Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy: Book 3 (Lockwood & Co., 3)

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Now, the book isn’t without its faults. It kinda has the expected ‘middle grade’ redundancy. Almost all the books start, build, and conclude the same way (yes yes there are different twists and turns but ya get what I mean) The story from a character perspective is less perfect, I think. For one, there are still elements of the fat-shaming Hallie mentioned in her review of the first book. For another - and this is central to the book's character conflict - Stroud introduces another female character. Who is positioned as Lucy's opponent and competition, but is immediate pals with the boys and subsequently creates a rift in the team. Quite frankly: this is why we can't have nice things. This isn't a wholly unnecessary streak of misogyny in a story that would otherwise be fine without it - Stroud's too good of a writer for that, and in fact, the plot hinges on this conflict - but isn't this something we should be past? Where are my awesome-women-supporting-each-other plotlines? It's actually good writing to challenge an established team; that way, you don't end up with a case-of-the-week style series. But when the team is fractured because of two women who just can't get along, and who see each other as competition... It's been done before. And I didn't like it then, either. Located on the ground floor of the house are the entrance hall, the kitchen, the living room and a library.

We want to thank our breathtakingly talented cast and crew for the dedication and top-level craft they brought to this production. The love and the care they took is in every frame. We also want to thank our brilliant team at Netflix UK, who shared and supported our passion and vision for the show from start to finish. We are all very proud of it.

Not a bad book really, but i don't think it's a great book, it's more meh so i'm going with 2.5stars. Honestly, this book isn't bad, overall. There are some great action sequences (including a haunted house with a giant open stairwell that extends from the basement all the way to the attic, and a high-stakes chase scene at a parade - this series is just begging for a film adaptation, and I think it could also make a decent TV series), the ghosts and hauntings remain genuinely scary, and the dialogue is still clever and snarky as hell. When she goes on cases, Lucy frequently consults with the mystical and all-powerful Whispering Skull. The Skull is wise and resourceful and is a boon for Lucy. That's why, when her agency gets overwhelmed by the sheer number of jobs that are coming in, the Whispering Skull makes Lucy's life easier. Teasing season 2 in the aforementioned Collider article, Joe Cornish told them about the future books (and, therefore the series):

In the catacombs, Lucy consults the ever-reliable skull in a jar, who says he was there when the Bone Glass was made and that it was created from the bones of seven bodies — whose torment was trapped in the glass to make a window to “the eternal.” The skull says he’s never actually looked in the mirror, because it’s too dangerous: The way to look is through someone else’s eyes — someone weak, curious and vulnerable. Lucy thinks of George. Jo. "The 2015 UKYA Blogger Awards: A Whole Lot of Awesome". Once Upon A Bookcase . Retrieved 2021-07-18.

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Either way I liked that Lucy recognizes her mistake for being too harsh on Holly and I like Holly realizing that Lucy had a similar experience of losing her entire team like Holly did.