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.
Les spectres de Paris
Far off the spooky season, I really fancied getting back to one of Cassidy Blake’s adventures. Only last year, I followed her around the beautiful Edinburgh for the first time. Back then, I fell for her courage, her best dead friend, and her astonishing world. I also already sensed some aspiring friendship if not even romance between her and Lara, her new ghost hunter friend. Unfortunately, this support was only present through a few phone calls, while Cassidy explores Paris and makes some new friends there.
New ghosts, new dangers
I love how Victoria Schwab immediately brings us back to the spooky as much as shows us around one of the most know cities. I’ve never been to Paris myself, but I enjoyed wandering the city with the Blake family and their film crew. Through them, we get to know some tense stories about hauntings and ghost sightings. But only with Cassidy’s own encounters are we back into the game. And from then on, I simply couldn’t stop reading. I rushed through this amazing story within one evening, only putting the book down to have dinner. Victoria succeeded in catching my attention and not letting me go until this book’s case is resolved. More than in the last book, this one is a riddle to be solved by our favorite ghost expert. And more than back then, this case could endanger many, many people.
„C’est la vie,“ he says. „Things happen.“
„Unless you’re Cassidy Blake,“ says Jacob as the car pulls away. „And Athen you make them happen.“
– Page 226
New friends
While the case of the poltergeist eventually gets resolved, there is more to this book. As the second installment of the trilogy, it builds up to a grand finale, as I imagine. We are allowed to learn more about Jacob, Cassidy’s ghost friend, and his death. Moreover, Cassidy befriends a Parisian girl whom she’ll surely meet again. Her cooperation with Lara also increased despite the distance. We thus observe how Cassidy collects allies for her finale adventure. Meanwhile, she still hides her ghost powers and destiny from her parents, which will surely be a point of conflict in the final book. This nonetheless makes her adventures more mischievous and entertaining at once.
Small flaws
I especially love how thought-through Cassidy’s adventure appears to be but for two small illogicalities. I don’t think they thoroughly throw a shadow upon the fun I had while reading. Nonetheless, I am a bit disappointed by the fact that Cassidy’s English spell to bind and send on ghosts works on those that have no English knowledge. As a linguistic student, it would make way more sense to me, if Cassidy learned those words in French to communicate in a way with the French ghosts. Or at least if the spell was in Latin, for example, a lingua franca of sorts. Moreover, I noticed how Cassidy used the flashlight of her phone after turning it off and before re-activating it later. Small flaws that made me stop short but didn’t really bother me too much.
In conclusion,
I rushed through this entertaining second adventure alongside Cassidy Blake. With her best friend Jacob, her new ally Lara, and more French accomplices, she bravely faces her new adversary. Moderately spooky and emotional, this book is a joyful read for adolescents but also adults like me.
The author:
VICTORIA “V. E.” SCHWAB is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including the acclaimed Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Cassidy Blake series and the international bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim, translated into over two dozen languages, and optioned for television and film. First Kill – a YA vampire series based on Schwab’s short story of the same name – is currently in the works at Netflix with Emma Roberts’ Belletrist Productions producing. When not haunting Paris streets or trudging up English hillsides, she lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up monsters. Source