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Monday, August 13, 2018

A little ghostly fun...

        "My name is Rose Marshall. ... I was born in 1936. .... I made it all the way to 1953, sixteen short years of chances and choices and opportunities. And then it was over. I died on a hot summer night in my junior year of high school, driven off the road by a man who should never have been there. My body was battered almost past recognition by the accident. My spirit fared a little better, sweet sixteen for the rest of time...
       "I'm the phantom prom date, the woman at the diner, the girl in the green silk gown, and the walking girl of Route 42. But most of all, I'm the ghost of Sparrow Hill Road."


Seanan McGuire's Sparrow Hill Road reads like a collection of short stories, each chapter another ghostly tale with Rose Marshall the thread that connects them all. Rose travels the ghost roads, saving the people she can, escorting the others on their way to their next life, and avoiding Bobby Cross, the man responsible for taking her life. Her encounters with the living and dead, while not scary, are entertaining. And I liked the world McGuire has created with its strict ghostly rules and strange assortment of spirits and specters. (Although I really wish she'd given the routewitches a bigger role to play! They intrigued me.) I thought this was a fun read, although the non-linear jumps from past to present and back again throughout the entire novel really slowed the narrative for me. But that's my only complaint.

Happy Reading!

23 comments:

  1. I’m not sure what I think of the short stories feel this one has going but I like the idea. I might have to check it out.

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    1. Apparently, the second book in the series reads more like a full-length novel, so maybe try that one first?

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  2. I read the second book in the series first (which is an actual full-length novel), and am kind of glad I did. Although, having some of the backstories contained in Sparrow Hill Road would have been nice. :-) I love this series so far. It's so imaginative and complex!

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    1. I'm glad to know the second book reads more like a regular novel because I wasn't sure I wanted to read it after finishing this one, but now I think I will! :)

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  3. I actually got goose pimples just reading the review!

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    1. If you like ghost stories, I think you'd like this book. :)

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  4. One thing I'll say about the author is that she has great covers for her books!

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  5. I read both last month and just reviewed the second one yesterday. I loved them both but have to admit the second one was an easier read. Also, there is more about the routewitches in it so I'd say maybe consider picking it up o:)

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    1. If there's more about the routewitches in it then I am definitely picking it up! Thanks. :)

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  6. This sounds like a great series to follow! Alas, I'm not good in following series. So many books, so little time. We shall see. ;)

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    1. I'm not great at keeping up with series! (And not keen on starting a lot of new series for that very reason.) But I couldn't resist trying this one. :D

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  7. :) I do love a good ghost story! Routewitches? Need to know more!

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    1. Routewitches are awesome...and apparently more prevalent in McGuire's second book in this series. So you might want to start with that one! :)

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  8. Hi Lark, I have been looking for a way to get into the genre of urban fantasy and ghost stories and this series sounds really good. I might start with the second book though since it is a novel which I tend to prefer to short story collections

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    1. I'm with you on short stories! (Although technically this novel isn't a collection of short stories, it just reads like one.) And here are a couple other fun urban fantasy series that you might want to try: Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and Benedict Jacka's Alex Verus series. They're all great. Happy reading! :)

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  9. I wish there had been more about the routewitches in this one too. They're so interesting and I wanted to know more about them. And I'm really glad the second book is a full length novel. I liked the short story format fine, but I imagine it's a much smoother read as a novel.

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    1. I'm really looking forward to reading the second book! :D

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  10. Wow - I love that opening paragraph. It really pulls me into the story, I think I would enjoy this one. Great review!

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    1. Thanks! McGuire's a good writer and she tells an interesting story. :)

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  11. I'm not a big fan of short stories, but I do like ghost stories. I'll have to try this series. Maybe the second book first, like you're recommending.

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    1. The consensus seems to be that that's the better read. :)

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  12. This has been on my TBR list for a while. Time to bump it higher up the list, I think!

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