Book Review
Title: City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1)
Author: Victoria Schwab
Genre: MG/Paranormal
Rating: ***
Review: I read both City of Ghosts and Tunnel of Bones a few years back while I was still in college but the third book wasn’t out then so I forgot about the series until the final book dropped recently and I thought since they are pretty short, I’d re-read the first two book before getting into Bridge of Souls. We are introduced to Cassidy Blake, a teenage girl who can see ghosts and she reveals to us that the world is full of ghosts and the only way for her to stop them drawing on her attention is to see them by crossing the Veil. We are also introduced to her best friend, Jacob, who is a ghost that saved her life a year before when she fell into a frozen river and he has been haunting her for that year. At school one day a ghost is trying to get Cass’ attention which leads her to the school theatre where a boy once died during a production of A Midsummer’s Night Dream as there was a fire and we get to see her skills in actions but she also keeps this fact hidden from her parents who are paranormal investigators/writers. Reading this for the second time it wasn’t hard to figure out how Jacob died even if Cassidy doesn’t see the truth of it yet, however, it was fun learning about the Veil and how she crosses through it but sometimes gets stuck which is why she needs Jacob with her to push her back into the realm of the living.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Cassidy is excited to be going to their beach house for the summer as there isn’t much ghost activity there but her parents are about the destroy this dream with some news of their own. We also learn that both Cassidy’s mother and their cat, Grim can sense Jacob even if they can’t see him but in slightly different ways as they have different levels of sensitivity to the paranormal. Cassidy’s parents inform her that their book is being made into a TV show/documentary and they will be starring in it. The show requires them to be on location in some of the world’s most haunted cities for a week each as each city will be an episode. Cassidy is horrified at this because it means she won’t be spending time at the beach house that she has been looking forward to be in places teaming with ghosts which is the last thing she wants. However, Cassidy knows how much this would mean to her parents and doesn’t oppose the trip, the first stop for them is Edinburgh, Scotland in the UK where I am from (not Scotland, I’m a proud Welshman). While they quickly prepare for the trip having the following week, we learn more about Cassidy and Jacob’s relationship as they are bound in a sense to each other and Jacob can disappear and reappear at will in different locations which he uses a lot but never overseas and Cassidy worries about whether or not he will make it to Scotland but he reappears riding her suitcase along the conveyor belt which was quite funny.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the family are staying at a lodging house called Lane’s End which has an ominous sound to it and the landlady informs them at there is a ghost there who was her late husband. However, during this scene something happens to Jacob as he sees himself in the mirror but they aren’t the same. The Jacob in the room look like his normal self, the way Cassidy has always seen him but the Jacob in the mirror looks dead, the way he would look if he has drowned in the river and this spooks Jacob and Cassidy. It is lucky that Jacob can read Cassidy’s mind so she doesn’t have to talk aloud when he is around although she does sometimes do this. There is also a strange girl staying at the lodging house who might or might not be a ghost but Cassidy can’t shake the feeling that she has met this girl before even though she knows she never has. Cassidy’s mother take her out into Edinburgh where she can feel it is haunted because she feels the pull of the Veil everywhere around her but when they end up at Greyfriars Kirk, a graveyard, she gets pulled into the Veil which has never happened before. There is sees the ghosts and one strange woman in a red cloak who seems to see her which doesn’t normally happen with the ghosts and she seems to be pulling Cassidy in when Jacob comes to her rescue and pulls her out. Later that evening her father tells her the story of the Raven in Red, a woman who kidnapped children and Cassidy has a feeling this is the woman she saw in the graveyard but doesn’t think anything of it right now. She also meets the strange girl who is called Lara Jayne Chowdhury and she gets a strange feeling about her which Jacob also shares.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, Cassidy goes with her parents as they start filming for their show and through the guide Findley, she learns more about the Raven in Red and it isn’t a nice story no matter what way you look at it. By the time they head to Mary King’s Close she gets pulled across the Veil again this time by victims of the plague and they seem to be able to either see her or sense her but she is stuck and can’t cross back through the Veil and even Jacob is struggling with it as the victims descend on them causing them to flee to a place where the Veil is weaker in order to return. Once they return, they spot Lara who is also down in the Close before she just disappears the same way Cassidy does when she cross the Veil and they follow her in order to find out what she is up to. On the other side of the Veil, they witness Lara do something to a ghost which causes it to turn to ash and disappear. She explains that she is a ghost hunter and she had sent the ghost of the man they saw onwards making sure to point out