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valereads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
City of Ghosts follows Cass Blake, a 12 year old girl who can see ghosts. Not the most original concept but Schwab definitely manages to have fun with it because Cass' parents are paranormal investigators. She's looking forward to a nice quiet summer on the coast and far away from any ghosts - aside from her best friend, Jamie - but her parents have other plans. Their new TV show takes the family to Edinburgh, a city filled to the brim with history and, of course, ghosts.
Schwab really manages to build atmosphere and a sense of place. I haven't been up to Scotland since I was 9 but the Edinburgh of City of Ghosts is not dissimilar to my memories of it. As a Brit, I definitely enjoyed all the references to the differences between British and American culture.
The story itself was okay. I'm afraid that while a lot of the ghosts did put me on edge, I found the main antagonist to be the least frightening of all of them.
Overall I did enjoy this book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series but it isn't going to make a favourite books list anytime soon. And, yes, I will be picking up some of Schwab's adult books at some point.
I'd certainly recommend this to a middle grade reader and if you're an adult and interested then go for it but don't expect to be blown away
Schwab really manages to build atmosphere and a sense of place. I haven't been up to Scotland since I was 9 but the Edinburgh of City of Ghosts is not dissimilar to my memories of it. As a Brit, I definitely enjoyed all the references to the differences between British and American culture.
The story itself was okay. I'm afraid that while a lot of the ghosts did put me on edge, I found the main antagonist to be the least frightening of all of them.
Overall I did enjoy this book and I look forward to reading the rest of the series but it isn't going to make a favourite books list anytime soon. And, yes, I will be picking up some of Schwab's adult books at some point.
I'd certainly recommend this to a middle grade reader and if you're an adult and interested then go for it but don't expect to be blown away
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Minor: Child death
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