ellie you recognise how thrilling and addictive it is, and maybe feel conflicted about that too.

Circle of Flight has a fitting end to this sequel series without being too self-conscious about nostalgically drawing attention to references of the past. It honestly brought me joy to see reveals and final resolutions done so well; not driven by ego or shock factor, just coming into Ellie's awareness as if they've always been there and she just hadn't looked over her shoulder and noticed (which is very Ellie coded). It's so satisfying, draws you so close to her as a protagonist, and feels like reality.

Ellie has been one of the most influential, present, important role models and characters in my life. I have enjoyed every moment of these books with her and her friend, and I am very grateful for them. This book itself was probably 4 stars, but I've given it 5 as recognition of both the Tomorrow series and The Ellie Chronicles as a whole, being some of the best fiction - the most creative, intelligent and emotionally charged - I've read in my life.

Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins

Book Title: Sunrise on the Reaping

Author: Suzanne Collins

Series: The Hunger Games #0.5

Date Started: April 24th  2025

Date Completed: April 28th 2025

Genres: Dystopian, Action, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

This book seemed to come out of nowhere in the wake of the Ballad movie, and yet it's oh so timely. Collins is not only taking a beloved character like Haymitch and portraying a nearly unrecognisable yet wholly aligned character arc, she's adding to her tapestry of what dystopia really means. It felt like things built slowly at the start, and then all at once - but looking back, everything had its place in an impressive performance.

Suzanne Collins only writes when she has something to say? By the time of publication, one would wonder how she could have possibly predicted the current state of the world the book would be born into. But of course, she could, she's been saying it from the beginning. This is what sets her dystopian world apart from all the others; there is an intrinsic recognition of where we in contemporary culture sit in her narratives, and the slippery slope we stand on in privileged countries. The way we access media, how we view others, the lasting importance of the 'posters' we do or do not ignore. You think you're Haymitch or Katniss or Lucy Gray? Look again, because that's not the story you're being told.

The references to other events in the series are frequent but mostly ungratuitous. It's such an interesting place to tell a story in the timeline, between generations but at a point where everything we know about the world and characters is in play as we race towards what's coming, and see how what has come before has made it so. Collins knows this and, other than a few off-hand unnecessary name drops, she's only strengthening a story I'm convinced she knew right from the beginning.

As much as the social commentary and Collins' talent for thrilling action, this book is also just enjoyable to read. I raced through it, having bought it on a whim on a bad day, and funnily enough stories about dystopia but people keeping their humanity within them was just what I needed. The epilogue was truly moving, and oh I would love to write an essay on the use of music in these books, its place in social resistance, traditional storytelling and artistic freedom. I'm very glad Collins has continued to lean into this, and I can't wait to see Francis Lawrence bring it to life on the big screen.

A Heart Full of Hatred, Derek Landy

Book Title: A Heart Full of Hatred

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #18

Date Started: March 31st  2025

Date Completed: April 5th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Thriller, Horror

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

The highlight of my year is the new Skulduggery Pleasant book coming out - okay, slight exaggeration but it's something that I always look forward to and enjoy when it comes back around. I have a thousand things to say about the combat, the tone, the magic and the world and where the people fit into and rage against it - but go read my other 17+ reviews of the other books in the series for those because they remain consistent and steadfast.

The evolution of this series never fails to impress me. Of course there's a special connection when you read a story as a kid and it then grows and develops into more mature and complex territory alongside you. But the Skulduggery Pleasant series is so politically conscious, socially aware, and chooses to do something powerful with that it has a special place in my heart.

I'm really enjoying the character focus over plot hijinks in this new trilogy. There's still the classic action adventure, the punching, the world-threatening disasters, the punching, the dry humour, and the punching. But the conflict arises more often from why the characters want to punch each other, rather than the punching happening first and questions asked later.

I'm also very much enjoying where Valkyrie is in her arc. We've progressed from the 'I'm unkillable' to 'I'm very killable, that's scary, but you'll have a hard time trying' and that's really cool. Credit where it's due for giving the same character who we've followed for literally nearly 20 years (that's terrifying) new arcs as they grow. It's what so many sequel series fall down in - twisting their characters into different people to try and give them something new to grapple with - but something that of course people continue to do. We don't overcome one problem in our life and live happily ever after.

On a final note, Derek finally heard my request for more Tanith and I'm very pleased. But I still don't think it's a kids series.

The Dark Mirror, Samantha Shannon

Book Title: The Dark Mirror

Author: Samantha Shannon

Series: The Bone Season #5

Date Started: February 26th  2025

Date Completed: March 2nd 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Action, Dystopian

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here. I was so ready to dive back into Paige's adventures that it took mere pages for me to be addicted again. I devoured chapters at a time and read the whole thing in 4 days despite its length. My inner mythology and archaeology nerd was spurred on even faster, and I lapped up the references and inspiration from Rome, Venice and beyond.

