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jowithtwoiis's review against another edition
5.0
This is a quick, easy read that drew me in from page one. Cass and Jacob were a treat to follow along with on their thrilling journey through Edinburgh, Scotland. This book is perfect for middle grade readers and is definitely thrilling without being too scary. I'll be recommending it to our middle school patrons at the library where I work.
blondieabrams's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookph1le's review against another edition
3.0
This book gets off to a very slow start, and I think it would have benefited from restructuring the beginning parts so it could have just started off when Cass is in Edinburgh. Wading through the exposition meant I didn't get into the book right away, which was to its overall detriment. More complete review to come.
Full review
When I first started reading this book, I was uncomfortable. Something about it didn't feel right, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Now that I've been sitting with it for a day, I've realized what it is: the voice just doesn't feel authentic to me. And that's just one of the problems I had with the book. I'll keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I can't promise I won't spoil some aspect of the book, so you should read this review at your own risk.
Schwab is an author I love, the kind of author whose books immediately go on my to-read list. Yes, I felt some disappointment at the way her Monsters of Verity series was resolved, but I'm a super picky fantasy reader, and her Shades of Magic series is one of my favorite fantasy books, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one. Because of that, I almost didn't want to admit how immediately let down I felt as I started reading it.
But I was let down. I'll just put it bluntly: I think the first part of this book is rather awful. There is so much exposition going on in it, and I found it boring, to the point where I was wondering how I was going to finish the book. Then, when things did pick up, I found myself wondering why the book was structured as it was. Why didn't it just begin in Edinburgh, where we could have seen what Cassidy's parents were doing without having to be told about it. We could have seen what Cassidy could do without the entirely unrelated vignette at her middle school, when she goes into the auditorium. We could have met Lara sooner and could have delved more not only into her character, but into what she and Cassidy can do and what it means. For the life of me, I can't fathom why the editor didn't read this manuscript and say, "yeah, but that first part isn't really necessary."
The other thing I really disliked was the first-person narrative. Cassidy just does not feel like a twelve-year-old to me, and I've been around precocious twelve-year-olds. Her word choices are odd sometimes, far more flowery and thesaurus-like than I would expect from a kid that age. I found myself thinking about Harry Potter--not hard to do, since this book brings HP up ad nauseam--and wondering why I didn't have a problem with the language in those books. After all, they contain plenty of words I don't think kids the trio's age would use. But then it hit me--HP is a third person narrative. I'm okay with the word choice in those books precisely because it's a narrator telling me about what a bunch of twelve-year-olds are doing. However, when it's what's supposed to be an actual twelve-year-old narrating, I can't buy that same kind of terminology.
A bit of a diversion here, but the HP references started to get on every single one of my nerves. Look, I love HP to bits, but I did NOT like how it's referenced every second paragraph in this book. It came across as...pandering, I guess? Or like a desperate way to make the book relatable to the middle grade set it's aimed at. "See, Cassidy loves HP just like you do!"
I also couldn't stand the silly passages where Cassidy's parents narrate as they're being filmed for their TV show. I know they're there as a strategic way of telling kids more about the setting without coming across as a textbook, but they were so cheesy to me--especially because Cassidy insists that they're not cheesy like some other ghost hunter shows are. Uh huh. Right.
So why did I give this book three stars? Well, because there was a lot to like in it. The whole concept was intriguing to me, and whenever Cassidy does go beyond the Veil, the action is pulse-pounding--though sometimes a little too much so, since I think the resolution of the main arc is almost rushed here. Still, I was very much invested in this world, and I had all kinds of questions about it, questions Cassidy didn't ask Lara, which frustrated me. I'm pretty sure this is the first book in a series and that Schwab is leaving things for future installments, but I can't imagine any twelve-year-old not shooting a million questions at the only other person she knows who can do the same weird thing she can do. Plus, I liked Lara as a character and wanted to know a lot more about her.
I'll admit it: I'm also dying to know what the deal is with Jacob. Many hints are dropped in this book, which also leads me to believe this is meant to be a series starter. I'm definitely hooked on this aspect and eager to know why he's the way he is and why there seems to be such a sinister thread running through the entire book when it comes to him. This is the kind of plot point I could really sink my teeth into. Plus, I do like the relationship between him and Cassidy, which makes the tantalizing hints that he's maybe not as nice as he seems all the more tantalizing. They seem to have such a great friendship that I really wonder why Lara is so dead-set (pun not intended) against him.
In the end, it's the world building and the questions about Jacob that will lead me to read the second book if, indeed, there is going to be a second one. I'm also hoping Schwab will find firmer footing with a second book. Since this is her first middle grade novel and since her YA and adult novels are considerably darker--too dark for a middle grade audience--I'm hoping the next book will be more comfortable with its genre than this first was.
