Review – City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake, Book 1) by Victoria Schwab (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Paranormal/Horror
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: September 3, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1338111026
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Cassidy Blake series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

“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.”

This is the first book in the Cassidy Blake series and I liked this quite a bit. It reminded a bit of the Lockwood and Co series (although I loved the Lockwood and Co books more than this book). This was a fun creepy read and I liked the international setting. It was a quick read and I plan on continuing the series because I love the idea of learning more about ghost haunting at different international locations.

Cass almost drowned and now, not only can she enter the Veil and interact with ghosts, she is also constantly haunted by the best friend that saved her at the cost of his own life. When Cass’ parents get news they will be hosting a TV series about hauntings at different international locations, they are thrilled. Cass is worried though, what will happen if the ghosts at these heavily haunted locations overwhelm her?

I liked this. Cass is a fun character and the banter between her and Jacob (her ghostly best friend) is fun. I loved the setting of Edinborough and really enjoyed watching Cass explore her powers there. I loved the creepy historical places she visited as well.

About halfway through the book Cass gets involved in a mystery surrounding the ghost called the Red Raven; I loved the Red Raven and how Cass had to work to solve the mystery behind her. I hope future books in this series use a similar format.

Overall this was a fun, quick, and creepy (but not too scary) read. I loved the cool international location, all the history around hauntings, and watching Cass learn to use her powers. I also enjoyed all the witty banter between Cass and her ghost friend Jacob. I plan on continuing the series and would recommend to those who enjoy creepy supernatural ghost stories. If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend The Lockwood and Co series by Jonathan Stroud, it’s very similar in tone but has more world-building and a more complex story.