The Faceless Ones, by Derek Landy

The Faceless Ones, by Derek Landy, is the 3rd of the Skulduggery Pleasant books. Valkyrie Cane, a girl known as Stephanie Edgley to most normal people, is a sorcerer, or to be specific, an Elemental. She can manipulate earth, calm water, push at the air, and throw fireballs. Her companion, Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton who told Valkyrie about the world of magic, is also an Elemental and they seek the person who is murdering Teleporters (sorcerers that can magically teleport somewhere).

As Valkyrie and Skulduggery search, they find the last remaining Teleporter, Fletcher Renn. They also figure out that a person with the name Batu is looking for him. Batu hopes to use Fletcher to open the gateway that brings the horrible gods, the Faceless Ones, into this world, effectively taking over the world and also ending it. Valkyrie and Skulduggery both try to stop them, but to make things even worse they're declared fugitives. Will they succeed in the impossible mission to stop the Faceless Ones from coming back?

The Faceless Ones tests the limits of imagination as Valkyrie and Skulduggery venture on into things of impossibility. It is funny, quickly animated, and for the first time has a twist in the end. It is highly recommended for readers who hunt for magic.


-Reviewed by JunHyung, grade 7.