(Apparently didn't post the review when I finished it 2/13/2018) This came up in a NetGalley offering from the publisher Berkeley Publishing Group and the description intrigued me. I am grateful for the review copy in exchange for this review.

Ghost stories are not a normal choice for me, so I have a microscopic frame of reference that is Stephen King (35 years ago) and some stories from more than 45 years ago when I was around 10. I did not know what to expect and admittedly was unfamiliar with the gloss...more than a few times I was looking up a term to see if it was a neologism! And I am not ashamed to admit a bit of confusion as to the rules of the world of Ms. McGuire in this book. That the terms weren’t made up and that I was flipping (electronically) back and forth to try to keep up with the story probably just shows that I know little about the genre, and that I don’t watch any of the television featuring hunters (of any sort, actually.)

That said, Ms. McGuire can certainly turn a phrase. And the different smells for the different encounters different are, well...different...and necessary. I liked her writing and the story. Based on some books I’ve read, nonlinear can be a difficult framework for some but she does it well. I started this on a plane and finished it on a cruise, snagging moments here and there to read it...wanting to find out what happened, and, curiously for me, to learn more about this world. I found myself “whoa”-ing and “whew”-ing mentally more than once for the main character. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, when I read fiction I don’t like to synopsize plots out of respect for the authors’ work - even if I didn’t like it...which is not the case here!)

The ending seemed abrupt to me and slightly unsatisfying ... by intent, it would seem. But...if there is a sequel, I do believe I want to read it. And if there is a sequel, I feel sorry for those who read this when it was published in 2014...they’ve had a lot longer to wait than me!

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

I have only discovered Seanan McGuire in the last year, but boy howdy has she quickly become one of my favorites. I am not usually into ghost stories because, well, they freak me out. But this sounded so interesting, I couldn't help myself.

The notes at the end mention that this book was originally a series of short stories and then turned into the novel it is now. Which makes the book make a little more sense in my head. Instead of a linear narrative, it moves around in history through Rose's time as a ghost, and tells what seem to be unrelated stories (but which connect, somehow, in the end). Rose is an interesting character. She died at age 16, and has never aged, but when I read her voice she sounds much older. Much harder. Of course, she would have to be to survive as a road ghost, a hitcher.

Rose's path is fascinating, not only to see how she will help those she's sent to help, but also how she may fail them. Even for a ghost there are still dangers, and if she doesn't want to be wiped away, she needs to abide by the rules and keep an eye out for Bobby Cross. And there are a lot of rules, which show up at different points. The narrative takes the form almost as a field guide to being a hitcher, which kept me reading even when it got a little creepy. I liked some of the vignettes more than others, but the one that really got to me was at the end, with Gary.

Knowing that this is book 1 of 2, I can forgive the ending not being a complete wrap-up. There are loose ends left, which I was hoping meant there would be a sequel. I wasn't quite ready to put Rose down, even though the book was very packed and dense. I'm looking forward to reading The Girl in the Green Silk Gown when it's released later this year.

Highly recommended to fantasy and ghost fanatics alike. I loved Rose and her story, and can't wait to dive deeper into her "life" as a ghost.

Remember the old ghost story about the dead girl who hitchhikes her way back home and disappears from the front seat of the car? Turns out she died in Buckley Township in Michigan in 1932. Her name is Rose and her job is to help the living avoid accidents on the road that will kill them. She takes her travelers on the ghostroads to bypass deadly encounters. This was an entertaining batch of ghost stories told from Rose's point of view as she tries to avoid Bobby Cross, the demon who killed her.

I have had a copy of Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire on my Kindle since 2016. When it got a new cover, I decided it was time to begin and I am delighted that I did. These ghostly shorts were enthralling and filled with urban legends.  Travel along with Rose, the ghost girl of the highway, who helps the living as she tries to outrun a man who never sleeps and wants to claim her as his own.

This was a real slog for me and I didn't realize why until I got to the end. These stories were originally separate short stories about the same character and were stitched together into a novel, and I felt that. The book felt repetitive. I liked the idea of playing with urban legends and road ghosts but the world didn't coalesce for me and I ultimately didn't find Rose to be that interesting.

