4.5 stars

One of the things I love most about Jonathan Stroud is that, despite the fact that his novels are almost always shelved as "Children's" and "Middle Grade", (they're sometimes shelved as YA) there's absolutely nothing juvenile about the writing. Stroud gives you a narrative that flowing and eloquent - no juvenile short sentences and basic descriptions here - and main characters mature enough that you never once question their manner of speaking.

Like with the Bartimaeus Sequence, Lockwood & Co. is set in an alternate England, except that, instead of djinn, afrits, imps and magicians, the British Isles have to deal with a ghost problem so bad that exorcisms and proper burial rituals just ain't gonna cut it.

I don't think I have to tell you how much I loved this concept.

I adored the three main characters. Lockwood, the scamp, stole my heart with his first 100 watt grin. I loved George's insistence on being prepared - how he balanced out the other two, who were compulsive by nature, but being methodical and practical and always insisting that they go into situations fully prepared. And Lucy...

I love it when a hero/heroine feels real. I love it when they're scared and hesitant, but brave in the face of their fear. I love it when they mess up but learn from their mistakes. I love it when they're uncertain about themselves, but are confident at the same time.

Lucy Carlyle is all of these things. It's all in little doses at the moment, mind, but I'm pretty sure that by the end of this series, she'll have fleshed out into a wonderful fictional heroine. And I am very much looking forward to seeing that.