observes their new murderous behaviour. During this time, Cain is shunted over into a parallel dimension, 'The Kingdom of The Wicked.' Cain and Pleasant enlist Nefarian Serpine to guide them to Mevolent's palace. With the help of Serpine, they rescue Cain's captured Reflection from the palace and escape with the Sceptre. Kitana kills Greta Dapple, weakening Argeddion's morale. The Sanctuary attacks him, rendering him temporarily unconscious, only for Kitana to reveal her true colors and turn on them. Cain and Pleasant take on the personas of Lord Vile and Darquesse to defeat her, but Darquesse gets shunted again afterward. Mevolent finds her and almost succeeds in killing her, but she escapes, returning to her own dimension. She kills Kitana, and once again goes head to head with Lord Vile. Pleasant returns to his senses and induces an epileptic shock in Darquesse, allowing Cain to return to her true self. Back at the Sanctuary, the Grand Mage is released and agrees to a truce only to be killed later by Tanith Low before he can discuss the truce with his Sanctuary. Cain, Pleasant, and the Council of Elders prepare for the global scale unsanctioned war that is sure to follow. Reception Patrick Wan, writing in SF's Crow's Nest, complimented the skillful use of cliffhangers which made the book "almost impossible to put...down." In 2012, Kingdom of the Wicked was shortlisted for the Senior Irish Children's Book of the Year, losing to Artemis Fowl and the Last Guardian. References External links Skulduggery Pleasant UK, Australia and New Zealand Official Website Skulduggery Pleasant US and Canada Official Website 2012 children's books 2012 Irish novels HarperCollins books Irish fantasy novels Skulduggery Pleasant books