Book Review
Title: City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1)
Author: V. E. Schwab
Genre: Middle Grade/Paranormal
Rating: *****
Review: City of Ghosts
In the opening of a City of Ghosts, we meet Cassidy and her best friend Jacob, and we learn early on that Jacob is dead and Cassidy can see ghosts. She shows us how her sight works when she feels the tugging of a spirit at school and learns the truth about how a boy died in a fire during the school’s productions of a Midsummer’s Night Dream. Cassidy can see the Veil; the barrier between the living and the dead and she can pass through this barrier to see the memories of the spirit’s death. However, she wasn’t always able to do this it was only after her near-death experience that she acquired the gift and Jacob along with it. Compared to V. E. Schwab’s previous works the simpler writing of City of Ghosts is much easier to read and I’m looking forward to seeing where the rest of the book goes.
Soon we learn that Cassidy’s parents are obsessed with ghosts but in different ways. Her mother adamantly believes that they exist and even listens when Cassidy relays messages from Jacob. However, her dad is much more of a sceptic, but they work well together which is proven as they have written a book series called the Inspecters. That day Cassidy knows something is different when her dad calls a family meeting and she learns they aren’t going to their beach house where she would normally be able to get away from the ghosts but that her parent’s book is being turned into a TV documentary series and they will be travelling to the world’s most haunted locations starting in Edinburgh. Now I’m British so I can’t wait to see how accurate the descriptions of Edinburgh are and what is going to happen there. I liked the fact the book’s title comes from the nickname for Edinburgh; the City of Ghosts. I also really like the relationship between Cassidy and Jacob, he can read her mind but values her privacy as his best friend but despite this Cassidy does wonder how Jacob died as he is around the same age as she is. Despite these little ups and downs, they are firm friends and Jacob also plays the role of Cassidy’s protector when she steps through the Veil letting her know when she has spent too long there or when it’s time to go back.
As we cross into Part 2 Cassidy, her parents, Jacob and the cat Grim make the trip to the UK and immediately have normal foreigner troubles such as the accents, jet lag and of course, the weather. The lodging house where they are staying; The Lane’s End seems to feel haunted by Cassidy isn’t convinced even though she saw a little girl who quickly disappeared but what clinches it for her is when she is trying to find Jacob she finds him frozen in front of a mirror. This is no ordinary mirror as Jacob is reflected in it but not the way she seems him, in the mirror he is gaunt and gray and soaking wet from head to foot like he had just drowned and in the reflection, he does look dead and it seems to shock Jacob more than Cassidy which was very interesting. As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, things start to get real creepy real fast. The amount of spirits in Edinburgh means Cassidy feels the Veil more than ever to the point where it pulls her through rather than her pulling it aside. During this trip beyond the Veil Jacob isn’t with her and she sees a mysterious woman in red who sings, and this song is almost hypnotic asking Cassidy to follow it but before she can she is pulled back by Jacob. She then hears the tale of the Raven in Red from her dad who claims she kidnapped children and that’s why she was drawn to Cassidy, but she wasn’t afraid of the woman but rather she wanted to follow her. Back at the Lane’s End Cassidy also meets Lara Jayne and she feels there is something off about her from the way she speaks to the pendant around her neck, but she can’t put her finger on what it is. As Cassidy goes to bed that night just before drifting off to sleep she swears she hears a woman singing and I’m convinced that this woman in red is going to be vital to the story.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the filming for the shows begins and the first stop is a tour of a close; an underground network of alleys that are buried beneath the modern city. Cassidy doesn’t want to go but the Veil has a hold on her and she has no choice but to follow leading to her once again getting sucked into the world of dead and not being able to get out. When she and Jacob manage to escape she sees Lara Jayne stepping through the Veil and realises they share the same gift. However, Lara uses her necklace to dispel the ghosts and introduces herself as a ghost hunter and Cassidy realises she has so much to learn and out her gift and what she is. Learning about the real-life dark history of Edinburgh was fun and a bit morbid but fits the tone of the novel perfectly. Lara shares some information with Cassidy, but she wants to know more so they agree to meet the next morning. That night Cassidy and Jacob have an argument because he knew what she was supposed to be doing in the Veil but was afraid to tell her in case she sent him away, but Jacob isn’t an ordinary ghost because he isn’t stuck in the Veil like the others. Cassidy believes they are meant to be team helping ghosts move on. Cassidy doesn’t sleep well that night continuing to hear the song of the Raven in Red but when the time comes to see Lara she is ready. Lara explains that ghosts can’t look into mirrors because it forces them to see what they are, and they help them to accept it and leave. When a presence appears she and Lara along with Jacob cross the Veil. While Lara wants to immediately dispel the ghost Cassidy listens to his story about how his son went missing possibly taken by the Raven and he waited for his son to come back, but he never did. Cassidy promises that if she finds his son she will send him home and gently dispels the man to where he belongs. After they return Cassidy has to accept what she is and what she is there to do but you can still feel some tension between her and Jacob. However, this is soon put behind them as they make the trip to the local castle to meet up with Cassidy’s parents.
With less than 100 pages to go, I am really excited to see how this novel ends. Very quickly things go from bad to worse, Findley the tour guides takes Cassidy to Edinburgh castle where the Veil is very strong, but she manages to not get sucked into it and just takes in the scenery but very soon she realises that Jacob is gone, and she hears his voice from beyond the Veil. As soon as she crosses over she finds Jacob being held by the ghost of a prisoner but before she can get him back, the Raven appears and steals her life thread, temporarily bringing her back to life and making Cassidy a ghost. Both Cassidy and Jacob are stuck in the Veil and turn to the only person they can for help; Lara. Lara explains she can get her life thread back, but the Raven intends to dig up her own body and put Cassidy’s thread in there bringing herself back for good and forever trapping Cassidy in the Veil, effectively killing her. However, Lara plans to stop her and return the thread before that and luckily Cassidy remembers the Raven is buried at Greyfriars cemetery but before they head there she begs Lara to tell her parents something while she is stuck in the Veil and Lara agrees. Cassidy and Jacob make their way towards the cemetery but the Raven has already been through there and told the ghosts to capture Cassidy so they spend their precious time running from the ghosts Cassidy can no longer affect.
By the time they reach the graveyard, the Raven has already enchanted two boys into digging up her grave and Cassidy has no plan and Lara hasn’t arrived yet. To stop the Raven putting her thread into her body Cassidy does the only thing she can hide in the coffin. When the Raven opens the coffin, Cassidy manages to grab her thread, but the Raven is too strong, and it ends up tearing in half. Just in time Findley and Lara arrive at the graveyard to help and together they manage to get Cassidy’s thread back and dispel the Raven. When they get back to the real world, they are greeted with police cars and Cassidy’s parents which doesn't go down well but at least they all made it back in one piece, almost. As the Blake family prepares to leave Scotland, Lara gives Cassidy some advice. She tells Cassidy to move Jacob on as soon as she can because the longer he stays in this world and bound to her, the stronger he gets, and Cassidy can see it but she doesn’t have it in her to dispel her best friend. Overall, City of Ghosts was a compelling and quick read that I devoured in less than a day. The only other V. E. Schwab book I have read is A Darker Shade of Magic and I loved this way more than that. I am going to be jumping into the sequel immediately and I will definitely be returning to the Shades of London series afterward.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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