BRIDGE OF SOULS

Cassidy Blake has encountered spirits before.

She’s met ghosts in Edinburgh and poltergeists in Paris, and now she’s in New Orleans, city of beignets, jazz funerals, and 42 cemeteries, where her parents are filming the third episode of their paranormal investigation program. It’s not long before Cassidy, an in-betweener who has escaped death and as a result can interact with the dead, catches the unwanted attention of an Emissary. This terrifying creature is unlike any spook Cassidy has ever dealt with; its job is to bring those who have defied death to the other side—those like 12-year-old Cassidy. In order to defeat the Emissary, Cassidy will lose something—or someone—no matter the path she chooses. Not knowing which road to follow is frightening, but the scariest thing of all is not knowing how this ends. Armed with her spirit-guiding pendant and accompanied by ghost Jacob Hale (whose foothold in the living world seems to be strengthening) and Scottish friend and fellow in-betweener Lara Chowdhury, Cassidy charges ahead. Intensely curious and furiously independent Cassidy must learn to proceed with caution and know when to ask for help. Her first-person narration is often interrupted by sarcastic Jacob, who can hear her thoughts, a narrative device that adds levity to the scares. The conclusion leaves the door open for another adventure. Cassidy is assumed White; there is diversity in the supporting cast.

Another strong entry in a series offering thrills and chills.