Something that I love about books is that they’re timeless. You can literally read a children’s book and still chuckle at the humour, understand the characters, ponder on the moral of the story. However, something even sweeter, is reading a book that touches you at one age, then a sequel that gut-kicks you at the next age. So when I come across a book series that I age with, that I grow with, it always feels so precious.
That’s how I would describe Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. (Yes, the name is a mouthful and a half.) I started reading this series when I was around eleven years old. In a couple of vague yet accurate nouns, this series discusses betrayal, guilt, death, revenge and the darkness of life and loneliness. I repeat, I started reading this when I was ELEVEN. Thinking back on this recently, I wondered how I could absorb such depth at such a young age. So naturally, I went back to the first book and started reading it again.
Guys, the main character was twelve. TWELVE! I couldn’t believe it, knowing the young woman in her late twenties that I’m now familiar with. Even her name that she used in the first book (Stephanie Edgley) is different to how we refer to her in the others (Valkyrie Cain). This is a physical manifestation of how much she changed throughout the series. She became smarter, she made mistakes, she faced all sorts of trials and tribulations. All in all, she grew up – and I grew up with her. It’s honestly sort of sad, in a nostalgic kind of way 😭😭 The young and innocent version of her has morphed into the sharp, cunning and powerful adult I now know and remember.
However, that’s not a bad thing. It’s life. And it’s so… odd to believe that I read through these books every year and didn’t notice the dramatic shift as I do now. Again, because I grew with her. I understood Valkyrie as she adapted to this, sometimes brutal, world, the same way I understood her as a child, through a child’s eyes.
Another series that makes me feel this way is the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. If I had a penny for every series I’ve read where we see the main character change her name, as a sort of visceral depiction of their changing personality, I’d have two pennies. Not a lot, but weird that it’s happened twice. These characters grow with you as you read. You learn as they learn, you adapt as they adapt. And it’s a beautiful thing.
So, to conclude this love letter to Derek Landy and Sarah J Maas, books aren’t stationary items. I mean, they are, but they’re not. They’re perpetually in motion (totally not a phrase from David Walliam’s World’s Worst Children). The stories move with you and hit deeper at different times of your life. So thank you, to all those that share these ever-moving stories with us! Enjoy reading, y’all!
If you have any books/series that make you feel similarly, please share them down below. See you guys next time x
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