[Review] C'est ici l'empire de la mort: "Tunnel of Bones" by Victoria Schwab
“It's hard to believe in ghosts, until you see one, and then it's hard not to.”
After almost dying in Edinburgh, Cassidy and her best (ghost) friend Jacob are now on their way to Paris for Cassidy's parents' TV show. As it is to be expected, even there she feels the Veil a lot stronger. And it does especially when she enters the Tunnel of Bones, the catacombs under Paris.
Just like the first book this story is so cute and spooky in a child-appropriate way. I'm sure I also would have loved it when I was a kid. There is a series I read back in the day which this series makes me think of even though they're very different. But I think anyone who loves the Cassidy Blake series would love that one as well. But that's a topic for another post. This is about Cassidy's adventures.
I love how the world and Cassidy's abilities are being opened up more to us. At the same time as her, we learn what she can do and what her purpose is. There is character development for her but also for Jacob and I'm curious to see how his story will influence the next books. Because I'm guessing there will be others judging by the way the book ended. At least I hope so because I think we need more creepy stories for children.
A small thing that felt unnecessary for me was when Cassidy's mother explains to her what a crêpe is. I don't know why you would explain that unless Americans don't have them anywhere as often. Where I live you can find crêpes at every fair, so basically everyone knows what they are. That scene really took me out of the story. Thankfully it was early on in the book.
What I enjoyed as well was that we got to know about another type of ghost and what they can do in this world. Not to mention that Schwab decided on a very fittingly creepy look for the ghost. I'm not going to say more about that ghost but I feel like she made a good choice in portraying it like she did. It adds to the creepiness factor a lot.
Something that always keeps me on edge in a good way in these books is if Cassidy's parents figure out what is going on. She tries to hide what she does, obviously, but they do realize a few things here and there. It's one of these tropes I do enjoy sometimes, and again we see a few instances where her parents become confused by their daughter.
Overall I can say that this story is right for anyone who wants to feel a bit nostalgic for their childhood but in general for those who love ghost stories. Also, I would say that one can read these at about the age of twelve. I'm pointing this out because sometimes I feel that age ratings aren't properly done. It's especially like that in YA but as this is middle-grade the age rating usually fits a bit better.
4/5★
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Disclaimer: I wasn't asked or paid to talk about this book or anything else mentioned. Everything I said is my own opinion unless otherwise stated. English isn't my native language so sorry if you find any grammar mistakes I didn't pick up on.
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