A review by stwriter92
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Like many others recently, I have watched and fallen in love with the show "Lockwood and Co." on Netflix and had no idea it was based off of a series of novels until I saw the title sequence. After watching the entire show in one day, I decided to immediately borrow the first book in the series from the library. I think I can speak for many people when I say that the show did a marvelous job of bringing the book to life. As I was reading, I was finding descriptions, quotes, and narrations that had been replicated word for word in the show. It's such a thrill to find a good book to show adaptation!

The first book in the series introduces an alternative England that has been plagued by the Problem: a sudden surge of ghostly and paranormal phenomena that has been wreaking havoc across the country. To combat these attacks, agencies have been put in place to train children (who are the only ones who can sense the ghosts) to fight back. Lucy Carlyle, a disgraced agent who comes down to London from her small Northern town in search of work at an Agency, finds herself joining a ragtag team of young agents like herself who have created an agency of their own, run by the suave and mysterious Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases ends in an inferno and a debt of £60,000, they must take any case they can in order to pay off their debt or be dissolved by DEPRAC, the governmental task force responsible for dealing with the Problem.

I absolutely adored this book. I think I have found a new favorite series! Every single page was a pleasure to read and I found myself on the edge of my seat, even though I knew how things would end! I am such a sucker for the found family trope and the way that Mr. Stroud has constructed these characters and their relationships has made my heart so happy! I still have no idea what is behind the door, but I refuse to spoil myself. I am currently reading the second book and am loving it as well!