I appreciated the reminders of previous events threaded into the text. I would often criticise info-dumping, but it's constructive here; it's been a staggering five years since I read The Mask Falling. And for those who haven't reread the stories in the 'author's preferred texts,' don't worry. Shannon does direct readers to her website for a very short list of amendments, but it's been so long that I honestly wouldn't have batted an eye at the changes regardless.

There is a lot of talking in this book which, while enjoyable, made it feel less high stakes than what I remember of the previous books. An awful lot happens, but an awful lot of it happens off the page and outside of our protagonist's presence. That's just how it works when you have a first-person narrator, and I continue to be impressed at how the complex political and magical worlds are mostly kept accessible to the reader via the prose and Paige's inner circle's view.

I couldn't write this review without acknowledging something that I think went over my head when I was younger and reading the first books: Shannon's sense of place. She recreates real cities I've never been to as if they're outside my window and paints the places I know well with so much vibrancy it's like discovering them again for the first time. Her storytelling hinges so much on this staggering sense of reality and an instinctive desire to explore it - which Shannon allows us to in Paige's wanderings, her curiosity to seek out hidden sides of the city, and her evergrowing talent of inadvertently destroying any building she walks past. The heavy use of dialogue mentioned above almost doesn't matter; you can taste the air Paige is walking in, and that's powerful.

I'm hoping that the last two books in the series come out in closer succession to this one, as The Bone Seasion series thrives on momentum. The escalating conflict is reaching a crescendo in real time with these characters, and to throw us in in something close to real time too will make the fever pitch of whatever finale we're approaching unforgettable.

Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner

Book Title: Sunbringer

Author: Hannah Kaner

Series: Fallen Gods #2

Date Started: February 1st  2025

Date Completed: February 13th 2025

Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Action

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

I fell in love with Godkiller last year, and had to reason with myself to pace out this second book so I wasn't waiting too long for the third to come out, and I think that actually deepens the connection to the story. This world gets bigger with every page, the street corners become clearer, the details bloom with each word. To binge this series would be a disservice to its weight that follows you around for days after you finish it.

I love that Kaner is confident enough to have a whole novel where the characters are separated, and still keep their arcs at the heart of the ever-growing world. The conflict and the politics, no matter where you stand, clash in a startlingly realistic power struggle, and Kissen, Elo and Inara (and Skedi of course) are our anchors. Everything is a grey area, everyone's choices have consequences; you can only do right by yourself and trust others to make their own choices wisely.

The twists aren't satisfying because you see them coming, but more because you're so busy enjoying yourself you aren't racing to catch it before its time. There's a magic to welcoming in your reader so gently that they're at the mercy of whatever story you want to tell them. Suppose you step back and look at things academically. In that case, this novel isn't too far away from falling into the classic 'middle book' trench of filler to get characters to a place to begin the final stand - but the difference is the pieces being moved on the board have purpose, motivation and high-strung emotions. Pushing them towards the end has just as much substance as any battle scene.

Even with the high tension standard, Kaner can turn it up more notches than you could ever see coming. Be it through action so cinematic it gets your pulse racing, or deus ex machina so ethereal you can almost feel the wind on your skin, events pitch up and up towards a well-resolved end but promise far more to come.

Sisters of Fire and Fury, Laura Bates

Book Title: Sisters of Fire and Fury

Author: Laura Bates

Series: Sisters of Sword and Shadow #2

Date Started: January 18th  2025

Date Completed: January 27th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Adventure, Action, Romance

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

My kind of romance, my kind of thriller, my kind of everything really. Heart-pounding action, heartwarming love, and heart-burning fury. When I realised it was the last few pages, I didn't want it to end.

I enjoyed the first book, but I feel like I understood the second book more. It's so well done, so much fun but so political and real - the balance is so well crafted. I remember reading an interview with Derek Landy (author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series, and one of the most influential writers of my childhood) where he was talking about action and violence involving young characters. He spoke about how important it was to him to show that action is exciting but getting hurt, well, hurts. It's scary even with a weapon in your hand, and no one is invincible. There's a handful of moments in Sisters of Fire and Fury where I was reminded of that and impressed by how Laura Bates doesn't glorify the fantasy of female knights - glorious as it is - because they are hurt, they are scared. They are protecting not conquering.

I speak a lot about adaptations around retellings and between mediums, and if I ever had to teach a class on it, I think this would have to be one of the examples. The first book was very loose with its inspiration, while this one meets it head on, but with so much love for the original myths of King Arthur. Instead of strictly rewriting it or giving it a click-bait 'twist, the story is instead allowed to grow with new opportunities that the original myth never saw. It's modernised through the acknowledgement of how our morality system and culture has evolved, and by seeing where that new perspective leads us.

The themes in these books feel so true, so close, even if the rest is beautiful medieval fantasy. I'm grateful to have these books as a 20-something. I hope they're devoured by younger.

The Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon

Book Title: The Priory of the Orange Tree

Author: Samantha Shannon

Series: The Roots of Chaos #1

Date Started: December 15th  2024

Date Completed: January 5th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

King Arthur, Theseus and Gilgamesh eat your heart out, this is a great epic of women in par with Le Guin and Zimmer Bradley. There is no explanation why women stand at the prow of so many intrinsic roles, they simply do - how liberating it is to experience a story like that.