Sparrow Hill Road follows the adventures of a hitchhiker ghost. Rose died on her prom night and stories about the ghost of girl in a green dress looking for a ride home are based on her. But most of the stories are not true and for the most part Rose tries to save those drivers she can or at least be there to lead their ghosts onto the next world. But Rose also is trying to keep one step ahead of the driver that ran her off the road that night and tried to steal her soul. I have to say that there were a few sections of this book that I got teary eyed at and it made me love it all the more.
This book is set in the same world as McGuire’s InCryptid but you don’t need to have read any of the books to get the full enjoyment out of this one. There is a second book coming out this summer and Rose does appear in one other book.

An enjoyable collection of ghost stories featuring a 16 year old Rose Marshall who dies when Bobby runs her off the road. Although she's dead she keeps appearing to unsuspecting strangers. Scary fun.

Sparrow Hill Road is the first installment in author Seanan McGuire's Ghost Road series. Sparrow Hill Road takes place in the same universe as the authors InCryptid books. It is actually a collection of short novellas which take place anywhere from 1952 to 2014. Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan
run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross. A man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea.

It's been more than 60 years since that night, and Rose is still 16, and she's still hitchhiking the Ghost Roads. There are stories about Rose. They call her The Girl in the Diner, The Phantom Prom Date, and The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Rose is what's called a hitchhiking ghost. She has her thumb out and fixed on the horizon looking to outrace and keep away from the man who hasn't forgotten about the one who got away from him.

She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her. You can’t kill what’s already dead. Rose is smart, sarcastic and brings a whole new perspective on the eerie urban legends that follow America’s roadside mythology. Rose can become alive again if someone offers her a piece of clothing to wear. At least for a short time.

One of the more curious aspects of this series, is that both Rose and Mary Dunlavy, another ghost who died in Buckley Township, Michigan and shows up in this series of novellas, is that both have familial relationships with the Price family. The are, in fact, recurring characters in the InCryptid series. There are curious stops along the way like The Last Dance Diner where best friend and bean sidhe Emma hangs out offering what assistance she can to Rose since she no longer has a family to watch over.

McGuire is also the author of the October "Toby" Day series and can often be found at the top of my must read authors list for the past 10 years. Her writing is amazing, her characters stand out in their own ways, and you can help but marvel at the world that she creates. This is a world where there are hitchers, cross road ghosts, route witches, banshees, psychopomps and more. If you are a fan of the author, you will definitely want to add this to your collection.

Sparrow Hill Road is the first book I've read by Seanan McGuire and I liked it. The story is original for an urban fantasy and I really appreciated that about the book. The combination of ghost story and urban fantasy was what really made me want to read this book in the first place and the book really delivered in that aspect. Rose was pretty likable as the main character and I also really liked some of the supporting characters.

The book had a couple of weaknesses for me, one being the format. It's written as a bunch of different stories instead of one continuous story with some connecting threads running through the whole book. It is Rose's story after all, so she is relating different things that have happened since she died, with a small part being dedicated to what her life was like before she died, and also how she died. I wasn't too crazy about the way it jumped around from one time to another, sometimes in the middle of one of the stories. It wasn't a complete turn off, but it isn't one of my favorite types of storytelling.

There was also the whole bit about Rose paying her way sometimes with sex. This was the one thing in the book that bothered me the most. Because Rose died on the road in a car accident, that resulted in her becoming a road ghost who hitchhikes her way across the country. If she can convince the driver to loan her his jacket or coat (any type of outwear will do) she can borrow a bit of that persons mortality for a little while. This results in her being able to actually have a mortal body for a short time period. Sometimes Rose would hitch a ride and the driver would expect something in return and she would trade sex for the ride. That's just too close to prostitution for my liking. However it was only mentioned a couple of times in the book and no details were given.

