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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
There are two separate elements to be considered here, Lockwood & Co. and the story itself which combined in its contrasted quality made up the three stars rating. The ghost mystery despite being less complex than the first two books is top-notch spooky and thrilling. But the gang? Stroud had completely ruined their dynamic by utilizing the stale trope girl vs girl: let's fight for the honor of being the center point of boys' attention. The addition of a new member in the gang, Holly, can introduce something fresh and fun, that has been missing in the group, something simple, I don't know, such as girls-freaking-friendship. The interaction between Lucy and Holly could even produce the possible twist of romantic interest between them. But no, Stroud never even considered this. Instead, he had to turn Lucy into a self-center, possessive, crazy pick-me-up girl whose whole world revolves around Lockwood and his gold-shitting ass. Through out the entire book, she spends her time giving puppy eyes, talking about Lockwood's bare feet, his hair, his cheekbones or his fashion sense, whining about not being with him every single second, fuming because the boys are mooning over the new girl. The most perfect, magnificent, half-god, the Majesty, Lockwood, himself switches between gaslighting her, dismisses her or giving her the cold shoulder. The whole thing is one sided and embarrasing. Holly, of course, has to be this ideal female of boys' imagination, with all the ideal physical and mental traits, complete with small feet and all of mommy's perfection. Lucy and Holly are enemies simply because they are both girls.
This trope is repeated in the book when Holly meets another girl agent which of course hates her gut in one glance, you know, because she's a girl and pretty, and boys fancy her, therefore she's despicable. Girls, apparently are all spite and jealousy with each other. In Mr. Stroud's head, girls only care about two things in their lives, namely boys' adoration and the size of their waist. The TV show adaptation, which kind of the reason I pick up this book again, did much better, by inserting that seemingly foreign concept of female bestfriend to Mr. Stroud, early in the story of Lucy's past life which also serves as part of her motivation and life choices. The romance element in the show is also executed and developed better, makes me actually rooting for Lucy and Lockwood. This dirty way of treating his female characters, especially Lucy, which by the way loses all her previous character development, almost made me abandoned the book, if not for the Skull with its hilarious blood thirst and jibing insults. George, the only sensible person in the book who actually thinks about the real problem instead of their own self-absorbed drama saves the book too.
Still, the ghost story is splendid and I want to know how 'The Problem' get resolved, just hope the team dynamic get better in the next installments.
This trope is repeated in the book when Holly meets another girl agent which of course hates her gut in one glance, you know, because she's a girl and pretty, and boys fancy her, therefore she's despicable. Girls, apparently are all spite and jealousy with each other. In Mr. Stroud's head, girls only care about two things in their lives, namely boys' adoration and the size of their waist. The TV show adaptation, which kind of the reason I pick up this book again, did much better, by inserting that seemingly foreign concept of female bestfriend to Mr. Stroud, early in the story of Lucy's past life which also serves as part of her motivation and life choices. The romance element in the show is also executed and developed better, makes me actually rooting for Lucy and Lockwood. This dirty way of treating his female characters, especially Lucy, which by the way loses all her previous character development, almost made me abandoned the book, if not for the Skull with its hilarious blood thirst and jibing insults. George, the only sensible person in the book who actually thinks about the real problem instead of their own self-absorbed drama saves the book too.
Still, the ghost story is splendid and I want to know how 'The Problem' get resolved, just hope the team dynamic get better in the next installments.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ahhhhhhhh i love these characters and how they're learning and growing but also ahhhhhhh <3
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
the mystery….the intrigue… this one was it for me. Definitely best one so far despite the fact that i usually hate the competing female character thing. I think it worked because they’re both miserable and awful tbh
I love this chaotic trio in a way akin to how I love Percy, Annabeth and Grover.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
emotional
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes