Tunnel of Bones, Victoria Schwab (Cassidy Blake #2)

My review of Tunnel of Bones by one of my favorite authors, Victoria Schwab. This book is second in the Cassidy Blake series, a thoroughly enjoyable middle-grade novel about a young girl who can see ghosts.

Tunnel of Bones, Victoria Schwab

Themes: Middle-grade, Childrens, Paranormal, Fantasy

Reading Format: Paperback

Pages: 272

5 STARS

Thank you to Scholastic for sending me a copy of this book, I adored it. This book is officially released on September 5th.

I finished City of Ghosts in one sitting and this book was no different. Give me an adventure with Cassidy and Jacob any day and I will take it! These two are a best friend duo, but Jacob is a ghost and Cass can communicate with him and has been told it’s her purpose to send ghosts on to the other side. Don’t worry, Jacob is safe with her friendship, but in Tunnel of Bones, we see Cass taking on some French ghosts in her trip to Paris.

Cassidy’s parents are filming a TV show in France’s capital and are bringing her along to explore the city. She goes to all the haunted sites and sees many a ghost in the veil, she tries to send on as many as she can safely. But one just won’t play ball, she has awoken a poltergeist and it is starting to terrorise the city. I loved that through this adventure and peril, we were able to see more of Paris through Cassidy’s eyes. We were taken on a whistlestop tour of the best sites and were shown a different side of them. There’s a threat in this book and I was desperate throughout to see how Cassidy would use that clever brain of hers to figure out what to do about it.

I love both Cassidy and Jacob, they bounce off each other so well. Jacob is scared where Cass is brave, which means he will often follow her despite his better judgment, but not for lack of complaining. Their friendship is strong and I love their bond, this book does an excellent job of showing the relationships children build. Cassidy doesn’t struggle to make new friends, a trait I saw in myself as a child. I hope many young readers will be able to see themselves in Cassidy.

I really liked the way the story was told in this book, from Cassidy’s perspective, but with interjections from Jacob, who can essentially read her mind. It was really fun to read about because you forget that anything Cass is narrating, Jacob is also hearing. This adds to more comedy between the two and builds on their close relationship. I adored the Harry Potter references littered throughout, from Hogwarts pyjamas to remembering scenes from the films. It was so well done and made me enjoy the book all the more.

I’m very wary that this book has been written for a younger audience, so I am very glad to have been able to receive an early copy and review it. As usual, Victoria Schwab’s work didn’t disappoint me and I found this book addictive, fun and exciting. I really hope to see more of Cass and Jacob.