The ghost world in this book feels a lot like a purgatory. Rose can't see past it because she is stuck there and it is her reality. She knows a lot of ghosts end up traveling the ghost road, sometimes with her help, onto another place, but she doubts that it is any better than where she is. She has lost any faith that there is a better place, or that there is a God, although she does pray to the God she doubts exists several times in the book. I enjoyed this aspect of the book and under the circumstances, could understand why Rose felt the way she did, even though at this point, I think there is a lot she doesn't know or understand.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for giving me a copy of this book to review.

This was not what I expected after reading the books sysnopsis. I thought it was going to be a single story telling when in reality it was a collaboration of short stories and novella length stories all focusing on the legends surrounding Rose Marshall, a ghost, and her battle against the man, now ghost, Bobby Cross that killed her and set the path for her ride the ghost roads for eternity.

That being said, Seanan McGuire pens magical tales that catapults the reader into a world of myths and legends. This is not a HEA type of read, with a heavy dose of dark urban fantasy...its a ghost story what else could you expect.

I received this copy of Sparrow Hill Road from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by Seanan McGuire
Series: Ghost Stories
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: DAW (2014)
ISBN-10: 0756409616
ISBN-13: 978-0756409616
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Ghost Stories

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Sparrow Hill Road is a ghost story that reads like a folk song. The book is made of small snippets of story, between refrains about Rose, the ghost of Sparrow Hill Road, a hitcher who travels from one end of America to the other.

Rose is ghost who takes on living flesh when someone gives her a coat. She makes her way hitching with truckers, eating in roadside diners and truck stops (but can only taste what someone living freely gives her). Rose is also a psychopomp, someone who guides the souls of newly dead to their afterlife.

Several of the stories have multiple parts which connect and disconnect from the flow. The author used headings to anchor us in time and place and introduced each scene change so the narrative flow was not confusing.

Overarching all of these vignettes we see Rose desperately trying to stay ahead of Bobby Cross, the man who sold other people’s soul to the cross roads to obtain immortality. Bobby believes he owns Rose’s soul because he ran her off the road and killed her. Rose escaped him then and now. (It’s ridiculous of course to think that someone could obtain a lien on another’s unwilling soul.)

The ghost stories are OK and a few are better than OK. When Rose acts heroically she is interesting and the stories feel whole, complete. Otherwise she is tiresome and the constant repetition about the twilight roads is annoying. Only one character is aware of the spiritual life or death implicit in the ghosts’ actions and Rose herself neither knows nor cares about heaven and hell.

I didn’t care for the repetition refrain in between each story and wasn’t crazy about most of the characters. Sparrow Hill Road is more of a series of short stories and novellas than a true novel and we do not get a resolution for Bobby Cross. He is delayed once again but not stopped. Rose herself rejects travelling to the end of the road, to go to the next place whether heaven or hell and prefers her hitching present.

I would have preferred a story structured more like a novel and not a folk song turned into a semi-novel. A novel requires a heroine with more gravitas than Rose who is lightweight, with not enough going on to carry a full novel. She is suited to a folk song. As a story this is flat.

Favorite Quote: “Persephone’s blessing says hands off to creepy boys who bargain with the crossroads and want to hurt me.”

Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, MI. On her way to look for her boyfriend after he stood her up for the prom, she is chased to her death on the infamous Sparrow Hill Road. A psychopomp of sorts but referred to a hitcher, Rose haunts the local truck stops and diners, always the last face seen before death claims another traveler while staying one step ahead of her killer. Hellbent on winning her freedom from a man who bargained with the crossroads, Rose will do whatever it takes to destroy him. After all, she has all the time in the world.

Anyone who has grown up in the midwest has heard of the Phantom Prom Date Ghost or the Girl in the Silk Green Dress. An Urban legend that despite its many names and appearances, all centers around a sixteen-year-old girl who died on her way to the prom and often appears to those driving down a long winding road, looking for a ride home. McGuire expands upon this legend, gracing readers with a humorous and bittersweet piece of Americana folklore as she tells us the story of the spirit known as the Girl in the Diner, the Lady in Green, The Phantom Prom Date, the Shadow of Sparrow Hill Road, and her journey through death as she plays guide for the dead while plotting revenge against the man who killed her.

“Let’s go kick some dead guy arse.”

McGuire’s already active imagination goes into hyperspeed as she builds a whole nother world that exists between twilight and daybreak. Set in her Incrypid world, McGuire draws upon different legends and mythology to add flavor and depth to Rose’s story. Originally presented in serial form (2010), McGuire restructures theses stories, shuffling them into four parts, with each part focusing on on an individual moment in Rose’s life. Though they are all set loosely in order, they read a little abrupt with some repetition until they find their rhythm. Using a conversational style of narrative, McGuire flashes between the past and the present as she slowly prepares Rose for what’s to come.

Rose is an entertaining conversationalist. Lively and opinionated with a very dry wit, she had me laughing throughout the book.

“I have never wanted to punch a highway in the face as badly as I do right now.”

Though perpetually sixteen, Rose is no juvenile anymore having been dead for over fifty years. Surprisingly not bitter over what happened to her, she took her death in stride and now looks forward to the little things that soften the unbendable rules she is forced to adhere too. Cheeseburgers…milkshakes… a nice warm coat. She has plenty of friends among the living and dead, each one a viable force to be reckoned with. Rose’s home away from home is the Last Chance Diner, owned and operated by her bestie, a bean sidhe named Emma. Emma knows how the rules work with Rose and helps when she can, but she doesn’t coddle Rose and often tells it like it is.

“I’m not the only hitcher in this state.”

“Is that so? And what state are we in then, Rosie-my-dear? Denial? Transition? Oh, could be in the state of grace? I’m really quite fond of that one, grace.”

Other personable entities drift in and out of Rose’s life as she travels the ghostroads towards her destiny. A destiny that harkens back to her murder and a love that never died.

Sparrow Hill Road is a unique ghost story filled with both light and dark moments that offers readers something different in this genre. McGuire leaves us with more than one unanswered question and I am looking forward to revisiting this world and spending more time with Rose, Gary, and the other residents of this world. Book two

Grade: B

This was amazing! I have read other novels by this author writing as Mira Grant, but this was my first Seanan McGuire. I don't usually read ghost stories (actually, I NEVER read ghost stories), but the description of this sounded so good that I had to read it. It was just scary enough to give me chills, but not scary enough to give me nightmares. I loved it!

4.5 Stars

I first read this story as a serial on the Edge of Propinquity website. Rose's story has slowly merged into the InCryptid series (particularly the Antimony Price books) but her story works as a standalone, and really you'd have to have read Rose's story to fully appreciate her integration into the Incryptid world.

This was my second reading of the original release of the book and this time around I find I enjoy the book even more! I'll be eager to see if anything has changed in the rerelease of the first book (beyond the gorgeous Unicorn Empire cover!) this summer, and where the story goes in book 2, The Girl in the Green Silk Gown.

If you ever told ghost stories around a campfire, you've heard some variation of this one. That combined with the intriguing blurb for this caught my attention. I expected something a bit creepy and possibly some action. I didn't find much of either, but that's on me and my own assumptions. On the whole, the book is well written and the author is certainly talented, but I found myself struggling to get through the book. What started as a seemingly great premise ended up being what was more like a series of not so scary ghost stories told from the ghosts point of view. We do have the underlying plot line of this man that is forever hunting Rose, but he's only mentioned here and there through a tangle of seemingly disjointed tales with little in common other than Rose. Some of these stories were interesting, some not so much, which led to a lengthy, drawn out read. I did keep at it to see where things would go and that underlying plot did finally bear some fruit, but it was a rather disappointing conclusion. There were also several unfamiliar words used throughout the book - some easier to figure out than others - and I was surprised to find a glossary of sorts to explain those words. Sadly, it was at the end of the book. Since I don't read the back of the book first, I wasn't aware of this, but it would've been nice to know as I was actually reading the story. So, while the idea was terrific, the end result was just okay for me and certainly wasn't enough for me to read further into the series.

Rose Marshall was on her way to prom when her car was plowed off the side of the road. Rose didn’t survive the crash and now, nearly 60 years later, her ghost is legend among travelers. She’s known as “The Girl in the Diner”, “The Phantom Prom Date”, and “The Girl in the Green Silk Gown” to name a few. Really, she’s just Rose; a girl whose life was taken all too soon.

Rose would love to move on, but there’s still the matter of Bobby Cross to contend with, the one responsible for Rose’s death all those years ago. Selling his soul in order to gain immortality, he pays for it by taking the souls of others. Rose is the one that got away; Bobby is the one that killed her. These two are on a collision course with one another and Rose is ready to stop running and fight back. If not for herself, then for everyone else who’s in danger of losing their soul to Bobby Cross.

I knew I would like Sparrow Hill Road because I’ve enjoyed Seanan McGuire’s other work, but I didn’t realize how much I would love this collection of Rose’s stories. McGuire’s version of the afterlife was at times both beautiful and bittersweet, full of its fair share of dark spots as well. Seanan McGuire took the urban legends surrounding some of the most well-known ghost stories and gave them a name and face. She made it personable, and made me care.

I felt so sad for Rose at times. In many of the stories we are reminded of the awful way she left this life to go on to the next as a “hitcher.” At times she can come across as cynical and maybe a touch mean, but when it comes down to it, Rose just misses her life and regrets what she missed out on.

In the end she really does right by the travelers she hitches rides with. She helps those that she can avoid accidents, but for the less fortunate she acts as a psychopomp pointing them in the right direction to go afterwards. She’s been witness to many deaths, she taken those she loved and grew up with in her hometown to the beyond, and only rarely are those times anyone’s “time to go.” I would think that would make even the happiest person a little cynical. Regardless, she’s an honorable ghost, and if she counts you as a friend, there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for you.

The threat between Bobby Cross and Rose was not something presented right away. Instead McGuire slowly introduced us to Rose’s story and wove Bobby in along the way. Even though there was a lot of emphasis placed on Bobby Cross being the foil to Rose’s hero, it’s definitely not all the book is about. Bobby is part of a much larger picture since he’s the reason for Rose being where she is, but Sparrow Hill Road is first and foremost Rose’s story. No one can overshadow that fact, and this introduction into Rose’s past and present adventure on the Ghost Roads is one that I’m looking forward to continuing.

I really couldn't figure out what star rating to give this book.
On one hand, it really a well told ghost story with a nicely built ghost world. The main character isn't stupid and can be kind in a grumpy way. It made me feel the open road and a desire for hot french fries. It was best to think of the book as a collection of short stories of this ghost girl.
On the other hand, it just ends before I ready to stop reading.
So I will give it a five because it shouldn't lose a star for ending.

Clever connecting series of ghost stories that combine into one overlapping arc. I got a little bored after awhile--it was maybe a bit too long a stretch of road. But it was a clever story. I will say that the Christine-esque ending was maybe a bit over the top.

Told from the point of view of the "Phantom Prom Date" readers are given a tour of the layers of the afterlife with the same dark humor with which the Price family introduced us to cryptids (but, so far, no Aeslin Cult mice).

In 1952, when her prom date didn't show up, Rose Marshall decided to drive herself to the prom but died in a fiery crash en route. Since then she has become the source of numerous stories about hitchhiking young women who disappear at dawn, or after being dropped off at home, or after an accident kills a driver. She has become a psychopomp, helping the dead reach their intended destination, but she also tries to save the ones she knows have a chance.

Originally written as a set of short stories, there is still much of this feel to the story, especially in the first book. Each story gives additional depth and details to Rose's character, but it does take some time for what is supposedly the "main plot point" (stopping the man who killed Rose all those years ago) to come to the forefront. Even after Rose makes her decision to go after her killer, other stories intercede. This may put off readers looking for a driving plot, but for those just interested in being along for the ride while a ghost tells stories of her afterlife this is a fun ride.