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stwriter92's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think read this book mostly because I love Victoria Schwab’s writing. I hadn’t read any of her middle grade books before I read this, though.
To give a general idea of the plot, Cassidy Blake is a girl who has has passed through the Veil and back again when she survived a drowning. In doing so, she was able to see ghosts and pass back into the purgatorial Veil, where restless spirits wander, forever stuck between the land of the living and the eternal peace that they should get. When Cassidy came back from the brink of death, the ghost of a boy named Jacob came back with her. They became best friends and he acts almost like an anchor for her when she is in the veil. Cassidy’s parents are paranormal investigators who have been signed on to do a reality show where they explore famous haunted locations around the world. The first book of this series takes us to grey Edinburgh, Scotland. There, Cassidy learns that there is more to her strange abilities and must face a spirit stronger than any she has faced before.
The general concept is interesting and I love that this series will center around famous hauntings around the world. I have always enjoyed reading about the paranormal and the idea of having characters that have one foot in the land of the living and one foot in the land of the dad, while not a novel idea, was executed really well.
Reading the internal dilemma that Cassidy had when it came to her best friend was one of the most interesting parts of the book. I could see the justification for both sides. In theory, once Cassidy learns that she’s supposed to help ghosts pass on, the first she should help is Jacob. However, Jacob does not want to go and Cassidy herself seems unwilling to let him go, too. Her newly made friend, Lara Choudhry, tries to tell her this, but Cassidy and Jacob both seem against the idea. It raises the question of whether or not we have the right to make these decisions in the first place. Does free will end with death? Do the dead still have a right to exist? Am I a ghost rights activist? We may never know.
While I will be continuing with the series, I think that, after I finish the series, I will be sticking to Schwab’s adult literature. This was a good story, but I don’t think it sucked me in (mostly, I’m sure, because I am not the intended audience).
I do recommend this to people who enjoy a cozy paranormal mystery with a cute cast of characters.
(Also, I feel like people are exaggerating about how many Harry Potter references there were. They did pop up a bit, but they weren’t littered everywhere like some reviews led me to believe).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
rishel's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
This is a fun story, and it left me with questions about where the series will go from here. (Good questions, mind you. No cliffhangers here.) I'm curious to see what troubles Cassidy gets herself into next time, and where her ghost hunting parents will take the family next. I want to know more about Jacob. I really like the character of Lara, and want to see if she shows up again.
Though this is a middle grade book, it could be enjoyed by older readers also. There is a little bit of explanation of words—usually in reference to the difference between American and British English—but not so much that it got on my nerves. Also, most of that happened toward the start of the story, when the family was getting settled in Edinburgh. Once the action started picking up, I didn't notice many (if any) breaks to explain the language.
Side note: though there is a cat on the cover, Grim the cat doesn't feature much in the book. Cassidy's sidekick is the ghost Jacob, not the family cat.
Though this is a middle grade book, it could be enjoyed by older readers also. There is a little bit of explanation of words—usually in reference to the difference between American and British English—but not so much that it got on my nerves. Also, most of that happened toward the start of the story, when the family was getting settled in Edinburgh. Once the action started picking up, I didn't notice many (if any) breaks to explain the language.
Side note: though there is a cat on the cover, Grim the cat doesn't feature much in the book. Cassidy's sidekick is the ghost Jacob, not the family cat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death
danielle_isreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
The way Victoria Schwab is able to adapt her distinct voice from Adult to YA to Middle Grade is phenomenal.
City of Ghosts is a great start of a trilogy. Cassidy and Jacob are so enjoyable to read, and Schwab manages to make the stakes high without feeling like they cannot be overcome.
City of Ghosts is a great start of a trilogy. Cassidy and Jacob are so enjoyable to read, and Schwab manages to make the stakes high without feeling like they cannot be overcome.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
scavenger's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
aasplund's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
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