The City of Ghosts 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.

This was my first Victoria Schwab book and I can safely say it won’t be my last her other books are now currently residing on my ever growing TBR pile!

This is a story of Cassidy Blake a girl who on her last birthday drowned but was saved by a boy called Jacob. Every since this time she has been able to go between her own world and the spirit world. Jacob is a ghost and now her best friend.

Cassidy calls the spirit world the Veil as she’s able to sweep it back and enter, Cassidy’s parents who are supernatural researchers have no idea about Jacob or Cassidy’s power and she’s not even sure they believe in ghosts. When her parents are asked to make a TV documentary show in Edinburgh Cassidy and Jacob tag along.

Turns out Edinburgh’s full of ghosts nicknamed The City of Ghosts and creepy graveyards but she meets up with one particular ghost called Raven in Red who lures children to their deaths .

Whilst there Cass meets another girl called Lara who also can move between the living and the dead world but calls herself an inbetweener Cass learns she’s expected to send the ghosts away so they can be free again. What will this mean for Jacob?

The Raven starts to pursue Cass but will she have the strength to fight her …..

I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in three days. It’s definitely aimed at 8+, as its told in a very simple way but adults will love it too. Schwab cleverly balances the macabre with humour too. Jacob is a fantastic sidekick and Lara eventually is good too although I didn’t like her to start with she grew on me.

This book is open to a sequel where I’m hoping we find out more about Jacob and how he died as this isn’t mentioned in the book. I couldn’t find anything negative to say about this book and it was a perfect Halloween read.

I gave this book 5/5 stars on goodreads.