Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Screaming Staircase

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

8 reviews

theirgracegrace's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Recommended by a friend, I enjoyed The Screaming Staircase quite a lot. The setting of this alternate London is similar to our own, but coloured by the supernatural in a way familiar to fans of the Bartimaeus trilogy - which I read ages ago but remember fondly. Not only do the trio of Lockwood & Co. have to deal with the unquiet (and often grotesque and violent) dead, but also the political machinations of the British gentry and the attempts of rivals to close down their agency. The story progresses like a horror-filled Sherlock-esque mystery, and the ending is incredibly satisfying.

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inirac's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A great new-to-me series that even though I guessed the ending I’ll be continuing. The only thing that bothered me was the lack of clear decade it was set in. I kept thinking it was turn of the 20th century and then they’d casually mention a phone or a flashlight.

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starsnstitchin's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

What i enjoyed: the mystery is tied into the plot quite nicely and the transitions flow very smoothly, making it easy to want to keep reading and play along with the characters. Twists and surprises aren't jarring and can be figured out, but its still subtle enough to be enjoyed.
What I didn't enjoy: the characters didn't always seem like real people and it's a bit obvious that Lockwood is supposed to be like Sherlock Holmes. Despite the set up for the setting and age of characters it wasn't quite played right to feel like it was actually an alternative world where children were the heroes. Some events that should have had consequences didn't and vice versa. One major thing that granted on me the more it kept happening was how one main character has different strengths and weaknesses than the other 2, but is always described as incompetent and fat and it's outright stated as well as implied that him being fat is part of why he's incompetent and inferior to his peers. The other characters get plenty of descriptors and traits, but all he gets is various ways of saying he's fat and inferior.
Overall though, it was an enjoyable read!

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growintogardens's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

I've had this on my list for a while, but I ended up watching the show before getting around to the book. Maybe not the best idea because I enjoyed the show more. I'm looking forward to the next book though, and to seeing how the characters develop.

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librarymouse's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? It's complicated

4.25

The Screaming Staircase is a really good read. It's an interesting concept to have these children be vital tools to defend the world. Their interactions with adults are really interesting because while they are still children, they're a lot more hardened than actual children would be. They're serious, prepared, and skilled, but instead of closing out a day's work with a drink after being almost murdered, they have a party with fancy doughnuts and soda. It gave the story an almost wholesome tone despite the gore throughout the rest of the book. Lucy constantly poking fun at George's weight and George constantly making boarder line misogynist comments about Lucy's psychic sensitivity get to be a little bit repetitive, but when they start working together and settling into their respective roles, they happen less often and become more like banter. There's there's a good deal of misogyny and the way the older generation treats Lucy. The adults they are working with and against deem her to be less of a threat than her male companions, but that often does work out in their favor. If this is meant to be set in a haunted version of our world, the social issues that are embedded in the banter and the inter-character relationships make sense.

I really thought it was going to be revealed that Annie was still alive when she was put into the wall. Her repeatedly saying how cold she was as a ghost and the scratching sound Lucy hears when she's around makes me think that she really may have been alive.

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