My Thoughts On… City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Title: City of Ghosts
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publisher: Scholastic UK
Published: 28th August 2018
Pages: 285
Format: Paperback
Source:: Proof from Publisher
Add It: Goodreads, Amazon UK
Summary:
Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

My Thoughts

If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you should know that I both have a massive soft spot for Victoria Schwab and for Ghost stories, so when I heard that Victoria was writing a ghost book, I could not have jumped and squealed more! Excited was putting it a little mildly. Of course, as with every anticipated read, there was also an underlying fear that this book would not live up to the hype I was creating within my own head. Fortunately, that simply was not the case. I started reading this book before going to sleep and before I knew what was happening it was 1am and I was halfway through the book! Victoria Schwab has created a very addictive, intense and at times scary read that I am positive you will very much enjoy reading – just as I did.

At the beginning of this book we are introduced to Cassidy and Jacob, and I absolutely adored them straight away. I loved how Cass felt she had to follow this tap on her shoulder and that Jacob is fearful of other ghosts and what is behind the Veil – despite being a ghost himself! But honestly, what I truly loved about them was their bond. This is a pair who are true friends and have a true friendship and it was such a lovely thing to read about. They would – especially if they can – do anything for each other and often spout rules of friendship at each other such as never leaving someone behind. It was just so refreshing to have such a positive friendship displayed in this book – even if it was between someone alive and someone dead! Then a little further along in the book, we’re introduced to Lara and I thought she was also a fantastic character. You can tell at first that everyone is a little wary of one another but I love how it all came together at the end. I really hope that this trio appears in future books in this series!

This book also takes the reader on an adventure. The book starts in the US but soon enough, Cass is shipped off to Edinburgh with her parents who are filming a ghost fuelled TV show! This means that Cass is also taken on a journey to some of the most haunted places in the city. While she can feel the haunted spirits lingering, it is only when she steps into the Veil that the full weight of ghosts in the area is truly known. But it is the meeting of the Red Raven that truly brings this book alive. There is something not quite right about this ghost but one thing is made clear to Cass – she has to stay away from her. I loved this part of the book, the action of how everything happens and the intensity that stems from the pages was brilliant. I was scared and worried with Cass and also willing to fight for her too. Which is everything that I love about reading books.

All in all, as you can see, I very much enjoyed this book. It was everything I love about ghost stories and everything I love about Victoria Schwab all rolled into one. The book was teeming with adventure, intrigue and mystery. It was also full of intense and scary moments too. It brought out a lot of emotions within me and the characters were all really fascinating and interesting to read about to. I am also very much invested in the series now and very much want to know where Cass’s adventures will take her and Jacob next! I also need to know more about things too. So really, I just need the next book now, okay? So, if you’re looking for an entertaining, adventurous ghostly read – definitely pick this book up!