REVIEW: City of Ghosts

City of Ghosts
Author: Victoria Schwab

I'm going to admit first thing that City of Ghosts is the first Victoria Schwab book I've read. Ok....Ok....I can hear the snorts of derision and feel the side-eye glances....   I do have several of her novels on my bookshelves. My TBR pile is ponderous (literally THOUSANDS of books) and I hate cliff-hanger endings where I have to wait a year or more to find out what happened. So generally I wait until a series is on book 3 or 4 before I start reading. Victoria's books have been waiting patiently on my list for me to get to them.....   With millions of readers and thousands of glowing reviews for her work, she hasn't missed me.

I read the book blurb for this series, and immediately broke my rule. City of Ghosts is the first book in the Cassidy Blake series. Book two won't be out until sometime in 2019. But, this YA series sounded like so much fun to read, that I jumped right in. I took my chances with cliff-hangers.....so stop snorting and side-eyeing me. I read Victoria Schwab! And loved this book!

Cassidy Blake can see dead people. While that's nothing new....she had to actually almost die to gain that power. Not only does she see dead people, her best friend is....you guessed it....a ghost. Cassidy's parents are excited that their book series has been picked up as a television series. The Inspectres will shoot episodes in haunted places around the world. First destination? Edinburgh, Scotland. Cassidy and her BFF Jacob soon meet up with an evil spirit that wants Cassidy's life force. Can she escape? Or will she really be a ghost this time?

Great story! I listened to the audio book version, narrated by Reba Buhr. She reads at a nice pace, with great inflection and acting skills. The story definitely kept my attention from beginning to end. And I can't wait for the next book! This series is YA...so there isn't any cussing or adult themes. Just an enjoyable story. Cassidy is definitely a teenager, but she's also determined to help people, even dead ones. Her friendship with Jacob is sweet.

Overall, an entertaining, slightly spooky, story. Great start to a new series. And YES -- I'm going to start reading the other books by Victoria Schwab that are now calling me from my TBR shelves. How could I not?