to Cassidy that she is being haunted by Jacob and warns her it is a bad idea to keep him around. Lara also notices that Cassidy doesn’t know anything about their talents or their role in sending ghosts out of the Veil to where they are supposed to be and tells Cassidy to come to her flat the next morning so she can explain more about what they are and what they are supposed to do. Cassidy doesn’t go out with her parent as she is meeting Lara that morning to learn more about their shared ability. Jacob isn’t happy with this and after an argument he disappears as Cassidy meets up with Lara. Lara explains that those that almost die like Cassidy essentially make a deal with the Veil, in order to continue living they must cross the Veil and help move spirits on from that place in return. Lara has been doing this but Cassidy has obviously been unaware, as Lara goes on to explain the incantation and the mirror, the mirror is needed as it shows the ghosts what they really are and allowed them to be moved on as some ghosts are unaware that they are dead in the first place. Cassidy is upset that Jacob didn’t share this information with her but she understands when he explains that he thought she might send him on even if he didn’t want to leave her if she knew what her purpose was but she refuses to do that despite Lara’s warnings.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, at that moment both Lara and Cassidy feel the pull of the Veil and they both cross over so Cassidy can try moving a ghost on. We see a difference between them here as Lara is very clinical about the whole process whereas Cassidy wants to know the man’s story and even uses her camera to help him move on as he is attached to a picture of his son who might have been a victim of the Raven in Red. After they return Cassidy asks Lara about the Raven and she explains that she has seen her before and they only thing Cassidy can do if she encounters the Raven again is to cover her ears and get the hell out of the Veil because the Raven steals the life from inside them to make herself stronger but the lives of children aren’t as bright as theirs so she can’t be allowed to get it. From my previous reading of this book, I know where the story is heading for here and I was a little disappointed it has taken over 65% of the novel to get to the most interesting part of the novel. In my experience, middle grade novels especially those with fantasy or paranormal elements tend to be lacking as there is less time spent on world building and character development that there is in young adult or adult books as they tend to focus more on action to keep a younger audience gripped to the story but it does mean for adults reading the book it is lacking in some critical elements for us.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Findley managed to convince Cassidy to go to Edinburgh Castle which she does enjoy but when Jacob disappears and she can feel him beyond the Veil, she ignores his warning and dives through in order to save her friend. However, when she arrives in the Veil the Raven in Red is waiting for her and attacks Cassidy to steal her life from her, as she has taken Cassidy’s life, she can’t cross the Veil back into the realm of the living meaning she is essentially a ghost. Cassidy knows she has to find Lara as she is the only person Cassidy knows who can cross the Veil so they head back to the flat where Lara’s great-uncle is there and Lara has been keeping him there which is hypocritically as she told Cassidy to move Jacob on. They do eventually find Lara in a bookstore where they explain what has happened and Lara knows that the Raven will be looking to dig up her body and revive it with Cassidy’s life but that will take some time and they know where she is buried so they have a time advantage, however, Cassidy sends Lara to convince her parents that she is ok while she and Jacob head to Greyfriars to find the Raven and steal back Cassidy’s life to prevent her from becoming a ghost permanently. While I like how the story has picked up, I would have liked to spend more time in the Veil while Cassidy is a ghost as she experiences it in a completely different way and I would have liked to have seen more of that.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, Cassidy tracks down the Raven despite almost every ghost in the Veil trying to stop her and manages to get half of her life back which stalls the Raven until Findley and Lara arrive to help. The final confrontation with the Raven was great but I would have liked to have seen more from it maybe some of the ghost children like Matthew coming back to themselves and helping Cassidy but she manages just fine on her own. By the time she restores her life the police have arrived at the graveyard and take them all away meaning Cassidy is in real trouble. As they are preparing to leave Scotland for their next location, Cassidy makes a stop to get her camera repaired and her photos developed before saying goodbye to Lara who warns her to be careful and to contact her if anything happens although they have one final argument about Jacob. Cassidy makes the argument that Lara hasn’t sent her uncle on but she counters this with the fact he still resides in the Veil, Jacob resides in the realm of the living and the longer he spends there the stronger he will get and Cassidy sees this when Jacob starts turning up in her pictures which he never has before and she also gets a brief sensation from his hand like it is slowly becoming more solid. Overall, City of Ghosts was an interesting start to the series but it was a little lacking for me personally.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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