City of Ghosts (City of Ghosts, #1)

by Victoria Schwab

 


Ever since Cass almost drowned (okay, she did drown,
but she doesn't like to think about it), she can pull back the Veil
that separates the living from the dead . . . and enter the world
of spirits.
Her best friend is even a ghost.


So things are already pretty strange. But they're about to get
much stranger.


When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's
most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Here, graveyards, castles, and secret passageways teem with restless
phantoms.


And when Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift," she realizes
how much she still has to learn about the Veil -- and herself.



And she'll have to learn fast. The city of ghosts is more
dangerous than she ever imagined.





NYT bestselling author Victoria Schwab delivers a thrillingly
spooky and action-packed tale of hauntings, history, mystery, and
the bond between friends (even if that friend is a ghost . . .


For fans of The Day I Fell Into a Fairy Tale, R
L Stine and Scullduggery Pleasant

• ISBN13: 9781407194073
• Publish Date: 6 September 2018 (first published 28 August 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Scholastic
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[emruth13]

This book makes my dark little soul happy! I love it so much and am so excited there will be more books!

[Joséphine]

Initial thoughts: City of Ghosts was everything I hoped for and more! It's such a lovely middle grade book with just the right amount of morbidity to set it apart as a Schwab book but also charm that takes off the edge from the potentially scarier parts. The friendship between Cassidy and Jacob is wonderfully intriguing and really draws the reader into their world and its complexities. This is the sort of book I would've loved to read as a 12-year-old and still very much enjoyed as an adult. So glad I picked up a copy the week it came out and that I got to read it pretty soon after.

[leahrosereads]

Victoria Schwab is pretty much one of my favorite authors at this point. I love her writing style, stories, characters, and atmosphere. While I tend to prefer YA and Adult, I devoured and thoroughly enjoyed City of Ghosts.

It was dark and whimsical and humorous and adventurous. It felt perfect for middle grade, but still worked well for this 30 year old to completely enjoy too.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what type of adventures Cass, Jake, and the ghosties will endure in the next book!

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

More comprehensible RTC I’m sure-

BUT: I loved the characters, the premise, the plot & possible future plots- everything was awesome? I just guess I felt a little empty and hollow after reading. I felt it lacked much needed detail; maybe it was too short to include the detail, or maybe it was just that I’m not used to middle grade reads atm, to make this“whole” in my mind?

Still great and I look forward to future Cassidy Blake adventures!

[inlibrisveritas]

This was a really quick read, but a lot of fun! Full review to come!

[writehollydavis]

4.25/5 stars. I wish we could give at least 1/2 stars in our ratings! I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade novel which had everything Victoria Schwab excels at: tons of heart and action involving memorable and unique characters in an exciting plot. The premise of Cassidy interacting with ghosts and being able to cross the veil was so interesting, and I feel like her comp titles of Stranger Things meets Ghostbusters perfectly captures this story. Can't wait for the next installment!

[Beth C.]

Ghost stories. Who among us doesn't have an occasional yearning for something far from the norm, a return to the days when people believed in ghosts and monsters and faeries, and did what they could to appease them? This is a return to those days, in a book that is current in setting but throwback in feel.

Cass died one day - or almost did. Near enough that it doesn't matter, because now she lives, but is able to pass through the Veil to the other side. She can't *do* anything, really, when she crosses, other than watch what happens for each ghost she encounters. Until her parents drag her to Edinburgh, Scotland, and in the space of a day meets another girl like herself, and ends up being dragged into the Veil without even realizing it. Now Cass needs to learn about her "gift", hide from a vengeful ghost, and protect her BFF - who *also* happens to be a ghost.

This was a quick, fun read - one that gave me chills in all the right places, but wouldn't be too overwhelming for most 8-12 (-ish) year-olds, either. Cass is an interesting kid, and her sidekick definitely has plenty of secrets to share. There is a definite conclusion to this tale, but there is also a definite feel that there will be a sequel - and honestly, I would enjoy that. Imagine all the ghost stories told around the world that could be part of a series like this?! I'm in!

Overall, I really liked it. It's like sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories - only in this case, one can have the pleasure of doing it again and again!