Unsurprisingly, the worldbuilding is marvellous. Drawing inspiration from our world and mixing it with a generous helping of fantasy creates an entirely absorbing universe brimming with politics and magic, culture and conflict. The build-up to the final battle is what makes the ending truly impressive - I haven't been transfixed by a climax like that for ages.

Did it need to be that long? No, of course it didn't. But I have to admit, I enjoyed almost every page. You've got to give credit to Shannon for fully realising such a complex story in only one novel rather than cashing in on a trilogy (as this could easily have been). While you definitely feel the 800+ pages, the momentum is so consistent that you're more than satisfied letting it take its time.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is a complex story, but thoughtful too. It never passes omnipotent judgment on its characters or their part in its events. So much of the narrative explores the diametrically opposed beliefs and motivations of the different regions and nations, all tangled up in each other's lives and trying to make peace with what they want within it. Shannon lets the reader learn and fall in love as they wish, victories and defeats washing over them like real life. If you weren't sure of Samantha Shannon's storytelling prowess before this book, there's no denying it now.

The Haunted House on Hollow Hill, Derek Landy

Book Title: The Haunted House on Hollow Hill

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant

Date Started: October 7th  2024

Date Completed: October 11th 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Adventure, Action

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

I always marvel at how quickly Derek must write for the main series and these spin-offs to come out in such quick succession. I enjoyed the podcast version of this story a lot, but I find it hard to follow audio-only media so decided to read the books as well (I conveniently drifted off to sleep on the episode the killer was revealed so it made both experiences satisfying).

You can tell that the novel has been written for an audio production, the scenes dance around a little unnaturally for prose - but it's also very creative with the sound landscape and design. Of course that makes the podcast version really interesting, but it's also fun to see the way it weaves into the fabric of the narrative even when written.

These little mystery spin-offs are always fun and realised to the point they don't feel gratuitous. Derek is so good at creating new casts of characters, it feels new every time. I also really enjoyed that Valkyrie and Skulduggery are rarely the protagonists but instead feature in someone else's story. It makes the universe all the bigger and exciting.

Ultimately, The Haunted House on Hollow Hill wasn't my favourite instalment in the Skulduggery series (saga, is it big enough to call a saga yet?) but it was still fun, and actually really cool to see them trying new forms of storytelling for the series that make it all the richer.

Queenslayer, Sebastian de Castell

Book Title: Queenslayer

Author: Sebastian de Castell

Series: Spellslinger #5

Date Started: May 5th  2024

Date Completed: June 2nd 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

The Spellslinger books are always fun and easy reads with enough excitement and political sleight-of-hand to keep things interesting. I got the first two books for review years ago, so it says something that I'm still reading.

Queenslayer takes place in a new corner of this story's world, with Kellen and Reichis mostly going it alone. While this has happened before, I find it quite impressive that de Castell moves his protagonist away from the established ensemble to explore completely new things. It's something that almost never happens, with authors avoiding resetting the narrative, I suppose to stay in their comfort zone with relationships the audience already love. But Spellslinger is more exciting for it - and it's one of the reasons I keep coming back. Each book feels like a new story - properly, rather than the next chapter of the same old thing.

With that being said, I do ironically have to contradict myself by saying that each book's plot does end up quite repetitive - Kellen and Reichis insist they aren't friends until one of them gets attacked and fears for the other's life, Shalla turns up to gloat, we're introduced to the next female interest that Kellen studiously avoids making a love one, and we get roughly 5-6 daring escapes from insurmountable odds. The changing scenery is ultimately necessary to keep a familiar story fresh, but if it works it works!

A Mind Full of Murder, Derek Landy

Book Title: A Mind Full of Murder

Author: Dereky Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #2

Date Started: March 30th  2024

Date Completed: April 6th 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Action, Mystery, Adventure

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

The new Skulduggery Pleasant book always feels like coming home. And I think Derek's cycle-like series of varying lengths is the best way to revisit stories and characters without just rehashing sequels for the sake of it - they grow up and have something new to learn and explore and show us.

Do I remember everything from the last series? No. Did I do a double take when certain characters showed up? Maybe. Did I keep going and pretend I knew exactly what was happening? Absolutely. That being said, it's so impressive how wide and complex this world is now and that, for the most part, it isn't too difficult to fall back in and work off patchy memory of how it got there.

I've always admired Derek's ability to seed out series-long plot lines and mysteries while finishing off the individual story arc of each particular book. Every chapter is a joy rather than a necessary bit of story to get to the end. And these books, still, remain to be some of the few that have me laughing out loud. There's such perfectly placed tonal appreciation for culture, people and modern storytelling while being absolutely rooted in traditional forms of mystery, action and fantasy.

My only ongoing gripe with the new Skulduggery books is that I want and need more Tanith. It's like being a teenager constantly on the look out for your crush in the school hallways. I love that we get to see so many old favourites every now and then - as real life relationships end up being - and that there is space for new characters to step in too. But the OG four really are so beloved to me and they're still the scene stealers after all these years.