Review: City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

City Of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Series: City of Ghosts #1

Genre: Middlegrade fantasy / horror

Pages: 285

Content warning: Death, monsters, violence
Available at: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

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Victoria Schwab is a queen. I’m at the point where I’ll read anything she writes, and I’ll probably give it 5 stars because it will entertain me, even if it’s not perfect. That’s exactly what happened with this book. Objectively, I know City of Ghosts has many issues, but I don’t care. I loved it. I want the next in the series right now!

The main character—Cass—is the daughter of a famous ghost-hunting duo, but unlike her parents, Cass can actually see ghosts. When her family visits Scotland to film a TV show, Cass meets another girl—Lara—who shares her unique ability. Laura tells Cass what she’s supposed to do with her gift. Cass’s task is to defeat monsters and send ghosts beyond the Veil. That creates a quandary because Cass’s best friend is a ghost. But, she doesn’t have time to worry about that because there’s a creature called the Red Raven haunting Edinburgh. It’s up to Cass and her friends to stop the monster.

“Embrace your strange, dear daughter. Where’s the fun in being normal?” – City of Ghosts

I don’t usually have the attention span to read a book in one sitting, but that’s what I did with this one. Victoria Schwab’s books always suck me in and then don’t let go. I can happily read for hours and not realize how much time is passing. I think that’s mostly because of the worlds she creates. The ghost world in City of Ghosts is intriguingly sinister. I was eager to get into it and start unraveling its mysteries. Edinburgh is also beautifully described. I really want to visit that place someday.

The monster-fighting action kept me reading. I have to admit that the pacing is a bit messy. There are burst of action and stretches of nothing much, but overall the book has a fairly fast-paced plot. I flew through Cass’s encounters with the creepy Red Raven. I wanted to know how Cass and her friends would save the city.

I’m happy about the focus on friendship! That’s one of the reasons I love kids’ books. I wish we saw more strong friendships in books for adults and older teens. City of Ghosts gets bonus points from me because one of Cass’s friends is dead. Books about dead things are my favorites!

I think I would have appreciated this novel as a kid. I hated reading when I was growing up because the books I had access to were tame and silly. This book is baby horror. There are scary moments, but most kids could probably handle it. If you know a kid who wants edgier fiction, I recommend this novel.

“She bounces off with all the enthusiasm of someone rushing toward cake, not corpses.” – City of Ghosts

Like all of Schwab’s books, the worldbuilding is murky. I love the ghost world, but I don’t feel like I have a firm grasp on how or why things work. Stuff just happens. I have this problem with every single Schwab book, so I don’t expect it’ll be resolved in the sequel. She just doesn’t explain her worlds very well.

My biggest disappointment with City of Ghosts is the character development. There isn’t enough of it! For most of the book, Cass seems like a bystander who’s being dragged along by the plot. She’s not really interested in the ghost world. I guess that’s understandable, but it made it hard for me to get invested in her story at first. Why should I care about something when the character doesn’t? I also wanted to know more about her ghost friend, Jacob. He just sort of . . . exists. I hope he’s a bigger part of the next book. He has the potential to be interesting. (Also, I laughed because he’s a ghost who’s afraid of everything. That’s awesome.)

“Every time I get nervous or scared, I remind myself that every good story needs twists and turns. Every heroine needs an adventure.” – City of Ghosts

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Overall, I like the ghost hunting premise and the unusual friendship. I’m excited to see where the series goes next. Bring on the sequel!