Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab

Title: Bridge of Souls (Cassidy Blake #3)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Scholastic 2021

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows . . .Unless it's the other way around?Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while traveling for her parents' TV show.But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In a city of ghost tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the colorful, grisly local legends. And the city's biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.

And with that, Cassidy’s story comes to a close (or does it?). With this book, we do get a conclusion to the big mystery that was set up in the second book in the series. We finally encounter what is stalking Cassidy through the streets of Paris and now New Orleans. We get to finally meet The Society of the Black Cat and we get more information on what is happening to Jacob. Overall, this series was a delightful spooky read. It’s not true horror, but leans a bit more gentle and twee. My biggest complaint has to be the constant reminders of Cassidy’s condition and her relationship with Jacob. Those passages really felt like filler in the book. I would have liked to see a bit more ghost-busting this one. But I did enjoy the big final battle.

Cassidy Blake

Next up on the TBR pile:

Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

Title: Tunnel of Bones (Cassidy Blake #2)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Scholastic 2019

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass's parents are filming their TV show about the world's most haunted cities. Sure, it's fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there's true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter -- and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.And if Cass fails, the force she's unleashed could haunt the city forever.

Another good volume in this spooky middle grade series. I loved the change of location to Paris. We get to visit some iconic locations as Cassidy’s parents film their television show. I especially loved all the time that we spent in the Catacombs. The atmosphere was just right. I was a little less excited about the main ghostly mystery. It was interesting, but didn’t have the level of menace from the first one. I would have liked a bit more in the scary department. And then there’s the relationship between Cassidy and Jacob. I feel like there was a lot of rehashing of the same conversation concerning Jacob’s ties to Cassidy and not enough actually growth in that department. I would have liked to see more developments. Maybe the next book will actually bring this back into focus.

Cassidy Blake

#1 City of Ghosts
#2 Tunnel of Bones
#3 Bridge of Souls

Next up on the TBR pile:

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Title: City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1)

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Scholastic 2018

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 285

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges:

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. The city of ghosts is more dangerous than she ever imagined.#1 NYT bestselling author Victoria Schwab delivers a thrillingly spooky and action-packed tale of hauntings, history, mystery, and the bond between friends (even if that friend is a ghost . . .).

A lovely blend of spooky and friendship. Right away, we’re dropped into Cassidy’s world of ghosts; We don’t get all the answers in this volume, but we certainly start to uncover the secrets. With Jacob and some new friends, we get a bit more information about living in the world between the living and the dead. I loved the entire setup of Cass’s family right down to the cat Grim. Once we get to Edinburgh the story starts moving quickly and doesn’t let up. I loved the various locales and descriptions. I do so wish to visit Edinburgh at some point in my life. I would love to see the Old Town and the Castle. And maybe I will see some ghosts while there. There are definitely some great spooky scenes involving lots of child ghosts and the Raven. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Cassidy Blake

#1 City of Ghosts
#2 Tunnel of Bones
#3 Bridge of Souls

Next up on the TBR pile: