Bridge of Souls

Cassidy Blake #3

by Victoria Schwab

Where there are ghosts, Cassidy Blake follows ... unless it's the other way around?

Cass thinks she might have this ghost-hunting thing down. After all, she and her ghost best friend, Jacob, have survived two haunted cities while travelling for her parents' TV show.

But nothing can prepare Cass for New Orleans, which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In a city of ghost tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the colourful, grisly local legends. And the city's biggest surprise is a foe Cass never expected to face: a servant of Death itself.

Cass takes on her most dangerous challenge yet...

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Paranormal, Audiobook, Horror, Ghosts, Young Adult

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2021

About the author

Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."

She also tells stories.

She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

Reviews

[Victoria Schwab]

Death is coming for Cassidy Blake.

[Charlotte May · Rating 4 out of 5]

“My name is Cassidy Blake...and I will not be dragged into the dark.”

What a great series this has been!

Loved this conclusion to the Cassidy Blake trilogy! (Or is it the conclusion???)

This time around Cass and Jacob find themselves in New Orleans while travelling with her parents and their ghost hunting TV show.

I’ve always wanted to visit New Orleans and this book made me want to visit even more! I’m so invested in the characters and I loved that we learned more about Cass’ abilities and how dangerous it really is that she escaped death.

It was like a middle grade version of final destination 😂

But yeah, this is a great series. Highly recommend.

********************


Library copy available for pick up

👻 👻👻

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.75 Stars

I don’t have much to say about this so I am echoing what I said in my previous reviews of books one and two, I think Schwab is a great author as I enjoyed her writing for all ages (MG, YA and Adults).

Bridge of Souls was a bit darker than the previous books and for that it was my favorite in the series. Once again, Cassidy finds herself in a new place with her family and once again she finds herself haunted but this time it is by death!

There is a formula when it comes to those books and I can understand that given that it is directed towards a younger audience. However, I said in my review of book 2 that it felt like a filler but this last entry moved the story forward, the characters certainly grew too.

Summary: This book followed a similar story line to the previous books. I liked the writing, I think there was good character growth and the pacing was fast. I thought it was originally a trilogy but I can see it get expanded if Schwab wants that.

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Death will come for us again, one way or another. We can’t live in fear of it. That’s no way to live at all”.

¿Cómo puede ser un libro de fantasmas, entes y emisarios malvados tan tierno? A ver, que sí, que toda esta serie de Cassidy Blake es middlegrade, pero no me esperé que mi reacción al final de esta trilogía fuera de ternura. ¡Y no me quejo!

En esta entrega, Cassidy, Jacob (su amigo fantasma) y sus padres están en New Orleans para grabar un nuevo episodio de sus investigaciones paranormales. Todo parece normal… o todo lo normal que puede ser la vida para Cassidy viendo fantasmas, cruzando el velo y ayudando a las almas a ir más allá. Sin embargo, algo extraño empieza a suceder, pues Cassidy no deja de ver a una figura con un sombrero y una cara de esqueleto que le dice que ella robó algo y que ahora debe volver a donde pertenece. Y este ente resulta ser un emisario de la muerte que, básicamente, quiere que Cassidy muera para restaurar el balance que nunca debió romperse cuando se salvó de morir ahogada en ese puente hace años.

La verdad es que aunque esta trilogía de V. E. Schwab es súper sencilla, precisamente por el público al que va dirigida, creo que Bridge of Souls es un libro muy entretenido y que, de una u otra manera, te mantiene enganchado y temiendo realmente por la vida de la protagonista. Además, el setting de New Orleans le da un toque aún más misterioso y oscuro a todo lo que Cassidy ve a través del velo porque, después de todo, es una ciudad que ha conocido muchísima muerte a lo largo de su historia.

Ahora, tengo una teoría y es que V. E. Schwab nos dio un final que, si lo pensamos un poco, no está cerrado por completo. Y, de hecho, eso no me molesta. Una de las escenas cerca del final y que involucran a Lara, la amiga inglesa de Cassidy, es de las mejores que he leído en cuanto a emociones y a tocar la fibra sensible. Impresionante. Como sea, creo que la autora planeó un final medianamente abierto porque quiere volver a escribir sobre Cassidy y sus aventuras paranormales en algún momento. Y es que podría hacerlo sin problemas porque ciudades embrujadas en el mundo es lo que le quedan, pues solo hemos visitado Edimburgo, París y New Orleans con los personajes de esta serie.

[Lucy Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Fear is a perfectly rational response, the body’s way of telling you not to do something.”


This is probably my least favourite in the Cassidy Blake series. I still really liekd it, but it just wasn't as strong as the other two.


