Review Detail

Bridge of Souls (City of Ghosts #3)

Middle Grade Fiction 283

More Murderous Ghosts!

June 04, 2021 (Updated: June 15, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Just back from her whirlwind tour of Paris (and her creepy encounter with a skeleton specter) in Tunnel of Bones, Cassidy joins her parents in New Orleans. In this hot and humid city, ghosts and spirits seem to be everywhere, and Cassidy can't shake the feeling that something is badly wrong. It doesn't help that her friend Jacob is becoming more and more corporeal, and can even move objects. After several creepy encounters with the skeletal creature she saw in Paris, Cassidy texts her friend Lara Chowdhury for advice. She thinks Cassidy is being chased by an Emissary of Death, who feels that Cassidy cheated death and now owes her life. Soon, Lara has made her way to New Orleans as well. Her parents travel a lot, and she didn't want to be stuck at home in Scotland with her dead uncle, so the group gets to see some of New Orleans' more interesting side. It is home to the Black Cat Society in which Lara is very interested, and after some sleuthing, their headquarters is found. They are also concerned about the Emissary, but don't have a lot of help to offer. They are great at backup, though, and there when the three try to take care of the Emissary, which ends in Lara being taken. She's an in-betweener as well, and had cheated death when she was very ill. It's up to Cassidy, Jacob, and the members of the Black Cat Society to save Lara and deal with the Emissary so he is no longer on Cassidy's trail. Will Cassidy be able to save both of her friends?

Good Points

If you want to write a middle grade ghost stories, it is essential that some of the ghosts be murderous! If séances, a ghost friend, another friend willing to travel around the world to help you, and clueless adults are also in the mix, all the better. While this story has lots of adventurous elements (the travels into the spirit world behind the Veil are wonderfully scary), Cassidy is an interesting character whom I found myself really watching in this book. She's scared, she's questioning her role in dispatching ghosts, and she's wondering if she really did cheat death, and what the ramifications of that are. Lara is such a fun character, and it's too bad that there isn't some way to have them hang out more. Perhaps her parents will let her travel with the Blakes indefinitely? I also found myself being a little wistful about Jacob. He has to move on at some point, but he is really the only full time friend that Cassidy has. Bridge of Souls was an excellent addition to this series.

This series has been very popular (I have two copies of the first book, and they're always checked out!), and it's one that I enjoy as well, even though I'm not a huge fan of creepy books. Cassidy's off beat relationship with Jacob, her travels with her parents, and the descriptions of local ghost lore all combine in a delightfully creepy way. There's definitely at least one more book needed to finish off the story, and my feelings would not be at all hurt if there were two!