City of Ghosts

Cassidy had a near drowning, only to be rescued by a ghost named Jacob, who becomes her best friend. Cassidy's parents are ghost hunters with their own television show, filming the most haunted places around the globe. But they can't see ghosts, and Cassidy can -- but she doesn't tell them.When they go to film in Edinburgh, Scotland, Cassidy and Jacob find ghosts in all the haunted castles and crypts, and they discover the ghosts in Scotland can be very dangerous.This is a fun little ghostly tale, full of mischief and adventure. A great spooky book for middle grades and up.

I’ve read most of Schwab’s books both as Victoria Schwab and V. E. Schwab. I love the way she writes and the flow of her stories. City of Ghosts is a ghost story like no other I’ve ever read. I was taken aback as the story actually backs up and begins again in chapter 3 where Cass drowns in a river but somehow survives…with the help of a ghost who hadn’t crossed over. His name is Jacob. Soon after Cass discovers the veil and crosses over. What she doesn’t realize is that the more she crosses the harder it is to get back to the land of the living. After all, Cass was supposed to have died.Cass’s parents are ghost hunters, authors and have a TV show highlighting haunted places. They are shooting the next sequence in Edinburgh, Scotland. The place is teeming with restless soles amongst its graveyards, castles and secret passages. All a bit overwhelming for Cass, who has much to learn about this world on the other side of the veil.Schwab writes a thrilling, chilling and nail biting tale for a middle grade reader with the same depth and attention to detail as her YA books. to detail as her YA books. Bravo! I wandered willingly into this ghostly world of ghosts and I’m so glad I did. I’ll be sharing this series with my 10 year old granddaughter.Another Ghostly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Parental Note:There are a few scary and nail biting scenes . It is after all a ghost story. I would recommend this series for 10-12 and for grandmothers.

Honestly this book was just okay. It’s the first book of a middle grade series that I bought when I bought the small spaces series. I enjoyed them both but obviously didn’t favor this one.I think the main issue may be the author. I can’t get into any of her young adult books either. She’s that one “who’s a popular author you just can’t get into?” For me. She’d be that answer.I’ll start with the redeeming stuff.Part of what I really loved is that Victoria scwab has been to Scotland (I believe she lives there) and has intertwined real places thah actually exist in this book, and then at the end has pictures of the actual places! It’s really fascinating and exciting and I love when authors add a personal touch. Especially from their own photo album. What’s really cool is a lot of the creepiest and most atmospheric places in the book are real and you get to see pictures of them.A lot of the history and the urban legends/ghosts are also of true Scotland nature. And I always enjoy books like that!There are some pretty spooky scenes and the overall plot was pretty good. The way ghosts function in this book is actually pretty unique.The ghost best friend to the MC is probably my favorite character as of now. Hopefully he doesn’t turn out to be bad! I also loved Lara (who is like cass and can see ghosts) though I do wish people listened to her a little more!The red raven was horrifying and all but for being part of the main plot.... she really felt like a side story. And that’s the start of what I didn’t like. Obviously the MC finds out she has a unique purpose behind being able to see ghosts etc. and most of the book is spent with her just exploring that. It almost felt like near the end the author was like “oh right, the red raven and the main plot point!”Because of this the main story wasn’t that spooky. A lot of the story wasn’t as spooky as it could have been. It just didn’t do it for me. It was a fast read though so that’s good!I also hate that it’s written where the MC talks directly to the reader. To me that takes me out of the story. Especially since there’s never any reason given for the characters knowing about the reader. It’s not a letter, diary, anything like that. So when it’s none of those things and it still happens? Yeah it takes me out of the excitement and ruins the atmosphere.There were also constant Harry Potter references that made me cringe and I also really hated all the side notes about the differences between words with Scotland and the United States. Both those things get almost unbearable to me. We get it. Chips are fries. Biscuits are cookies. We didn’t need to spend half the book going over this.I also just don’t like the MC or the writing style.But I think I’ve talked enough. I have the second book already so I’ll read it. As for the third? Tbd. Idk.

