The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co., #1) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Sep 15, 2017 Veronique rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read2020, read2022, favourites, read2018, read2017, read2021

4.25*

This is one of my all-time favourite series. One that I keep coming back to, especially at this time of the year.

This first title is very good on its own, and sets the scene for the whole series, giving us a glimpse of this world and The Problem that ails it. In each book, we have a case to unravel to great enjoyment, but also, as the stakes grow, the evolution of a fascinating major arc plot into a magnificent crescendo. As if this wasn’t enough, Stroud gives us a growing cast of such lik 4.25*

This is one of my all-time favourite series. One that I keep coming back to, especially at this time of the year.

This first title is very good on its own, and sets the scene for the whole series, giving us a glimpse of this world and The Problem that ails it. In each book, we have a case to unravel to great enjoyment, but also, as the stakes grow, the evolution of a fascinating major arc plot into a magnificent crescendo. As if this wasn’t enough, Stroud gives us a growing cast of such likeable characters, ones that develop and mature throughout our adventure. And... it is SO MUCH FUN! That is maybe why Netflix is producing a series. Cannot wait to see what they make of it. Hopefully, it will be a winner :O)

P.S. the audiobooks are particularly brilliant

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First read review:

The idea of having children and teenagers as operatives fighting ghosts in a world that is infected by supernatural happenings sounded too good to miss. Add to this engaging characters and plenty of witty dialogue, and you have a winner.

We are led by Lucy, our narrator, as she finds new employment with Lockwood & Co. To her surprise, there are no adults in charge - just two boys - Anthony Lockwood, reckless owner of the agency and whose talent resides in Seeing Visitors, and George, an acerbic bookworm who revels in research. Lucy brings her ability to Hear ghosts as well as a sensitivity to their feelings and experiences. As the story progresses, we witness they interactions, often very funny, and full of snark, especially between Lucy and George, who is not the most social of people. Although quite a bit is exposed, you can feel that this is just the surface and that there is much more to all of them. Their ghost-fighting assignements are suitably thrilling, full of action, danger and horror, with the plot revolving mainly around solving a murder mystery.

The world-building did puzzle me. For some reason, I kept visualising a Victorian, or even Steampunk, setting even though this is set in modern times. This is perhaps due to the type of arsenal and methods used to face these poltergeists, or just perhaps the atmosphere created by the author. ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal, horror, ya, fantasy, childrns

3.5 stars.
A well thought out YA ghost story. Set in an alternative modern day London, where ghosts can kill you if they touch you with ghost lock. Citizens live in fear of ghosts at night and use ghost lights to indicate their presence and running water as protection.
Children, being more sensitive to supernatural vibes, are employed as night- watch, usually supervised by adults. There are type one ghosts ( the less serious) comprising Dark spectre, Raw bones, Poltergeist, Changers, Stalkers and ...more

27 likes · Like · see review

Sep 22, 2017 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-f-h, x2017-read, kids-and-ya

Lots of fun. Light horror.

12 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2024 Lulu rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, mystery, books-read-in-2024

Britain has been beset with the "Problem" for a while now: an increase in the amount of hauntings from increasingly dangerous ghosts. Only children are able to sense them. Lucy is the newest employee of Lockwood & Co, a brand new agency for solving hauntings. New and uhh now infamous for destroying a house in one of their jobs.

The only way to describe this is " extremely fun"! It clips along ridiculously quickly (2 days to finish a 450 page non-audiobook is no mean feat for my reading speeds). A ...more

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