City of Ghosts

This was a very sweet middle-grade story that I had a great time reading, but I couldn't give it the full five stars because it felt very middle grade. Every aspect of the story felt very direct and to the point. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the story didn't really have any layers; it was all just laid out for you. This may just be a characteristic of middle-grade, but I loved it nonetheless.

Enjoyable spooky Fall read. I liked the characters and premise. Good start to a new series but looking forward to more story and character development as the series progresses.

3 stars Okay, so this book isn't bad, but I'm kinda disappointed :/ I know it's middle grade fiction but I expected SO much more from V.E. Schwab. The writing is beautiful, but I felt like the plot lacked depth.

I'll read just about any fun ghost YA book, especially when it's from one of my favourite authors, and this did not disappoint. It's not exactly an original idea but the story and characters were really fun. This is definitely a book for the younger reader but, coming from someone walking up that hill, can be enjoyed by all ages. The only issue I was the constant background explainers on language differences (readers from the UK will most likely find this even more annoying than this Anglophile American did) and the constant references to Harry Potter.
This had the same feel as Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book and Neverwhere, and a new podcast out of Scotland (though older than this book's release) The MIddle Below so check those out if you haven't yet but enjoyed this book.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab is a middle school, paranormal novel and the first book in the Cassidy Black series. Cassidy must go to Edinburgh, Scotland when her parents, ghost hunters, get a TV show. Her parents can't see ghosts but Cass can. Ever since her drowning Cass can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the ghost but she is not alone. She is joined by her best friend Jacob, the ghost who saved her that day in the river. In Edinburgh Cass meets Lara, a girl that can also see the dead, and learns she has a lot more responsibility but can Cass keep herself safe in a city with many more ghost, a veil grabbing at her, and an evil woman in red known to snatch children's life force.

I am not the intended age group however, ten-year-old me ate this up. I loved reading the way the Scottish history and superstitions were spun into the story. Schwab does a great job with the book's atmosphere. It felt as if Edinburgh was another character and the description of the Veil left me with a vivid picture of the in-between. Schwab was able to make a creepy, chilling setting without being gruesome. Also, through their interactions, rules, and secrets, I really enjoyed Cassidy's relationship with her best friend, Jacob.

My negative, there is a great deal of background before the subplot takes over. The story falls into the first book in a series flaw, a slow beginning and an over too soon ending but I still found myself invested. The end gifts the reader with nagging little questions about what haunted city setting could possibly be next (I have my mind set on Paris) and the ending's ominous undertone with certain characters.

I enjoyed this novel as an adult reader but if you know middle school readers with a pension for ghost stories, look no farther then City of Ghosts.