Meagen Bridge of Souls By Victoria (V.E.) Schwab is the third book in the Cassidy Blake series that began in City of Ghosts. Cassidy, her ghost of a best friend Jacob, and very much alive friend Lara, another veil walker, take on the ghosts of New Orleans in Bridge of Souls.
This gorgeous installment in the series follows our favorite young trio on yet another life or death adventure, this time though they’re in the United States, stirring up trouble in NOLA.
Cassidy, Jacob, and Lara set out with good intentions, as they always do, but are bumped slightly off track when the ghoulish creature from the train platform in Paris shows up in New Orleans. This book picks up just days after the last, Tunnel of Bones, leaves off.
I never expected to fall in love with a middle grade series, I wouldn’t have thought it would be one of my most recommended books/series for adults and tweens alike, but here we are! When it comes to V.E. Schwab I preorder now and ask questions later.
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If you haven’t read City of Ghosts or Tunnel of Bones, the first two books in the series, I think you could still enjoy this one. It’s structured in a way that would allow you to get into the plot of this novel without having to scratch your head or google questions every five minutes.
I do think the overall premise of the books and the relationships between the characters would make a lot more sense if you have read the first two books…they’re amazing, do yourself a favor and just start at the beginning!
What is Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab about?
Bridge Of Souls by Victoria Schwab is narrated by our main character, 12 year old Cassidy Blake. She’s a young lady who loves photography, her eccentric ghost hunter parents who are filming a show called The Inspecters, gets into a bit too much trouble on occasion, and oh and she also has a ghost for a best friend.
Jacob arrives on the scene in book one right after he pulls Cassidy back from the brink of death. Cassidy was supposed to die when she crashed her bike on a bridge and nearly drown in an icy river, Jacob pulls her out just in time…the only problem with that is the fact that Jacob is a ghost and should not be able to physically save Cassidy.
In doing so their fates get a little tangled up. Now Cassidy can walk between the real world and the Veil world that lies unseen just beyond…Jacob can too. This third book further peeks into both of their minds (it seems rough having a ghost best friend who can read your thoughts) as they battle against their fiercest enemy yet.
Though the two are used to meeting ghosts and getting dragged into the veil occasionally unsuspecting, they haven’t faced anything quite as terrifying as the skeleton man they meet at the end of book two. Now this creature is on the hunt for Cassidy and she’ll need all the help she can get to unravel this newest mystery.
Set in New Orleans this book has all the fun lively energy you’d expect from the setting…but with a healthy dose of smoke and daggers, ghosts and secret societies, and of course plenty of beignets.
Cassidy and Jacob enlist the help of fellow veil walker Lara who is jet setting around the globe as the glamorous little 12 year old we all wish we could be. Lara brings with her a wealth of knowledge (she’s been in the veil walking game a bit longer than Cassidy and Jacob) but she also brings with her an adventure of her own.
The crew seeks out the secret society that Lara has been desperate to join. If they can’t become new members, maybe they can get some assistance with an unfriendly creature from the other side…but as with all plans in the ghostly realm, things rarely go that smoothly.
What did you love about this book?
I absolutely love Cassidy. She’s such a fun character and her world is so unique. These books are about as much fun as you can have with the idea of an imaginary friend.
It’s my favorite dynamic, Cassidy being fierce and headstrong while Jacob…who is already dead…is the worrywart. When you throw Lara into the mix things are non-stop entertainment. I wish I was as fun and interesting as these three when I was 12 years old!
Another thing I love about this series is the story and environment that V.E. Schwab builds. During these months and now years when we’re stuck at home and dreaming of traveling I’ve loved living that out through books. No one takes you on a more fun trip than a ghost hunting 12 year old girl and her not quite undead best friend.
They were in Edinburgh and then Paris and now we get to see them explore New Orleans. It’s magical and you can almost taste the fried dough and powdered sugar while reading these pages. It’s a glorious escape from the mundane reality we’re all facing right now.
What did you not love about this book?
Uhhh the fact that it ended?! Obviously. I could read about these characters forever.
Someone get Victoria Schwab on the phone, let her know that when she’s old and grey and sitting by the fire with her cats and dogs and dark chocolate squares I don’t want her enjoying retirement, I want her writing more stories about Cassidy and Jacob!
Will you read more in this series?
I’ve devoured this entire series so far and I’ve got my sister sitting across from me as I type just finishing up book two and starting on book three. I will continue to read this series every time I need a fabulous, slightly dark, wanderlust fix.
If she writes ten more I’ll be first in line to preorder. I’ll probably also keep pushing them on every person who asks me for a book recommendation 😉
Overall opinions of this book:
If you haven’t guessed, Bridge of Souls is a 5/5 read for me. I love Victoria Schwab and this book is no exception. Being back in Cassidy’s world and on a trip to New Orleans no less, it was bliss.
This is a quick, easy, fun, but also slightly dark read. I love that combo. I also love seeing Cassidy lean into her strengths and rely on her friends.
It’s powerful to watch and a great reminder that sometimes you don’t have to give up or accept the outcome in front of you. Sometimes you can double down, fight like hell, and deal with whatever shitty thing is staring you in the face. Sometimes when life is at its worst what we really need is our friends to step in and just be there to drag us back.
Lara and Cassidy are so fun to watch. Jacob is there, tagging along, doing ghost things, but these two are so fierce and fun and it’s refreshing to see 12 year old girls be so spectacular without there having to be drama and pettiness…maybe I’ve been dealing with too many tween girls in real life lately but THANK THE SAINTS FOR NO bickering girls 😉
After being cooped up in my house for the last year to say that I needed a mental vacation to New Orleans is an understatement. I could almost taste the beignets. Schwab does a great job (even in middle grade books) of making you feel like you are sitting right in the middle of the action. We’ve now been all over the world with this group and the trip to New Orleans doesn’t disappoint.
Where can I buy Bridge of Souls for myself?
If you’d like to get a copy of Bridge of Souls for yourself you can buy one here. I’ll link the kindle and hardcover editions below so you can check those out.
I preordered mine so it would be here on release day but there are also some gorgeous editions from places like OwlCrate to consider!!
Kindle Unlimited Membership PlansWhat else has Victoria Schwab written?
Victoria Schwab writes by that name for all of her middle grade works and her YA fantasy works. She goes by V.E. Schwab for her adult fantasy works and whatever name you see on the book, pick it up because you are going to love it.
Check out her Amazon author page, her website, and her Instagram where she’s pretty active and always insightful.
If you are looking for a favorite book to start with, check out A Darker Shade of Magic which is amazing but also don’t overlook The Near Witch because that beauty has got all of the Scarlet Letter vibes to offer and was a beautiful beautiful story.
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