Cassidy Blake has been to Edinburgh and Paris now and had two unfortunate encounters in both. Now she is in New Orleans, a city which wears all of its hauntings on its sleeve. In this city full of tours and tombs, raucous music and all kinds of magic, Cass could get lost in all the legends, but soemhow she manages to attract a foe more dangerous than anything she's faced before: a servant of Death itself.


“But history is written by the victors. How can we know what really happened if we weren’t there? We are, all of us, speculating…”


I really liked the plot of this one. It was just as fun as the others and of course in Victoria Schwab's dark style. This being a middle grade is of course considerable lighter than her older works, but considering our main character is a girl who can see ghosts and not all of them are friendly, this book is dark nonetheless. From page one I couldn't seem to put the book down. I love Cassidy and I love following her around along with Jacob, her ghost friend, and the other characters we meet along the way.


“Friends don't let friends get snatched away by creepy skeletons.”


The characters are probably the best part of this book, aside from the atmosphere. Cassidy is an amazing protagonist, even though she should start thinking the decision that she makes better, but don't worry she has friends that could help her with that. I love the fact that Jacob is there for her no matter what. He never leaves her alone and does everyhting in his power to help her with whatever trouble she put herself into. He does his best to convince Cass not to make any rash decisions, bu that doesn't usually work out. And then we also have Lara. Cassidy met her during her trip in Edinburgh and since then they remained friends. She had a small role in the second book too, but I'm happy than in this one she was back and tehre to help Cass. Out of the three books in this series, this is the one she was most present in and I was there for it. I love the friendship between Cassidy and Lara and also the one between Lara and Jacob although neither of the would admit to being friends


I honestly have no idea if there will be more books in this series, but I really hope there are as I lvoe the characters and I just have so much fun with these books. And reading these I'm also taking a break from the hard hitting fantasy novels I tend to read.


Overall this was an enjoyable read as always with Victoria Schwab's books and I really hope to be back in this world in the future.


“Death will come for us again, one way or another. We can't live in fear of it. That's no way to live at all.”


__________________________________


This wasn't exactly as good as the other two, but I still really liked it.
RTC

[giulia ♡❁ུ۪]

bridge of souls: *is being pushed back*
me: fine this is fine fine, i'm fine, fine- f-f-ine

[Sylvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 out of 5 Stars.

I never seem to get tired of reading Cassidy Blake books, they're just too darn cute and enjoyale.
But I thought this will be the last installement of this series, yet nowhere is being mentioned that.

So, my question is: Are there going to be more Cassidly Blake books?



*************************************************
How come I noticed now that this book is coming out next year instead of this September. It seems so far away.


Also, is it just me or my girl Cassidy looks grown up in this compared to the previous covers?🥺

[MissBecka Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this series!

I really hope Lady Schwab decides to write more Cassidy Blake adventures.

[Kelsey (munnyreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never thought I'd tear up over a middle grade paranormal adventure book, yet here I am.

Loved all of these books. Very binge-able, immersive writing with wholesome friendships and the perfect amount of ~spooky~ for a middle grade series. I totally recommend checking out the Cassidy Blake trilogy if you haven't already.

[Rachel Reads Ravenously · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 – 4 stars!

If can say with 100% honesty, if these books had existed when I was a tween, I would have been obsessed with them!

I think this is a fantastic middle grade ghost hunter series with strong characters and excellent adventures the characters go on. I am reading from an adult perspective so for me it’s not perfect, but I know a lot of kids who would adore this series with their whole heart. I can’t wait for more books in the series to come (hopefully).

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

Wow— Schwab stepped it UP with this latest novel in the Cassidy Blake series!!! I really, really enjoyed this one!

RTC

[Estíbaliz Montero Iniesta]

¡He acabado de traducirlo! 🥳

Sobre el libro en sí, me ha gustado bastante el final. En esta ocasión, nuestros protagonistas se enfrentan al enemigo más poderoso hasta el momento, y vencerlo no va a ser nada fácil.

Lo que más destaco, lo que más me llega, para mí son las relaciones de amistad, ya no solo entre Cassidy y Jacob, sino con Lara también.

El libro me ha dejado con ganas de saber más, me he empezado a plantear cómo será todo cuando Cassidy sea más mayor, una adolescente o incluso una adulta. Espero que Victoria nos traiga algún día esa historia.

YOUTUBE / INSTAGRAM / RESEÑA EN WRAP UP DICIEMBRE

[April (Aprilius Maximus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!

[Noura Khalid (theperksofbeingnoura) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Scholastic for the gifted review copy!

