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mamap's review against another edition
2.0
After much anticipation and excitement - I finally had time to read this book and it was a real letdown. PG-18 and the language was bad.
The story of a road ghost living within the rules of the road and trying to make a difference in spite of herself.
I did like it overall, but ...
And to have the story continue with Rose and her car/boyfriend ... nah. I like happy endings.
"...the road is as long as you want it to be, and every accident can be a blessing, if you're willing to look past the bad parts and find the good ones, like the friends who wait for you on the other side." p. 302
The story of a road ghost living within the rules of the road and trying to make a difference in spite of herself.
I did like it overall, but ...
And to have the story continue with Rose and her car/boyfriend ... nah. I like happy endings.
"...the road is as long as you want it to be, and every accident can be a blessing, if you're willing to look past the bad parts and find the good ones, like the friends who wait for you on the other side." p. 302
onespaceymother's review against another edition
4.0
A little more than halfway through this book I found myself thinking that Rose's POV reminded me quite a bit of Verity Price's. About that time the Healys are mentioned and the shared world is obvious. Loved this book and bouncing around the timeline. A take a ghost stories that only McGuire would be capable of. I love how she blends ancient mythology from a variety of different backgrounds with modern snark. Recommended.
thisisleila's review against another edition
3.0
The first half of the book is beautiful ghost lore and world building. McGuire's work reimagines tired cliches, giving them new life--no ghost pun intended. It's a wonderful combination of various legends and traditions, combined in a way that hit my imagination in just the right way. It's when the book gets into the plot, unfortunately, that I find the protagonist's struggle with her nemesis uninteresting.
moldini's review against another edition
5.0
So good!
Best book I've read in a while! The first few chapters are lyrical and I was kind of confused but more than a little intrigued and it all pulled together quickly. I absolutely loved it! Make it about a quarter way in and then it will make sense and be an amazing story.
Best book I've read in a while! The first few chapters are lyrical and I was kind of confused but more than a little intrigued and it all pulled together quickly. I absolutely loved it! Make it about a quarter way in and then it will make sense and be an amazing story.
lisawreading's review
3.0
2018 edition: I picked up this book a year or two ago and DNFd it. In the meantime, I've become a huge fan of all things Seanan McGuire, and when I saw there'd be a sequel in 2018, I thought I should go back and give Sparrow Hill Road one more try.
This time, I finished! The story of Rose Marshall, forever 16, a dead girl fated to haunt the highways of American hitching rides, is sad and sweet and full of shades of death. The book itself meanders a bit. Rose tells us up front that ghosts don't experience time in a linear fashion, and the story jumps back and forth in time quite a bit, weaving together various experiences from Rose's years of hitchhiking and guiding the doomed through death to their next chapters.
I enjoyed the book, but didn't find it nearly as compelling as the best of this author's works.
This time, I finished! The story of Rose Marshall, forever 16, a dead girl fated to haunt the highways of American hitching rides, is sad and sweet and full of shades of death. The book itself meanders a bit. Rose tells us up front that ghosts don't experience time in a linear fashion, and the story jumps back and forth in time quite a bit, weaving together various experiences from Rose's years of hitchhiking and guiding the doomed through death to their next chapters.
I enjoyed the book, but didn't find it nearly as compelling as the best of this author's works.
bekab20's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm slowly falling in love with the way McGuire writes and the imaginative worlds she creates!
"Do you always talk in driving metaphors?"
"I'm a hitchhiking ghost. It was this, or talk in Disney metaphors.
The dark edges with the humor and reality of human frailty are beyond intriguing.
"Do you always talk in driving metaphors?"
"I'm a hitchhiking ghost. It was this, or talk in Disney metaphors.
The dark edges with the humor and reality of human frailty are beyond intriguing.
rusticreadingal's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a few years since I first read Sparrow Hill Road, so I figured I should reread it to refresh my memory before starting the sequel, The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. I loved it the first time and loved it even more this second go around.
It's a little spooky, but not too bad. I'm not usually a fan of scary stories, but I found this one to be just right, I think. It was a bit melancholy at times, but it's narrated by a ghost who died too young, at the age of sixteen, so that's to be expected. Though there was also a lot of humor, too. So that was nice.
Rose is an instantly likable character. She's seen many things and traveled many roads through many decades often known as “the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, “the Girl at the Diner”, and “the Phantom Prom Date”, just to name a few. She's not someone to be messed with. She's grown to be fierce, but she's also just about the most helpful and honorable ghost you'll ever meet.
It was great to travel the ghost roads with Rose once again and I'm very eager to find out what happens next in The Girl in the Green Silk Gown.
It's a little spooky, but not too bad. I'm not usually a fan of scary stories, but I found this one to be just right, I think. It was a bit melancholy at times, but it's narrated by a ghost who died too young, at the age of sixteen, so that's to be expected. Though there was also a lot of humor, too. So that was nice.
Rose is an instantly likable character. She's seen many things and traveled many roads through many decades often known as “the Ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, “the Girl at the Diner”, and “the Phantom Prom Date”, just to name a few. She's not someone to be messed with. She's grown to be fierce, but she's also just about the most helpful and honorable ghost you'll ever meet.
It was great to travel the ghost roads with Rose once again and I'm very eager to find out what happens next in The Girl in the Green Silk Gown.
dayseraph's review against another edition
3.0
Sparrow Hill Road is a fun read. Initially structured as a series of vignettes linked by the ghost protagonist, the conflicts are interesting but do feel low stakes. I mean, she’s already dead, and often you’ve already encountered parts of her future story. Still ghost stories are fun, and the afterlife McGuire has created is vivid and interesting.
My complaints with the book are small but significant to my reading experience... The author assumes that I will know or understand what ambulomancers and pyschopomps are with little to no exposition yet also feels the need to explain dozens of times that Rose only has substance when she has a coat. I got it the first time. Please stop patronizing me. And if you do want to patronize me, stop using terms like “palimpsest.”
Anyway, I liked it, but it also annoyed me.
My complaints with the book are small but significant to my reading experience... The author assumes that I will know or understand what ambulomancers and pyschopomps are with little to no exposition yet also feels the need to explain dozens of times that Rose only has substance when she has a coat. I got it the first time. Please stop patronizing me. And if you do want to patronize me, stop using terms like “palimpsest.”
Anyway, I liked it, but it also annoyed me.
bookladykd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Decent narration. Creative story; I will be continuing with the sequel.