City of Ghosts and Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab

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. (taken from Amazon)

                          I’ve read some excellent reviews for these books lately, so when I saw them at the library, I had to snag them. After reading them, I can see why both books are so popular. Victoria Schwab is an excellent writer, and is able to effortlessly suck the reader into the world she’s created.

These books follow Cassidy, a girl who sort-of briefly died. She was saved by a ghost who has become her best friend. Now she can see ghosts and is able to cross the veil between the living and the dead. Her parents, who oddly enough host a ghost-hunting show despite not believing in ghosts, have decided to travel to “most haunted places,” with Cassidy, her ghostly bff, and their cranky cat in tow.

In the first book, they go to Edinburgh. There, Cassidy meets a girl named Lara who has the same ability she does. Lara informs Cassidy that they have a responsibility to reap the ghosts, basically sending them “on.” Cassidy unfortunately catches the attention of a very powerful and extremely angry ghost. Will she survive the encounter? Or will she end up truly dead?

I quite enjoyed the book. It felt like the first few episodes of that show Supernatural. It was episodic and a very good introduction to both the characters and the world the author has created. I found it highly entertaining, though lacking in some details I would have loved to had. For example, the Big Bad wasn’t as fleshed out (pun intended) as I was hoping. I loved the idea behind the villain and would have loved a bit more detail. However, Cassidy is a likable main character, and there’s a lot of potential in her ghostly buddy.

The sequel, Tunnel of Bones, started to see a bit more of a storyline. The foil in this book had more of a background, and this book focused more on solving the mystery behind all the ghastly, ghostly activity. I liked that aspect. Adding a bit of a mystery to the book made it much more interesting to me. Tunnel of Bones takes place in Paris, and the author made good use of the Catacombs. The final surprise has me very interested in seeing what comes next.

The best way I can describe these books is as Supernatural light. They’re entertaining, quick reads, that make for fun weekend reading.