Cassidy Blake has a secret. She had a near-death experience, almost drowned, was saved by a spirit called Jacob (who is her best friend) and now sees ghosts everywhere. Even stranger her parents are 'The Inspecters' who write ghost hunting stories but have no clue that ghosts truly exist.'The Inspecters' gets snapped up by a TV company to make a most haunted places documentary series and will star Cassidy's parents. The first location is Edinburgh, Scotland and Cassidy is travelling with them accompanied by Jacob. When Cassidy arrives she is surrounded by ghosts at every turn and the pull from the Veil, the place where ghosts live, grows stronger. This is troubling but paired with the presence of some malevolent spirits leaves Cassidy and Jacob feeling uneasy. Weirdly Jacob being a ghost doesn’t leave mean he isn’t scared of the others.While staying in an old hotel Cassidy meets Lara. She can also see ghosts and explains they she and Cassidy are In-Betweeners. She said their job is to interact with ghosts and to send them permanently beyond the Veil with the use of mirrors and a special incantation. Cassidy isn’t too enthusiastic about this new information and Jacob is worried that they might try sending him on. After Cassidy encounters the evil spirit of the Red Raven who targets children, she instantly knows that she has to take action to remove herself from their world. As Cassidy is drawn across the Veil into the world of the dead she will have to fight with everything she has to defeat the Red Raven and survive long enough to return to the living.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I am obsessed with this series. It may be aimed at a younger audience than her other novels but Schwab has once again created characters that I instantly adored and within a world that I wanted to visit. Cassidy and Jacob's unusual but loyal friendship is key to this story and I loved how it developed as the stakes grew. A perfect amount of action, thrills and emotion-driven banter made for a captivating and beautiful story. Looking forward to book 2.

I love Schwab's books, her writing and imagine puts her in my top three author. Anything she write is an autobuy for me so while I don't read much middle grade I didn't hesitate to pick this up. Edinburgh is the perfect hauntingly atmospheric city to set this book in and I enjoyed being able to picture some of the places Cassidy and her family visited. With it being a middle grade it is chilling rather than scary but beautiful and fitting for the story being told. I found the villain interesting and well weaved into the story, she felt suitably dangerous for the age range this book is aimed at. There was enough loose strings and unanswered questions left at the end of the book to leave me eager for book two without being a cliffhanger. I look forward to finding out more about the ghosts, crossing over and just what Cassidy is capable of.

I don’t normally read “middle-grade” books but as Victoria Schwab is an auto-buy author for me, I had to try this one.Of course it didn’t disappoint! I genuinely think Victoria could write a phone book and I’d love it!Her writing style is so fluid and atmospheric, perfect for a ghost story. As always the story is well thought out, the characters are fun and engaging and the world building is so descriptive you feel like you’re there.Is this the scariest book I’ve ever read? No but then I’m (considerably) older than the intended audience and I knew that going into this book so it didn’t bother me one little bit.Another fantastic read from Victoria Schwab and a perfect to read for October/Halloween.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

”Embrace your strange,dear daughter.Where’s the fun in being normal?”Cassidy Blake is reluctantly whisked off to Edinburgh,ghost best friend Jacob in tow as her parents prepare to film their new tv show ,’The Inspecters’. They are currently unaware of the fact that following a near death experience, she can see ghosts and can part the Veil to the other side. Warned by Jacob that the longer she spends there, the harder it is to get back, she carries her beloved camera everywhere just in case she can actually record the existence of ghosts.Once in Edinburgh, she becomes keenly aware of the dead around her at the sites of the filming and that there is both a girl, Lara, and a woman ghost, who sings to lure her beyond the Veil for nefarious purposes. Lara has been aware of the rules of the dead courtesy of her spectral uncle, and has to catch Cassidy up quickly to speed before this ancient ghost, the Raven In Red, causes untold harm to Cassidy.What I love about this book is how it introduces Cassidy at the start of her journeys, she has just gotten to grips with the existence of ghosts and now , outside of her narrow sphere of experience, she has to get up to speed and fast. The pull of the ghosts is thickening the Veil and it is harder each time to come back. Lara is a great foil to Cassidy and I love how Victoria Schwab writes about Cassidy experiencing another culture-my favourite part is Cassidy trying chips for the first time, it’s a glorious scene!Cassidy is fun, sparky and entirely her own person, trying to find out what the widerm world is like and what her place is in it. I absolutely loved it, the plot and the pace build towards a finale that leaves you breathless and it is shot through with great humour. SUPERB!!

I'm not a huge reader of middle grade novels but really like V.E. Schwab's writing style so thought I would try this. I'm pleased to say I really enjoyed it.Cassidy almost died and Jacob, a ghost, saved her life. Now he haunts her, and has become her best friend. She has a knack for finding other ghosts, whether she likes it or not, and can step through the Veil to see what happened to them and why they're stuck between life and death. When Cassidy's parents whisk her away to Edinburgh to film a TV show, Cassidy finds the tug of the Veil louder than ever. It becomes a problem, one she quickly can't control, and even Jacob has difficulty pulling her out of it. As Edinburgh's ghostly history takes an active interest in her, Cassidy must learn why exactly she can see ghosts--and better yet, how to get away from the ones that mean her harm.I really enjoyed this novel. It's creepy but readable and Schwab has a writing style that is so easy to dip into. If you've never read a middle grade or if you enjoy a creepy ghost story brought to expert life, pick this up. You won't be disappointed :)