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ishouldreadthat 's review for:
City of Ghosts
by V.E. Schwab
Originally posted to I Should Read That
I’ve been curious about Victoria Schwab’s new middle grade tale because it's such a departure from her adult fantasy novels. As you all may know, I’m not a huge fan of her adult books but really like her as a person. City of Ghosts sounded promising because it contains so many things I love -- ghosts, Edinburgh, and cats. I dove in a little skeptical, but ended up really enjoying this little tale.
City of Ghosts is a fun adventure that follows Cass and her ghost friend Jacob as they navigate Edinburgh, the city of ghosts. I really loved how well Schwab captured the spirit (ha) of Edinburgh, a city that is very close to my heart and rich with tales of the paranormal. You get such a great sense of the city as Cass and Jacob wind their way through the streets and closes, and it was fun spotting the various landmarks and locations throughout the book. I personally thought it took awhile for them to actually get to Edinburgh, slowing the story down a bit. Once they arrive and the plot gets going, however, I did enjoyed it more.
Cass was a fine character, but I wish there was a little more to her. I can put some of my reactions to the plot and writing down to this being a middle grade book when that's not my usual taste in reading, but I don't think this works with that argument. She felt almost passive in her own adventure, and I would have loved to see more spirit (ha) from Cass.
I really liked that there were so many secrets surrounding her ability to see through the veil and see ghosts. Schwab hooks the reader into Cass's story well -- she answers just enough questions and leaves just enough open for the reader to want more. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Jacob, a ghost boy who saved her life, and the fact that he has his own secrets. I also really enjoyed their budding acquaintance with Lara -- she was probably my favourite character and I'm hoping we see her again!
Overall, I liked City of Ghosts and would definitely recommend it for some spooky autumn reading, despite a serious lack of cat familiars (a major disappointment, given the cover of the book).
I’ve been curious about Victoria Schwab’s new middle grade tale because it's such a departure from her adult fantasy novels. As you all may know, I’m not a huge fan of her adult books but really like her as a person. City of Ghosts sounded promising because it contains so many things I love -- ghosts, Edinburgh, and cats. I dove in a little skeptical, but ended up really enjoying this little tale.
City of Ghosts is a fun adventure that follows Cass and her ghost friend Jacob as they navigate Edinburgh, the city of ghosts. I really loved how well Schwab captured the spirit (ha) of Edinburgh, a city that is very close to my heart and rich with tales of the paranormal. You get such a great sense of the city as Cass and Jacob wind their way through the streets and closes, and it was fun spotting the various landmarks and locations throughout the book. I personally thought it took awhile for them to actually get to Edinburgh, slowing the story down a bit. Once they arrive and the plot gets going, however, I did enjoyed it more.
Cass was a fine character, but I wish there was a little more to her. I can put some of my reactions to the plot and writing down to this being a middle grade book when that's not my usual taste in reading, but I don't think this works with that argument. She felt almost passive in her own adventure, and I would have loved to see more spirit (ha) from Cass.
I really liked that there were so many secrets surrounding her ability to see through the veil and see ghosts. Schwab hooks the reader into Cass's story well -- she answers just enough questions and leaves just enough open for the reader to want more. I also really enjoyed her friendship with Jacob, a ghost boy who saved her life, and the fact that he has his own secrets. I also really enjoyed their budding acquaintance with Lara -- she was probably my favourite character and I'm hoping we see her again!
Overall, I liked City of Ghosts and would definitely recommend it for some spooky autumn reading, despite a serious lack of cat familiars (a major disappointment, given the cover of the book).