A review by starrysteph
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The Ghosts of Rose Hill is an absolutely exquisite, musical, and folkloric experience told in verse. 

Ilana doesn’t want to leave her Miami community - and her violin - behind. But her parents, dismissive of her dream to pursue music, send her off to Prague for the summer to live with her aunt and straighten up. And when she’s inspired to clean up a forgotten Jewish cemetery, she meets a kind teenage ghost named Benjamin who shows her the magic of Prague.

But there are more sinister spirits stalking the streets, and Ilana soon discovers that she’ll have to become the fierce final girl of her favorite fairytales to rescue the lost children of the city.

It’s a story of stepping out of generations of survival and into a new world of magic & joy. It’s a story about honoring memories and beloved ancestors - but also honoring yourself and your own passions. It’s a story about loving fiercely, about healing from generational trauma, and about blanketing yourself in the beauty of your heritage.

“When you are a final girl,/you run/for all the girls/who never made it this far.”

Ilana is biracial, and holds the weight and pain of all those past generations on her shoulders. This isn’t so much a journey about her navigating her identity, but instead owning what she has always known to be true. Ilana faces down monsters. She’s ferocious and passionate and clever, and incredibly easy to relate to and root for. 

I did feel like there was some awkwardness around certain sections of the verse, where the prose would jump from gorgeous & elevated to teenage dialogue. But this is a story I’m going to savor and an author I’m going to follow. 

CW: child death, antisemitism (including references to the Shoah), grooming & adult/minor non consensual kiss, grief, drowning, starvation, kidnapping, abuse

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