Reviews with content warning for Death - Tunnel of Bones

I might have liked this one better than the first one! At least for me, it was a bit more on the spooky side. The whole catacomb thing definitely creeped me out more than the first book. Schwab also builds on the world she created in the first one, all in great ways. Jacob and Cass's relationship is also evolving and I can't wait to see where it goes next.

One of the things I also like about this series is that Schwab has a knack for changing tone between audiences. It doesn't feel like she's talking down to middle grade readers, but instead getting on their level. It's really effective, and you can tell that Schwab has a real talent for writing.

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yvonne_cl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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rlyne's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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stephcase3615's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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angel_kiiss's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

Compared to the previous book, this one is actually kind of haunting. It may just be something about horror centered around children, but the ghost in this book legitimately gave me chills.

Schwab cut back on the Harry Potter references, but there is still too much for my taste. I respect that she established Cassidy’s interest previously, but anything written past 2019 needs to reevaluate their use of J. K. Rowling references.

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anni_swanilda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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stwriter92's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

As previously stated, I have decided to go ahead and read the rest of the books in this series. I’m happy I’m listening to these books, as the narration adds another level to the story. I used to shy away from audiobooks, but I find that they are absolutely invaluable (to me, at least). They add a sense of atmosphere, especially if the narrator is a good one!

Tunnel of Bones starts off with Cassidy in Paris with Jacob, her parents, and her cat. Her parents have turned to Paris’s rich history in search of the paranormal for their show. Where else to go but the infamous Paris catacombs? Still testing out her newly found powers, Cassidy finds that she is haunted by something a lot stronger than a normal ghost and must muster together the skill, courage, and quick thinking required to get herself out of its grasp. Thankfully, Jacob (sweet, sweet Jacob) is always there to help her.

As a reading experience, this was fairly good. It wasn’t what I was expecting, as the story had dropped hints at a rather sinister person that I thought might be the main villain in this story. However, they never showed up (at least for most of the story). They were only mentioned once, so I’ve actually forgotten the name (and, I’ve stupidly returned the audiobook, so I can’t find it again!). I did not find myself enjoying this one as much as I had the first installment, but I rarely enjoy the second part of a trilogy. I don’t know why, but there it is.

I did miss Lara and the banter between her, Cassidy, and Jacob. I did get a little bit of it here and there when Cassidy would call her up to ask for advice, but it just wasn’t the same. The story unfolded a bit too slowly and I didn’t feel myself as drawn in as I was with City of Ghosts. I think it was probably because the ghost in City of Ghosts had so much more lore behind it than the ghost in Tunnel of Bones does.

However, I really did love the fact that we finally find out about how Jacob died. I won’t put it here so as not to spoil it, but it did add more depth to his character. I feel like this entire book helped strengthen the friendship between Cassidy and Jacob really well, which was really nice to see. I love their friendship so much!!!

One last thing: I did like how it ended. And I didn’t. Let me explain.

I loved that a new villain was introduced and this one seems to be quite a powerful one. However, I do wish that we had caught glimpses of this one a bit sooner. It would have been cool to have hints of his existence throughout the book. Or maybe there were hints and I missed them, in which case that might be my fault. Either way, I am looking forward to see more of this skull masked man.

I’ve already put the audiobook for Bridge of Souls on hold on Libby, so hopefully I get it soon!

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