Full review
When I first started reading this book, I was uncomfortable. Something about it didn't feel right, and I just couldn't put my finger on it. Now that I've been sitting with it for a day, I've realized what it is: the voice just doesn't feel authentic to me. And that's just one of the problems I had with the book. I'll keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I can't promise I won't spoil some aspect of the book, so you should read this review at your own risk.
Schwab is an author I love, the kind of author whose books immediately go on my to-read list. Yes, I felt some disappointment at the way her Monsters of Verity series was resolved, but I'm a super picky fantasy reader, and her Shades of Magic series is one of my favorite fantasy books, so I was super excited to get my hands on this one. Because of that, I almost didn't want to admit how immediately let down I felt as I started reading it.
But I was let down. I'll just put it bluntly: I think the first part of this book is rather awful. There is so much exposition going on in it, and I found it boring, to the point where I was wondering how I was going to finish the book. Then, when things did pick up, I found myself wondering why the book was structured as it was. Why didn't it just begin in Edinburgh, where we could have seen what Cassidy's parents were doing without having to be told about it. We could have seen what Cassidy could do without the entirely unrelated vignette at her middle school, when she goes into the auditorium. We could have met Lara sooner and could have delved more not only into her character, but into what she and Cassidy can do and what it means. For the life of me, I can't fathom why the editor didn't read this manuscript and say, "yeah, but that first part isn't really necessary."
The other thing I really disliked was the first-person narrative. Cassidy just does not feel like a twelve-year-old to me, and I've been around precocious twelve-year-olds. Her word choices are odd sometimes, far more flowery and thesaurus-like than I would expect from a kid that age. I found myself thinking about Harry Potter--not hard to do, since this book brings HP up ad nauseam--and wondering why I didn't have a problem with the language in those books. After all, they contain plenty of words I don't think kids the trio's age would use. But then it hit me--HP is a third person narrative. I'm okay with the word choice in those books precisely because it's a narrator telling me about what a bunch of twelve-year-olds are doing. However, when it's what's supposed to be an actual twelve-year-old narrating, I can't buy that same kind of terminology.
A bit of a diversion here, but the HP references started to get on every single one of my nerves. Look, I love HP to bits, but I did NOT like how it's referenced every second paragraph in this book. It came across as...pandering, I guess? Or like a desperate way to make the book relatable to the middle grade set it's aimed at. "See, Cassidy loves HP just like you do!"
I also couldn't stand the silly passages where Cassidy's parents narrate as they're being filmed for their TV show. I know they're there as a strategic way of telling kids more about the setting without coming across as a textbook, but they were so cheesy to me--especially because Cassidy insists that they're not cheesy like some other ghost hunter shows are. Uh huh. Right.
So why did I give this book three stars? Well, because there was a lot to like in it. The whole concept was intriguing to me, and whenever Cassidy does go beyond the Veil, the action is pulse-pounding--though sometimes a little too much so, since I think the resolution of the main arc is almost rushed here. Still, I was very much invested in this world, and I had all kinds of questions about it, questions Cassidy didn't ask Lara, which frustrated me. I'm pretty sure this is the first book in a series and that Schwab is leaving things for future installments, but I can't imagine any twelve-year-old not shooting a million questions at the only other person she knows who can do the same weird thing she can do. Plus, I liked Lara as a character and wanted to know a lot more about her.
I'll admit it: I'm also dying to know what the deal is with Jacob. Many hints are dropped in this book, which also leads me to believe this is meant to be a series starter. I'm definitely hooked on this aspect and eager to know why he's the way he is and why there seems to be such a sinister thread running through the entire book when it comes to him. This is the kind of plot point I could really sink my teeth into. Plus, I do like the relationship between him and Cassidy, which makes the tantalizing hints that he's maybe not as nice as he seems all the more tantalizing. They seem to have such a great friendship that I really wonder why Lara is so dead-set (pun not intended) against him.
In the end, it's the world building and the questions about Jacob that will lead me to read the second book if, indeed, there is going to be a second one. I'm also hoping Schwab will find firmer footing with a second book. Since this is her first middle grade novel and since her YA and adult novels are considerably darker--too dark for a middle grade audience--I'm hoping the next book will be more comfortable with its genre than this first was.
novelette's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this. As soon as I reached the last chapter, I instantly wanted more.
uutopicaa's review against another edition
4.0
Me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba. Siempre me han gustado las historias sobre fantasmas que no son de terror.
kaulhilo's review against another edition
3.0
uh... this was okay but i really hope the second (?) part is better (better can be read as: jacob goes “against” cassie and we talk about that for a while)
thesimplereader's review against another edition
4.0
4⭐️
Thrilling and spooky with lovable characters!
Thrilling and spooky with lovable characters!
elenabarkatullah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5