Published By: Walker Books
Pages: 240
Released On: 04/04/2024
Reading Age: 9-12
Nine and her friends are headed to the mortal realm in search of the only thing that will shake a very tricky witch off their tail: a priceless stargold locket. It lies hidden in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures, guarded by Nine’s old foe – the formidable gangmaster of all the thieflings in London.
Even if Nine can get her hands on the locket, the friends must find a way to release its power – and for that they must travel through the World Between Worlds to the lighthouse on the Isle of Illusion, where nothing is quite as it seems…
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Walker Books for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I’m going to assume that you’ve read the previous three in this series if you’re reading this review, and I think you would get the most out of it if you had, otherwise you probably won’t have a clue what I’m talking about.
I have read the entire series of books from Amy Sparkes. First The House at the Edge of Magic, then The Tower at the End of Time, then The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond, and now finally The Lighthouse at the World’s End. The first three I already owned, having bought them for myself some time ago, and then this one I was kindly gifted. Yes I know I’m three times the reading age but I really love them. They’re fun and jolly and magical, they’re sad and hopeful and friendly. There’s a lot in these stories that I think will appeal to adults wanting to rediscover something magical about reading. But then they’re also fun and adventurous and age appropriate too.
There are a few new characters in this book but we still get our usual bunch of misfits:
Firstly we have Nine, a pickpocket girl who ends up living in the House at the Edge of Magic. She’s not had the easiest childhood for a number of reasons but she seems to have found her place among this unusual family. Then we have Flabbergast the Wizard. He’s almost the dad of this little bunch but not what you’d call the most responsible of father figures. He’s missing his magic and is a bit forlorn. But I love him. I cared for him, and he’s just really fun and witty.
Also in this bizarre family setup, we have Eric the troll, whose heart is in the right place and just wants to help everyone, especially by making pancakes (which I advise you don’t eat). He’s really sweet and I have loved seeing the way Nine and Eric have become close. Mr Spoon is back in it, a quick-to-anger…well…spoon. He’s fun and always up for a fight. Cas is relatively new; she’s a gargoyle who escaped with the gang in the third book. She is utterly fabulous. She’s quite miserable in a way, complains a lot, but she’s an intriguing character and slotted into this family instantly. And finally we have Bonehead, a sarcastic skeleton who gets a bigger role in this book than the others.
Our antagonists are three-fold; we have Flabbergast’s sister and their two aunts. For reasons I won’t get into, they don’t like each other, and they’re all hunting for the same thing, which means they don’t like each other even more. They are great characters. I generally don’t like it when villains stray into pantomime villains, but I think it works in this series. If they were more serious villains, I don’t think it would have had the same affect.
As well as the magical world they live in, we also get to visit Nine’s mortal world again. I won’t say how or why because it’s quite a nice change in the story and I want you to experience that yourself, but it was interesting to see her two lives collide.
You would think that stretching the one story over four books would diminish the originality and the surprises and the fantasy but it hasn’t. Amy has managed to do it marvellously and this last book is as fabulous and imaginative and wonderous as the first one.
It is more than just a fun adventure for kids. It’s about the sense of belonging, about redemption, secrets, about family being what you make of it and not always who you’re related to, about friendship, and about embracing your differences.
I’m actually quite sad that the series has come to an end. It’s been great fun and really moving. It’s been joyous reading these books and I’ll definitely be recommending them to the kids in my family.
Books By Your Bedside 