Absolutely in love with this book! Victoria Schwab continues to bring us the most interesting and atmospheric stories. I've never been to New Orleans but the descriptions made me fall in love. I looked up every building mentioned and haunted story told. These books never fail to bring the creepy and haunted atmosphere to life. I adore these characters too! Cassidy, Jacob and Lara are so easy to love and the banter is always fun. I just love their adventures so much. The stakes were definitely high in this one and I was a little worried about how this would end. Everything wrapped up nicely and I got a good dose of fuzzy feeling from the friendship between these three friends.

I think these are definitely books that everyone can appreciate regardless of age!

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was both excited and terrified to read this book. Excited because I’m invested in this series now and I couldn’t wait to see how it all ended. Terrified because I’ve become so invested in this series and these characters and I want nothing but good for my precious babies. I’m glad to say that it was everything I could have hoped for and more as an ending to what’s become a new favourite middle grade series. It had it all; it made me laugh and sob and want to throw the book across the room and hug it to my chest and just hold it close. It was an absolutely brilliant and perfect conclusion to an amazing series and I couldn’t have loved it more!

[Avani ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it really.
Jacob is too good.
I liked it better than the previous book.
The concept of magic, cult and everything else was great to read about.

[Sofii♡ (A Book. A Thought.) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun, maybe I was hoping to get a slightly more dramatic and powerful ending, but it was pretty good anyway, I had an incredible set of adventures, friendship, and paranormal situations, which are factors that I adore about this entire series in general. Above all, I know that I'll miss the characters a lot, who already have a place in my heart.



4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can find more of my reviews & fun content on my blog A Book. A Thought.


In this third and final book, we continue with Cassy's adventures but this time in New Orleans where her parents make their next stop for their paranormal tv show. There Cassy along with his faithful ghost friend, Jacob, will be surrounded by a lot of paranormal activity, magical places, and secret sects, but that's nothing because they will have to face a challenge that Cassy never thought she would meet before, the servant of death himself.


The book is super dynamic and I love that, the characters are always on the move and we know many emblematic and interesting places of New Orleans, in addition, and as we are used to during these books, we know everything about the local legends from the hand especially of Cassy's parents, but also other new characters that this time join the plot to give it a different tone and new paths. I love it, it's really fun to read this type of adventure, the MG genre is obviously much easier for me to read, but it doesn't lose the emotion and those feelings of wanting to know what will happen, apart from having all the factors for a good MG book, also gives us a dark and intriguing side, which is the true soul of this story and what, for me, makes it unique.

It was extremely entertaining to follow the guys behind each paranormal situation and watch them fight to defend those they love but also humanity itself, this time it's different because literally, death is looking for them to hunt them down and take them once and for all. This time we also have Lara as the most active member in the story and that's great, I love the friendship that came to be created between her and Cassy (in fact, I cannot fail to mention that I felt something more than a friendship coming from these two ) but above all, to see the friendship become more real between Lara and Jacob is really a pleasure.


Another thing that I really enjoyed on all these books and hasn't missed this time is the explorations to haunted and terrifying places, this time we visited several of them, but above all, I really enjoyed meeting some New Orleans cemeteries and their legends, I kind of feel I've myself traveled to each of these places in some way and I love that. On the other hand, I also enjoyed the humorous vibe that the author manages to generate within moments of drama, which obviously lightens things up a lot but also makes it even more fluid to read.

Obviously, because it's the last book in the trilogy, many questions that hadn't been able to be resolved previously are made in this book, not only secondary situations but also real and primary concerns that Cassy has always had, both related to herself and Jacob. Due to this, the ending should be the most intense of the three books, but it wasn't for me, even though I liked what happened and I think it was extremely interesting, it answered many questions and gave more meaning to the stories, I'm not sure it had the necessary impact to be a great ending, I felt it somewhat tepid as the impact factor is lost a bit.


To summarize a bit, I ended up enjoying this conclusion a lot, most of the book has that horror and comedy vibe that I love so much about this story, and as they always complete each other very well, I've also come to love the characters without a doubt, I would read thousands of books following Cassy, ​​I think it's super fun, entertaining and even intriguing. The paranormal aspects are wonderful and it's full of them at all times, but also it also touches on topics of daily life such as friendship, family, and even the purpose of our lives. Also, this time discusses other family issues that surround Lara above all, and they're quite important to discuss, despite the fact that it's played far above, I definitely feel the weight in that story.

