Don't be deterred by the wooden beginning, which for some could be a deal breaker in those first pages of deciding whether the story is worth sticking with, as you're unlikely to be grabbed instantly. Corruption is rife, abject poverty strongly in evidence but largely ignored by the higher echelons of power, and Creed paints an incredibly convincing picture of a society and city still bearing the wounds of the Second World War.

With the powerful thread of the rousing classical musical greats of the time knitting the plot together, this is a who done it of the most macabre. Zudem gelingt es dem Autorenduo schon am Anfang des Thrillers eine sehr kalte, teils düstere Atmosphäre zu kreieren. People think that ghosts only come out at night, or on Halloween, when the world is dark and the walls are thin.There are numerous references to the debilitating siege of the city, the reverberation of the incredible stress and want that this caused, and yet the fierce sense of survival that arose in the populace to overcome this torrid time. Even though I absolutely adore Victoria Schwab, her writing style and the whole ghost story, I had some problems with the whole pacing in this book. I personally never read middlegrade anymore , i am almost 20 and just dont feel like reading it anymore as i dont connect with it but when i started loving Ve Schwab her works i did want too try her middlegrade aswell. City of Ghosts is a super fun, spooky, and atmospheric read that follows Cassidy Blake, a young girl who can enter "the veil" and see the ghosts within. Militia police lieutenant Revol Rossel and his colleagues are faced with solving these horrific murders.

There is a strong sense of historical authenticity running through the book from the outset, and if, like me, your knowledge of this particularly fraught and dangerous period of Soviet history is largely superficial, there is so much to be gleaned. When Cass's parents start hosting a TV show about the world's most haunted places, the family heads off to Edinburgh, Scotland. With neither the charm of Cruz Smith or his compelling prose it's hard to feel much, if anything, for the disabled protagonist. Well written Stalin-era detective thriller with more than a touch of Gorky Park about it, right down to the bodies frozen in ice opening. She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.

A well written book set in 1951 post war Leningrad which brings home the horrors of the Stalinist era. Despite the bizarre nature of her everyday life, Cassidy is such a level-headed, calm child, and I loved that about her character. I absolutely adored the world Victoria created here, and thought the Veil itself was a delightful touch. I wish I could travel back in time and hand myself a copy of this when I was younger as it is such an incredible read and it was a book I would have loved with all my heart and soul.