I also LOVED that this was set in Edinburgh; if I’m correct, each book in the series takes place in a different city, which I think is super cool. Cassidy Blake is a girl with a special ability - ever since she was saved from drowning she can pull back the Veil that separates the living from the dead and enter the world of spirits. Excellent book that draws from a piece of history that should be better known, the siege of Leningrad. I saw someone compare this novel to “Strangers Things meets Ghost Hunters” and I 100% agree with this sentiment.

It is obvious that the author depended much on portraying the era's political and security situation to give meat to the story. This debut novel is gripping, becomes a real page turner and is orchestrated to a satisfyingly blood curdling finale. So, all in all I’m really happy I’ve read this story and can’t wait to read the next books in this series.As the characters are revealed, you are drawn in to a world full of desperate barely surviving survivors of war, atrocities, betrayals and hopelessness and that are made all the more realistic in the descriptions of their frailties, flaws, dreams and memories of happier times. It has a lot of harry potter references which can you find just okay like me or can really annoy you. It will take centuries to wipe away such horror from the memories of people alive today who lived through the period, even longer for Russia to recover its soul. When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland.

Plus, this includes super creepy graveyard parts, and what horror fan doesn't love a good graveyard scare? Also it's probably a three star book, but my future children's first words are probably gonna be "Victoria Schwab" so I added a bonus star just for that. But i didnt have the connection with it and feels as i have with her adult books which makes sense as this is a different age level as where its written for. The serial killer element and its relation to the Leningrad philharmonic is clever enough, but as a whodunnit it barely passes muster. At the beginning I was bored then I was excited and these feelings were changing over and over again.

It talks about friendship, trust and death in a child-friendly way without giving kids the feeling that you don't trust them they couldn't stomach such heavy topics. If you enjoy the intrigue of a murder mystery coupled with the historical horrors of hierarchical Stalinist Russia, you will find this book thought provoking and blood curdling with little respite even as the hero reveals his introspective longing for lost love. Overall, City of Ghosts is an atmospheric, creepy book that will definitely keep you engaged with its fast pace and intriguing characters, but the lack of proper plot development is something that really bothered me and kept me from enjoying it more. Trading Address (Warehouse) Unit E, Vulcan Business Complex, Vulcan Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 3EB.

After school he did three a-levels at a local sixth form - none of which was English Literature, which he now regrets. I don’t know whether that has to do with the fact that this is a middle grade story or that I didn’t feel the excitement and thrill I’ve come to expect of Schwab’s stories. Now unable to play the violin because of a vicious MGB interrogation which ruined his hands, Rossel must use his musical knowledge to track down the killer. I think maybe as the series continues, the plots will become more involved and perhaps we will have more of a chance to connect with the characters.Cassidy’s parents were pretty kick-ass though and I loved the fact that they spoke about ghosts and were experts but didn’t even have a clue that their own daughter could actually see and talk to them.

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. As the story unfolds you can almost feel the cold of a freezing Russian winter and taste the fear of a population living under the rule of a paranoid Stalin with memories of the Great Patriotic War and the horrendous conditions of the Siege of Leningrad still fresh in people's minds.There was a little bit of foreboding at the end of the book so we’ll see what’s going to happen next. I liked how the author used Punjabi words and phrases and how he presented history into a story that people would understand better and to tell what happened during that period of that time, as in this case the Revolution of when the British had owned England in a short period of time. Without spoiling anything, there’s a conversation that occurs at the end of City of Ghosts that has me simultaneously eager and incredibly nervous to continue the series, because, well… let’s just say that it feels like some very uncomfortable foreshadowing, and I don’t think even the kiddos are safe in Victoria’s worlds. In my opinion it still has her beautiful writing and way of throwing you in the story and really sucking you in too it and overall i found the story fun too read and quick but it doesnt have the darkness or twistst and heavy things and depht that her adult books have. Jacob lives in the realm of the living with Cassidy, but Cassidy now can open and enter the veil, and see the ghosts that are stuck within it.