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_haggis_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
Re-read because I saw it sitting on my bookshelf and remembered how much fun I'd had as a teenager. It's good with zingy dialogue, misfits, danger, a bit of ghoul and gore, a solid reason for having teenagers work without adults and just a lot of fun. I read it in a single sitting and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I would give it 4 stars except I dislike the way George is treated - totally fine for him and Lucy to not be best pals, it creates an interesting dynamic to the trio - especially because as the book goes on you realise that they do like each other and it's the little things that wind each other up. Yet that doesn't excuse the unpleasant way George's appearance is written about. As a character, Lucy clearly has her prejudices (which is okay - no character is perfect and Lucy develops over the series), but Stroud reminds us unnecessarily that he is fat at every opportunity he can and the further stereotyping of him as pedantic, food-obsessed and slovenly is lazy, rude and off-putting.Mr Fairfax too suffered from unpleasant stereotyping and I'm disappointed in the equation of certain looks with certain moral standpoints .
Lucy is okay, she's a bit uptight and makes mistakes and has her prejudices (many of which she is self-aware about) - which are honestly refreshing to see in a protagonist, yet Stroud occasionally strays into 'she's not like other girls because she's not pretty and not as silly as them'.
Overall, it was a good plot with likeable characters that behave like real teenagers and I had fun.
I would give it 4 stars except I dislike the way George is treated - totally fine for him and Lucy to not be best pals, it creates an interesting dynamic to the trio - especially because as the book goes on you realise that they do like each other and it's the little things that wind each other up. Yet that doesn't excuse the unpleasant way George's appearance is written about. As a character, Lucy clearly has her prejudices (which is okay - no character is perfect and Lucy develops over the series), but Stroud reminds us unnecessarily that he is fat at every opportunity he can and the further stereotyping of him as pedantic, food-obsessed and slovenly is lazy, rude and off-putting.
Lucy is okay, she's a bit uptight and makes mistakes and has her prejudices (many of which she is self-aware about) - which are honestly refreshing to see in a protagonist, yet Stroud occasionally strays into 'she's not like other girls because she's not pretty and not as silly as them'.
Overall, it was a good plot with likeable characters that behave like real teenagers and I had fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
mckiheather's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
aleshag's review against another edition
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? No
4.0
I loved reading this! The books emphasizes a lot on the importance of preparation, patience, and planning ahead of time. If you like mystery/supernatural stories, this is a great book to check out! I was hooked from the beginning, I love the detail in the ghost encounters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse and Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent
lawbooks600's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Representation: N/A
Score: Seven out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while but I put it off for a while. Months back, I added it to my TBR. Months later, it was finally time to read The Screaming Staircase. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem intriguing, even though I don't read that many horror books. When I closed the final page, it was enjoyable.
It starts with the first person I see, Lucy, living her life until she has to work for a company known as Lockwood and Co. Its purpose is to try and stop the problem that plagues the United Kingdom for 50 years now: an infestation of ghosts. Other organisations already exist to combat the issue, but Lucy landed in one of the smallest ones. There's even a governing body who oversees everyone who tries to stop the ghost epidemic, which the narrative mentions. The first ghost operation didn't go as planned, so the small group have only one chance to prove themselves with their next mission, which is to reside in a haunted house for a lengthy time to show their capabilities.
The Screaming Staircase is the first in a five instalment series, but no one has the other four. It's not clear what happens next, which is a problem, as some questions remain unanswered. Those questions concern the worldbuilding, and the most important one of them all is where did the ghosts come from? When was the first ghost-busting group established? I need answers. The glossary helps a little, but not a lot. The characters are likable, but not the most relatable. The pacing is okay as it's a slow burn, spanning 400 pages. At least there was an exciting beginning and ending, finishing The Screaming Staircase on a cliffhanger. Perhaps I might be wrong and the other four parts are out there. In that case, I'd be glad to read them as this creation from the author impressed me, and I want to read more from him.
Score: Seven out of ten.
I wanted to read this for a while but I put it off for a while. Months back, I added it to my TBR. Months later, it was finally time to read The Screaming Staircase. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem intriguing, even though I don't read that many horror books. When I closed the final page, it was enjoyable.
The Screaming Staircase is the first in a five instalment series, but no one has the other four. It's not clear what happens next, which is a problem, as some questions remain unanswered. Those questions concern the worldbuilding, and the most important one of them all is where did the ghosts come from? When was the first ghost-busting group established? I need answers. The glossary helps a little, but not a lot. The characters are likable, but not the most relatable. The pacing is okay as it's a slow burn, spanning 400 pages. At least there was an exciting beginning and ending, finishing The Screaming Staircase on a cliffhanger. Perhaps I might be wrong and the other four parts are out there. In that case, I'd be glad to read them as this creation from the author impressed me, and I want to read more from him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Full trigger warnings: Death of people in the past and suicide mentioned, dead bodies, fire, explosions, blood depiction, physical injurymoonlightcupofcocoa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Blood
inirac's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
labothways's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
-REREAD-
Still an entertaining, fast-paced read. However, there are some character decisions that don’t make sense upon a second read. (For example: Lockwood keeping his suspicions about Fairfax to himself, why they kept working their way through the house after they were in a safe area after the Red Room, why they left via the celler. ) My first instinct was to let these issues slide because of the intended age group. However, these books are deeply creepy and tackle much darker themes than the average MG book, so logic gaps like those listed above stand out all the more.
Still an entertaining, fast-paced read. However, there are some character decisions that don’t make sense upon a second read. (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
currerbellz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide, Violence, and Murder
miss_stephenson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Having really enjoyed the Netflix series of this, I decided to read the book series. As someone in her mid-twenties; I feel there’s a stigma surrounding adults reading books written for teenagers. However, I had so much fun with this book. Lighthearted and fast paced, it was wonderful escapism and I will definitely be reading the rest!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Suicide
midgereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This is such a good book. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. It’s scary, funny, and really easy to get through. It was impossible to put it down. I hope the Netflix series does it justice (I know it was cancelled after the first season, which I’m really mad about).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury