Scan barcode
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.
adorkygirl's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. Seanan McGuire does a lovely job of building a fascinating world and creating her own mythos. It is the story of a young woman named Rose's, death and the ghostly exploits that turn her into an Urban Legend, told from her POV in a series of short stories. They were published individually first, but McGuire does in my opinion, a good job, of connecting them into short story arcs with similar themes or characters. This is the first and the best of the Ghost Roads series. Pick it up if you like her Wayward Children series, myths, ghosts, a strong female POV who doesn't take bullshit and have a sense of humor. The magic is interesting: the series has a group of nomadic magic users who gain power from the miles they travel; and the things that are loved in life leave a ghost, from people to cars even a whole highway.
It deserves more recognition!
It deserves more recognition!
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
It's more like a series of vignettes, or short stories, put together than a regular novel. But I like the characters, Rose is a very interesting take on the urban myth, and it's an engrossing, if tangental, read in the InCryptid world.
andrea_heather's review against another edition
5.0
seanan mcguire's novels have been both comfort food and vitamins this year so i am totally biased when it comes to her. but i did love this quite a lot. it's repetitive at times but in a way that suits the story - ghost stories grow in the repeating. i enjoyed the take on american legend without the inclusion of too many pre-existing "old gods" or other myths. just urban/rural legend and highway mythologizing. the tone is markedly different from the incryptid books, even though the worlds are shared. the story is definitely stronger and has a lot more to say. this is a good novel to start with if you're curious about mcguire's work and don't want to go the mira grant zombie route. also known to inspire old fashioned diner food cravings; i am very glad there was an opportunity for chocolate malted milkshake procurement in my neighborhood.
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
3.0
Delving into the lore of the ghosts who roam the twilight and the roads we drive on. Rose is the girl in the diner, that old story of the girl who died in the green dress on the way to prom, now left straddling the line between daylight and twilight helping other lost souls.
An interesting concept if one that got a little tiresome in the short story format as we were constantly introduced to the world setting.
An interesting concept if one that got a little tiresome in the short story format as we were constantly introduced to the world setting.
berlinbibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It was a great take on a particularly American brand of urban legend, and it was cool to see how much the individual versions of the story differed depending on who was telling them. The format of connected short stories works very well for the purpose, and Seanan McGuire does a great job of seeding little connections throughout the stories without making it too obvious, allowing the reader to discover the tapestry she's woven thread by thread. I'd love to read more about Rose Marshall.