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A review by bubblegumcreams
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by R.M. Romero
4.0
I really didn't know what to expect going into this book because I didn't look at reviews before reading. My expectations weren't high just because I didn't have experience reviewing ARCs on netgalley, and I picked this book from the section that is available immediately to everyone. I ended up being so pleasantly surprised by this reading experience! I learned that I like ghost/paranormal stories, and even .
My favorite part of this story was how the author used fantastical elements to address and talk about real-life trauma and experiences. The main character Ilana Lopez, a biracial Jewish girl, relates the magical realism elements of the story to her community's specific experiences. The story heavily addresses the trauma and experiences of the Jewish community in Prague. I thought this was so beautifully done. There are many beautiful quotes in this book. I felt so drawn to the story, and by like 60% I didn't want to put it down.
For a lot of the story, the written in verse style of the story is used beautifully and there are some incredibly beautiful quotes. However, there are many times in the story for me where the written in verse style wasn't working for me, or maybe the style wasn't being totally used to its advantage.
For a lot of the story, I kept thinking that it felt like I was reading a middle grade novel. But I kept questioning that because the main character is preparing for college admissions exams. I realized near that end that I think I was feeling this way because the character development felt a little flat at times. I really loved the main character and enjoyed reading from her perspective so much. However, there were times in the beginning of the story where the character development wasn't strong, or maybe was just building too slowly for my tastes. By the end, I think this did improve so much, and the character felt strong and I felt connected to her and her story.
I would highly recommend this book for folks interested in magical realism, latinx/latine stories, Jewish stories, and stories set outside of the U.S.
I am not an own voices reviewer for latinx/latine and Jewish stories.
Reader-Provided Trigger/Content Warnings
Trigger/Content Warnings:
Spoiler
paranormal romancesMy favorite part of this story was how the author used fantastical elements to address and talk about real-life trauma and experiences. The main character Ilana Lopez, a biracial Jewish girl, relates the magical realism elements of the story to her community's specific experiences. The story heavily addresses the trauma and experiences of the Jewish community in Prague. I thought this was so beautifully done. There are many beautiful quotes in this book. I felt so drawn to the story, and by like 60% I didn't want to put it down.
For a lot of the story, the written in verse style of the story is used beautifully and there are some incredibly beautiful quotes. However, there are many times in the story for me where the written in verse style wasn't working for me, or maybe the style wasn't being totally used to its advantage.
For a lot of the story, I kept thinking that it felt like I was reading a middle grade novel. But I kept questioning that because the main character is preparing for college admissions exams. I realized near that end that I think I was feeling this way because the character development felt a little flat at times. I really loved the main character and enjoyed reading from her perspective so much. However, there were times in the beginning of the story where the character development wasn't strong, or maybe was just building too slowly for my tastes. By the end, I think this did improve so much, and the character felt strong and I felt connected to her and her story.
I would highly recommend this book for folks interested in magical realism, latinx/latine stories, Jewish stories, and stories set outside of the U.S.
I am not an own voices reviewer for latinx/latine and Jewish stories.
Reader-Provided Trigger/Content Warnings
Trigger/Content Warnings: