Tanith Low in the Maleficent Seven. From the World of Skulduggery Pleasant

I admit: I expected this book to be fluffy fun, but considering that it's essentially a side story in the Skulduggery Pleasant universe, focusing entirely on secondary characters and not even featuring either Skulduggery or Valkyrie, my expectations were, well, somewhat limited.Oh boy. Was I wrong.I'd rank it as one of the very best of the entire SP series. It's shorter than the main series novels, yes, but being still novel-length, it fit in more than enough - plot, some excellent character stuff, back stories for several characters, lots of action and even a fair bit of romance (it even has a love triangle of sorts - something that tends to put me off in most cases, but this being a SP book, even that was awesome).The feels. Oh, the feels this book gave me. Springheeled Jack in particular became a truly rounded, fully fleshed out character in this book, both terrifying and sympathetic at the same time. I loved the banter, both among the good guys and the bad guys. I enjoyed the action. I ... there are twists, towards the end, that I did not see coming. I freely admit that I came close to tears at one of them.I'm terrified of Last Stand of Dead Men, now. Not that I wasn't before...Also, like Kingdom of the Wicked last year, The Maleficent Seven is also very much more "adult" (well, young adult!) in nature than the earlier, middle-grade rated books in the series. Not so much in the levels of gore or violence - seasoned readers of the series shouldn't find any of that noticeably stronger than before - but there is some frank (not detailed!) discussion and mentions of various relationships the characters have or have had in the past, and the innuendo levels have been upped compared to the earlier books, too.Note about the placement of this book in the series: it takes place after the events in Kingdom of the Wicked, which are referred to at times.

I LOVE this series!!! I read the first book to my fifth grade class each year and we all roll on the floor laughing at the wit and humor found within! My students then fight over the chance to finish reading the rest of the series, among themselves! My parents express their delight in watching, for the first time, a passion for reading in many of their children, as a result!I love the Derek Landy chose to write a spin off withTanith Low! She is one of my favorite characters and I am anxious for her to be saved...SOON!!!Read the book and the series I am sure you will not be disappointed!

This book is spin off of the main series, that it isn't required reading to for the skulduggery Pleasant series. However they're are a few big plot developments, but they are explained in the next book for anyone who didn't read this one.The story was good, and the characters were all unique and exciting. Though I felt this book could have been filled out more, and might have made a better novel than a novella, especially with all the characters.

Considering that this book focuses on "side" characters, I wondered if it would be as interesting as the books featuring Skullduggery and Valkyrie. The story line was excellent and I finished the book in two days. The dialogue between the characters was hilarious and the action was non stop. There were times I felt sorry for some of them and, considering they were the bad guys, that fact surprised me the most. Definitely recommend but the focus of the book is a smidgen grown up and gently dips a toe into romantic feelings.

I thought this would be just a little side story, something to keep me going until the next Main Event. But I was quite impressed with this story. The smaller characters get a chance to shine, and there is just that little hint of... No, spoilers.I would suggest nobody reading the series miss this out just because it isn't "SP and the whatever". There is a lot of world building and plot set up gong on here. Get to it!

Derek Landy is an amazing author, his books tend to be clever and funny and just a little dark, this short story is no exception. My only complaint is that some of the main characters sound the same. (this is probably due to the fact that Mr. Landy uses his own voice when developing the dialogue for his characters). Just a warning, children should probably avoid this book as there is a lot of gore.

A must have for any Skulduggery fan! My 11 year old loves the whole series. If you have trouble getting your kid to read, this series is your answer! Great characters and fantastic story line.

Bought them for my daughter and she enjoys reading the book.

My sone loves these books!

This story is hilarious! I don't know how important it is in the grand scheme of things, or if it affects the main Skulduggery plotline, but it's still a brilliant addition to the collection. Tanith was easily one of my favourite characters, and she hasn't lost her charm. Without too many spoilers, she assembles a team of criminals who play off each other very well, even creating an unexpected love triangle! The good guys are a main feature too, and they work very well together as well, with the added bonus of getting to know Dexter Vex a little better. We are given some insight into Tanith's life and how she came to be what she is, plus an interesting development dating back to the end of the very first book - I'm sure that will be important later on. The story see the return of some of the best characters in the series - Springheeled Jack, Billy-Ray Sanguine, Dusk, Frightening Jones and Black Annis (who you may remember was a troll kind of thing that Tanith arrested in a side story at the end of one of the other books.All credit to Derek Landy - these are remarkable well written. They're pacey, witty and have a pretty mysterious plotline that the reader has to decipher a little (it's not that difficult to keep ahead of, but you might get a few surprises here and there). This is a must-have for all Skulduggery fans.Just a quick note - this book IS A SPIN-OFF. It seems people were disappointed by the absence of Skulduggery and Valkyrie. Well, the story isn't about them, it's about Tanith. That said, quite a lot happens and I would recommend reading it because it is likely that the events of this story will have a swing on the next book or two.

Love Skulduggery Pleasant? then you HAVE to read this book - largely because its events will be referred to in the final SP books, but also because Derek Landy is a genius, his work masterpieces and the stories so gripping, you physically cannot put the book down. I'm not surprised it won so many book awards, they deserve them all and more!!This little and lovely addition to the series is fantastic!! A definite MUST-READ!!!

What a great excursion in to the sublimely insane! Tanith leads the biggest bunch of nutjobs since c.j. Haughey had a go. 7? Bad versus 7? Bad, dark versus light? Is Tanith all that bad or is she rotten to the core? Who knows! The weapons of the ancients are a true macguffin! Being the basis for a struggle between some of landys most wacky characters. Well worth the read before the skullduggery show takes main stage again!

I love the Skulduggery Pleasant series of books; the author's sense of humour is right on my level and I'm somewhat older than the target audience as I'm 31years old! Not to say that this book isn't suitable for the targeted younger audience, it's just a good read for all - even my 69year old mother loves this series.This novel is a bit of a spin-off as it follows Tanith Low on a side adventure, which will eventually impact the main series. A great read. I recommend it to all!