It's a really wonderful story that makes you laugh and feel super close to the characters until you love them deeply and don't want anything to happen to them. Besides, if you like fluid stories, easy to read and entertaining but also paranormal and somewhat spooky then this is 100% for you, I know you'll not regret giving it a try











First Thoughts 04/19/21

I love the adventures of Cassy & Jacob, so I feel super nostalgic to say goodbye to them, I love them!! But I still really liked this ending, I think like its predecessor books this adventure has a solid spooky background, but in fair measurewe also have moments of fun and exploration. I loved touring New Orleans and meeting this new villain who has put the lives of our protagonists in jeopardy. In this book I actually felt a bit of a romantic vibe coming from Lara & Cassy and I was living for it.

[gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassidy Blake has certainly been stirring up all kinds of trouble in the in-between. You can’t face an ancient spirit dubbed the Red Raven and a mischievous poltergeist without drawing attention. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of attention you want. This time, a servant of Death itself is coming for Cassidy and it intends to take back the thing stolen from them: her life.

Bridge of Souls was a bit darker than the previous books and is my favorite in the series. Everything was well done: plot, setting, characters, anything else you might desire in a book. Friendship is such an important component in this series, and I honestly believe it’s one of the main reasons I’ve enjoyed these books as much as I have despite them being intended for a younger audience. Towards the end, when Cassidy, Jacob, and Lara are facing Death’s servant, it was so heartwarming to see the way the three of them fought for each other, especially Lara and Jacob, who’ve disdainfully put up with each other because they both care about Cassidy. For a hot second at the end there, I really thought Schwab was going to have Jacob die (again) and now I’m praising the fact that this is a middle grade series because if it had been adult, or even YA, I know she would have wrecked my soul by doing so.

Overall, this was a great finale and a very satisfying ending to the trilogy. If these books had existed when I was a tween, I would’ve easily been obsessed with them.

__________
My reviews for:

Novels
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue – ★★★☆☆
Gallant – ★★☆☆☆

Cassidy Blake Series
Book 1: City of Ghosts – ★★★☆☆
Book 2: Tunnel of Bones – ★★★☆☆
Book 3: Bridge of Souls – ★★★★☆

Monsters of Verity Series
Book 1: This Savage Song – ★★★★☆
Book 2: Our Dark Duet – ★★★★☆

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

My daughter and I love the Cassidy Blake series and decided to try book three on audio!

Cassidy Blake and her family travel to New Orleans, the third haunted location for the ghost hunting television show her parents are hosting.
Cemeteries, ghost tours, seances, and local legends abound in this city full of dark history so it’s obvious Cass and her ghost BFF Jacob are going to have another chilling adventure.
This time, Death has its eye on Cass and she’ll need the help of Jacob, Lara …aaaand a secret society to outsmart it!

Bridge of Souls is an atmospheric middle grade ghost story and I love the character development, back story, and how the stakes are getting higher with each city they visit - creating an even deeper bond between Cass and Jacob.
I highly recommend this series to readers who enjoy middle grade fiction, paranormal/fantasy, and mystery.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Idk why my library got this a day early but, thanks? lol
RTC

[Grecia Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quedé un poco decepcionada.

No sé si este se el final de la serie, espero que NO porque si quedaron muchos cabos sueltos y como que fue medio meh.

En esta ocasión Cassidy y su partner in crime mejor amigo fantasma Jacob están en New Orleans ya que los papás de ella están en una nueva investigación para su programa.
Esta ciudad está llena de fantasmas, magia, vudú por lo que Cassidy va tener mucho trabajo pero aparte de eso se suma otro ser que no es un fantasma es un emisario y está en la caza de Cass ya que ella eludió la muerte y este la quiere llevar a donde pertenece.

Sin duda lo mejor de este libro es Jacob y su amistad con Cassidy es súper cute y es por eso que esperé que se revelaran más misterios de Jacob pero no.

En cuanto al libro, la trama y el desarrollo pudo haber sido mejor tenía potencial pero siento que todo se resolvió muy rápido quedaron muchas dudas sin aclararse y el villano casi ni apareció.
Tenía muy pocas páginas y se me hizo eterno.

Espero que no sea el final y que la autora nos traiga otro libro de Cass y Jacob porque la historia tiene potencial.

[❥︎Benedetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

♥︎Ho adorato anche questo volume.
Una trama scorrevole come negli altri precedenti volumi, ma non meno noiosa.
Mi sono coinvolta così tanto nella storia che ho accompagnato Cassidy in giro per New Orleans, la mia immaginazione è esplosa.
Un finale stupendo e originale, con quel tanto che basta di suspense.
Tutti i dubbi che un lettore poteva avere si risolvono, facendo amare ancora di più i personaggi e le loro storie.
Una trilogia assolutamente consigliata se cercate un fantasy leggero ma ben costruito.♥︎

[Fer Bañuelos ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5*

Con este libro me despido de Cassidy Blake y de Jacob, estos dos niños que me enamoraron hace un par de años y que, por fin he logrado llegar al final de su historia.

