Lockwood and Co 5: The Empty Grave by Jonathan stroud

Summary from Goodreads:

Five months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. The revelations will send readers back to Book 1 to start the series all over again.

Review:

So, this is how a series is supposed to be end. I can’t really begin to put to words how epic this book was. It begins with grave digging in a booby trapped tomb. There’s visits to the realm of the dead, there’s HUGE battles with ghosts all over London. There’s teaming up with old enemies. There’s hints or romance, explosions, answered questions about this well thought out world, and one epic throw-down between Lucy and Ms. Fittes.

So much happens in this book, plot and suspense-wise, it’s hard to believe that the world-building and the character development continue to climb as well, but they do. Stroud is a master storyteller. He ties everything together, closes up loose strands of story you thought would go unnoticed, and circles back to concepts from book 1. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

I felt like there were elements of the classic Children’s book heroes in here too.  I could almost see how Stroud was inspired by Philip Pullman, Rick Riordan, and CS Lewis. But, then he adds his own layer of darkness and creepiness that none of those others could do. This whole series has been a treat. The setting for these books has been so creepy and atmospheric. I’m glad Netflix picked up the story. And, the characters are just so real and believable, and flawed in just the right way.

I’m glad the finale didn’t sizzle out. It went out with a bang. I highly recommend these books to fans of YA, middle grade, fantasy and horror. They were fantastic. 10/10.