Reviews with content warning for Child death - City of Ghosts

This is a very slow moving middle grade urban fantasy/supernatural horror.

We follow Cassidy Blake, a young 11/12 year old who had an accident a year ago where she fell into a freezing river and died. Jacob, a ghost, saved her that day and she was able to come back to life and he somehow got a free ticket to walk around the world of the living (though no one other than Cassidy can see him).

Honestly, it's a pretty dark and atmospheric read, and definitely would be well loved by any young teen who doesn't feel like they fully fit in or if they like a good ghost story because this book takes place in Edinburgh. The Scottish city well known for is haunted-ness.

I really loved the vibe of the book and the idea of the story, but I do think it lacked a little bit on character work, I didn't feel very attached to anyone other than Jacob, and ultimately this first book in the trilogy felt like an introductory book, like it was just setting up the real adventure that is to come in the next two. Because of that, I am quite excited to continue!

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liz_liz's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book was meh for me. The cover gives off a completely different vibe from what the book is about. Also, the Harry Potter references have aged poorly and annoyed me as a non fan.
But, I did like the magic/ghosts aspects. As well as the main girl and boy staying as friends.
I don’t think I am the target audience for this book, so take my review with a grain of salt.

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theunfinishedbookshelf's review

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

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rory_john14's review

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adventurous dark hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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dosxhime's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I will admit that I did this for Miss Victoria Swab, but I don't regret a single thing. I was surprised that this was such a middle-grader book (but I should have expected that when I went to the middle school section of the library), but it was actually very good??? Like the atmosphere, the history, and how cool the Veil sounds, absolutely mind-blowing.

The best part of the novel is the friendship between Jacob and Cass, which I honestly need more of. I would love to see things in Jacob's perspective and his bright personality. Honestly, such an iconic duo. How Cass and Jacob meet and become entangled was an interesting read and I found myself overanalyzing everything because oomf these kids deserve everything and more.

3.9/ 5 C+

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