Siempre es un deleite leer a Victoria. Crea historias impresionantes, buenas tramas y personajes que es imposible no amar. Cassidy es una niña fuerte, decidida e inteligente. Me encantó leer la historia desde su punto de vista y logré encariñarme mucho con ella. Jacob es mi hijo y lo protegeré hasta morirme. Lara es otra de mis favoritas. La forma en la que ella y yo somos la misma persona es impresionante y necesito AHORA un spin-off de ella sola.

Debo admitir que este si es el que menos me ha gustado de la trilogía. En los pasados 3 libros ha habido cierto foreshadow a un evento que sí, me daba miedo pero sentía que si sucedía sería lo indicado para la historia y al final NO SUCEDE NADA, sin importar cuantas veces se insinuaba a eso. Entonces cuando no pasa nada quede un poco... ¿insatisfecho?

Es un buen final porque todo se cierra con un lindo moño y la historia queda en un punto donde se ve que hemos llegado a la conclusión, pero creo que igual puede haber la posibilidad de un nuevo libro y siento que si toma la dirección que tengo en mente podría ser una muy buena adición para la serie.

Estoy muy feliz con esta serie y con Victoria en general. Vuelve a demostrarme porque es una de mis autoras favoritas y me pesa cerrar la última página de este libro, porque disfruté como nunca poder sentirme de 12 otra vez, buscando fantasmas en todos lados y deseando poder vivir en las páginas de la historia de Cassidy Blake.

------
Me acabo de enterar que atrasaron este libro hasta marzo 2021 y eso, por falta de una mejor expresión, es un crimen hacía mi persona e integridad.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something absolutely irresistible about this series. I love the spooky aspect, the insanely likeable characters, the gorgeously described settings, honestly just everything about them is perfection!! I don’t know that I could pick a single favorite out of the series but this one was so much fun! We get to experience a new haunted location in each installment and this one was the ever interesting New Orleans! I was super excited to see how voodoo might play into the ghost hunting and other paranormal experiences that Cassidy deals with on a regular basis.

I find myself picking up these books and reading them in a single sitting. I know it says on here that it took me over a month to read but I actually just couldn’t resist putting it on my currently reading list before I even had the book! Once I had my grubby paws on a copy though, it was all devoured within hours! I even went through and reread the first two books because I couldn’t help myself while I was waiting for my book to show up :)

I’ve always been interested in the paranormal and the spooky so this book speaks to my creepy little heart. Schwab blends the power of friendship, hauntings, and the love of family together to create this heartwarming story that honestly readers of all ages can enjoy. I was sad to hear that this would be the last book at least for a little while, I could honestly read hundreds of books in this series if they were available! Here’s to hoping Schwab answers my dreams and comes out with book four sooner rather than later!

[Cecilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

No fue una trilogía memorable, opinión personal, si bien en un comienzo tenía altas expectativas, ya que había leído otras historias de la autora y me encantaron, pero con esta me paso que desde el comienzo la sentí demasiado ligera y muy juvenil.

No negaré que logré conectar con los personajes, me gusta mucho el desarrollo de la personalidad de cada uno de ellos, especialmente Cass y Jacob, me entretenían sus diálogos, me gustaba la forma en que estaba narrado; la ambientación también estaba bien, las descripciones; aún así creo que la construcción de la trama era muy pobre, quizás hasta plana.

Y finalmente esto último pesó bastante al momento de calificarla y de recordarla.

Por último, el desenlace del final fue muy abrupto, había poca tensión y el final se volvía muy predecible, espero que este libro no sea el final de esta historia, creo que falto información, hay bastantes cosas inconclusas.

[rachel, x · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1) City of Ghosts ★★★★☆
#2) Tunnel of Bones ★★★★☆

➸ Trigger warnings for nightmares & flashbacks, suicide mentioned, near-death experience of a child due to Scarlet Fever recounted, hospitalisation recounted, death of a child recounted, drowning, and fire recounted.

▷ Representation: Lara (sc) Scottish-Indian.

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • Twitter • Instagram

[Dani Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't bad, it was a nice conclusion for sure, but it was the least memorable of the trilogy. The stakes didn't feel as high in this one, and the plot seemed less involved than the others, but I still love this world and these characters.. so the rating is more of a 3.75.. which is just average.

[BookNightOwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series. I love the characters and the writing of this middle Grade book. Victoria schwab is a fantastic writer and her stories are so entertaining and fun to read! A+

[Jade Ratley · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.29 on CAWPILE

[Andrei(Drusca) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice