** spoiler alert ** 
 The story is a touch predictable, the bad guys are stereotypical and too much talking occurs in the fight scenes. Still, I liked it! It's a solid hybrid of mystery, fantasy and adventure with a dose of humor thrown in. I liked that the main character is a young female who becomes friends with another strong female character. Plus, Skulduggery is both funny and disturbed, a combination that appeals to me. I read this book aloud to my boys, and we'll be moving on to the sequel soon. The 11 year old strongly enjoyed it, while the 9 year old was not as enthralled.