The Lighthouse at the World’s End by Amy Sparkes

Title: The Lighthouse at the World’s End

Author: Amy Sparkes

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Walker Books

Published: 3^rd April 2024

Format: Paperback

Pages: 240

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Adventurous, magical, and brilliantly funny final book in the House at the Edge of Magic series.
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…

~*~

Nine and her friends, Eric the troll, and Flabberghast the Wizard are back for their final adventure. This time, they have to head back to the mortal realm to find a lost locket, a family heirloom that is hidden in the Nest of a Thousand Treasures, and then take it to the Lighthouse at the World’s End to find the answers about releasing its power – and only Nine can find it. Yet this time, there are a few troublesome witches trying to stop her, including Flabberghast’s sister who has a mysterious connection to Nine, and may know the answers to some questions that Nine has.

The journey is coming to an end, and Nine and her friends must do everything they can to protect the locket as everything that the series has been building towards, as characters pop in and out of the books and new secrets are uncovered. Heading back home to Pockets and the thieflings could be dangerous for Nine, who has been our anchor and focal point throughout the series. This adventure takes them to places they never thought they would go back to, is filled with threats and dangers, and shows that family is more than just blood – it is what you make, and Nine is going to find out who she can trust in this book, and what happened to her mother, she hopes.

I loved seeing how this series ended, having read it from the beginning and embraced these characters and their travelling house, their magic and all their ups and downs of the worlds they explore as Nine searches for her identity and where she has come from – knowledge that has she been hidden for her whole life. The action has built on what has come before and shows that everything is important, everything has had its place, and everything has now come together.  It is a bittersweet thing to see a story end. Whilst it is satisfying and delightful to see how it all ends, it is also sad to be farewelling these characters we have been travelling with for the past four years, and I am glad to have been part of Nine’s journey, and have loved every minute of it. Thank you Amy and Nine for a fun story.