Book Review
Title: Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3)
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: MG/Paranormal
Rating: *****
Review: After re-reading City of Ghosts and Tunnel of Bones I couldn’t wait to get into the finale as see where Cassidy and Jacob’s journey ends. This final book takes place back in America but in New Orleans which is seen as the paranormal hub of the United States. Cassidy is continuing to keep an eye on Jacob as his strength increases but she is also worried about the skeletal man she saw in Paris who caused her to faint and it is playing on her mind. Jacob suggests that she asks Lara about it and see if she knows anything but Cassidy is afraid of the answer she might get, however, Lara does tell her that voodoo is completely real and that New Orleans is the home of the Society of the Black Cat and it might be worth her seeking them out if she has any trouble there. So far, the opening of Bridge of Souls follows the trend of the previous two books but I am hoping for something a bit more substantial from this book as it is the finale of the series.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, the shooting locations for this trip are interesting as I recognise some from other books; The Place D’Armes, Muriel’s Restaurant, St Louis, Lafayette Cemetery, The Old Ursuline Convent and The LaLaurie Mansion. At their first location, The Place D’Armes Cassidy feels the Veil strongly and hears the voices of the children there but she also hears another more ominous voices that Jacob doesn’t and when they are leaving, she sees a ghost child through her camera who is followed by a shadow that seems fixated on Cassidy. In the second location, Muriel’s Restaurant Cassidy find she can not only see and hear spirits but she can taste the smoke and ash that once consumed the restaurant and finds in the upstairs séance room that she is drawn to cross the Veil here although she doesn’t know why and she is more afraid now as something dark is lingering around her. Cassidy realises after crossing the Veil that there a lot of scenes overlapping because the restaurant is home to more than one ghost and she manages to send one on before she has to come back but she knows something is stalking her. This is when her mother decides it is a good time to attend a séance. Cassidy is nervous but takes some comfort in Lara’s reassurance that most seances are a complete hoax. However, when the séance begins the leader is taken over by something that speaks directly to Cassidy and warns her that it is coming for her to return her to the dark.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Cassidy is obviously panicked by the séance and calls Lara for advice. Lara explains that the thing hunting her is an Emissary of Death and it scares even Lara that it has it sight fixed on Cassidy. This makes me believe that Cassidy should have died when she fell in the river and Jacob saving her has set the Emissary of Death after her. Lara also warns her that the Emissary can cross between the Veil and the world of the living so it is impossible to hide from it but she has to try and she can’t cross the Veil because it will be able to find her much easier there as she stands out. Cassidy and Jacob are obviously shaken but Jacob becomes a guardian for her keeping an eye on her when she is asleep and making sure she isn’t alone. However, the next morning Cassidy has her fortune told by a teller on the street and the card she draws is the Two of Swords which implies that soon Cassidy is going to be faced with a choice but no matter what road she picks she is going to lose something or someone in the process and the only thing the teller tells her is to do what she needs to do not what she wants to do as that will make all the difference when the time comes and this puts a further stress of Cassidy and Jacob as she could possibly lose him which is something she has never considered since Jacob has always been with her.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, The Emissary of Death finds Cassidy and she and Jacob learn they are virtually powerless against it until Lara shows up to save the day. She was supposed to be heading back to Scotland from Chicago but decided to come and help Cassidy with her problem. As they all know they are no match for the Emissary, Lara believes that their only hope is seeking out the Society of the Black Cat in New Orleans but finding them isn’t going to be easy as they will only make themselves known to those who can see and sense the paranormal parts of the world. Lara thinks that they should be able to find a clue or sign to the Society’s location in the Veil as only people like them would be able to see it which makes sense and they do end up finding it in a voodoo shop. In the shop they meet a medium who can see Jacob and they explain why they are there before they meet some other members of the Society but the room is warded so Jacob can not enter and I am beginning to fear to what is going to happen to the characters since both Jacob and Cassidy also feel a pull towards the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the longest bridge in New Orleans and might be the Bridge of Souls from the title. So far, I was really enjoying the novel and I can’t wait to see what happens now Lara is back in the picture and we are seeing some more of the Society of the Black Cat.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the Society explains that the Emissary is after her because she was supposed to die and the life, she carries inside her was stolen and it wants it back. They send them across the Veil to safe space where former members of the Society might be able to help them, the ghosts explains there might be a way to banish the Emissary but it will be a very dangerous endeavour but they have an advantage since Lucas, her parent’s current guide is also the current historian for the Society. Lara also believes that because Jacob is siphoning Cassidy’s life, he has the ability to confuse the Emissary and buy them time which means they need to keep him around. As Cassidy and Lara gather supplies for the banishing from the Society for the first time Cassidy wishes she were normal but she also wouldn’t trade Jacob and Lara for anyone else in the world. As the tension is being to rise in the novel, I couldn’t wait to see how the trio deal with the Emissary and whether Jacob or Cassidy’s fates hang in the balance because as Cassidy knows there can be no winning without losing, no victory without defeat.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Cassidy, Lara, and Jacob prepare to draw the Emissary out but it doesn’t seem to be working until they return to the séance room at Muriel’s and then the Emissary appears. Lara begins to ritual but Cassidy realises that the banishment spell seems to be affecting Jacob too and she can’t lose him. As Cassidy tries to hold on to Jacob, the Emissary reaches for her but Lara throws herself between them and gets taken by the Emissary instead as she is the same as Cassidy. Cassidy realises this too late but she is determined to get Lara back as asks Lucas what she needs to do to stop the Emissary taking Lara to the other side of the Veil. Lucas tells her she needs to find the Bridge of Souls at the end of the Veil but she can already feel it and it is a real bridge in the form of the Causeway and Lucas takes her there. As soon as Cassidy steps onto the bridge, Jacob disappears and it breaks plunging her into the river below but Cassidy is determined not to lose either of her friends no matter the cost to herself. Cassidy is forced to relive the moment where she almost died and the red string around her wrist is the only thing that reminds her who she is. She spots Jacob in the water and pulls him out and they track down Lara was dying from Scarlet Fever and they remind her who she is but now they have to face down the Emissary on the bridge and I have the feeling that Jacob isn’t going to make it out of this.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the trio face down the Emissary which was a really interesting battle to see and Cassidy is almost forced to make the choice between Lara and Jacob but when the Emissary catches hold of her life, Jacob makes the choice for her throwing himself into the Emissary sending them both over the bridge but Lara and Cassidy are able to hold onto him but he has used up most of the energy he has borrowed from Cassidy so he can’t cross the Veil back into the realm of the living and Cassidy won’t leave without him. Together Lara and Cassidy manage to give him enough energy to cross back over into the realm of the living but he is an ordinary ghost again rather than the poltergeist he was becoming but he is confident he will get there again. The trio have to say their goodbye to each other and to New Orleans as Cassidy’s parents have finished filming but I have a feeling that this trio will be getting up to more mischief in the future. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing more from Cassidy and Jacob especially if it involved Cassidy’s parents finding out about her almost dying and learning that Jacob is a real ghost who saved her from dying that would be really interesting to read. For me, Bridge of Souls was the best instalment in the series and I am going to give V. E. Schwab’s YA books another go as I haven’t read many of them.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Also see: City of Ghosts
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