CBR10 BINGO: And So It Begins
I added this to my hold list at the library months before the publication date and I STILL had to wait a month for it. Behold the power of Victoria Schwab! I loved her Shades of Magic series (as V.E. Schwab) and liked her YA Monsters of Verity series so it was a no brainer for me to snatch this one up.
After a near death experience where she is “rescued” by a ghost, Cass is able to sense and see ghosts in the real world. Her ghost guardian angel, Jacob, sticks with her after the accident and becomes, to her parents, a sort of imaginary friend. Together, they are often pulled beyond this world into the “Veil”, another dimension where trapped souls exist.
Longing for the family summer vacation at their blissfully un-haunted beach house, Cass is blind sided when plans change. Her parents, writers and researchers of ghost myths, are asked to host a television show about the most haunted places in the world. Cass, Jacob, her parents, and her cat Grim head for Edinburgh Scotland where Cass and Jacob encounter something very different from the mild-mannered ghosts from home. Here there is a history of plague, public execution and vicious murders.
“City of Ghosts” is the first in a series of “middle grade” books which is interesting, because I think that the book had more of a YA feel. I don’t remember any mention of the main character’s age but read elsewhere that it was 11. Cass just didn’t feel 11 to me, more teenager-y than that.
My only criticism would be that her parents humoring her relationship with her “imaginary friend” didn’t seem plausible. Even though they were a little quirky themselves, an 11-year-old with an imaginary friend should maybe raise some flags for the parents.
Per usual, Schwab writes a page turner. I finished this book in a couple of hours even knowing how disappointed I would be that I didn’t slow myself down and stretch out the fun for a day or two. Written in a very believable conversational voice, the story bounces around between the sweetness of Jacob and Cass’s friendship and the malevolent forces of unsettled spirits. A super fun book! Perfect for the Fall chill in the air and a hot cup of tea.
CBR10 BINGO: And So It Begins
I’ve been looking for a middle grades series for a reading challenge, so this might be that book. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Someone on Twitter recommended Who Let the Gods Out by Maz Evans. Grade level is 3-7 – too young? https://amzn.to/2RknXlF
Ooh, I love A Darker Shade of Magic and the Monsters of Verity series. Definitely need to check this out.
I didn’t even know she was writing another series – thanks!
And I’m not afraid to indulge in a book aimed at kids either