Absolutely stunning!!!
Beautifully written.
Beautiful representation.
Beautiful cover art.

A work of art! Truly.

I absolutely love that this book exists for readers - young and old.

THIS POETRY WAS SO GORGEOUS

like it was just so heartachingly beautiful and I can't believe I didn't read this sooner


the story was so real and intriguing and I fell in love with the characters and world and plot.

wow

I wasn't a big fan of the story for this one. I enjoyed the way it was written, but the plot wasn't for me. I didn't end up finishing it.

(Mild spoilers ahead) Written in simple but lovely verse, R.M. Romero's The Ghosts of Rose Hill has the distinction of being a truly unique story, which is especially praiseworthy considering how many writers have tried to tackle the topic at hand. The daughter of a Jewish-Cuban mother and a Czech father, Ilana carries the weight of her parents' expectations on her shoulders, along with their memories of life under communism. Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague for the summer, Ilana finds herself drawn to a local Jewish cemetery where she meets Benjamin, a teenage ghost who died a century earlier and now lives in a black house with a group of ghost children and an eccentric living man, Wasserman.

The premise may sound quirky, but the story quickly turns dark as the truth about Wasserman is unveiled, bit by bit. He is a river demon who has attained immortality by draining deceased children's ghosts of their memories. Jewish children, specifically, and although it is never revealed why Wasserman pursues them, the metaphor is clear: antisemitism has haunted Jews for Millenia, especially in Europe, and in its darkest hour, it has come within an inch of wiping out all Jewish culture and memory. Without ever preaching or breaking the fourth wall, Romero is able to illuminate the toll that antisemitism, communism, and authoritarianism has taken on the millions of people who lived through it. (In a roundabout way, she also celebrates the Americas, and the refuge Ilana's Jewish ancestors found here, first in Cuba, and then in the USA). In a surprise twist, Ilana is able to defeat Wasserman but not eliminate him, hinting that much like the generations that came before her, Ilana and her descendants may also have to grapple with the looming threat of prejudice and persecution. But Ilana accepts this, taking strength in all those who came before her and yet survived.

Interwoven with mythology, fairytales, and history, The Ghosts of Rose Hill spins an unforgettable tale of love, grief, and perseverance. I look forward to seeing what else R.M. Romero has in store.

Another hit from R.M. Romero. After reading The Dollmaker of Krakow, I just hit request on Netgalley as soon as I saw her name without questioning what this was about. I was not disappointed.

She has a way of giving me exactly what I want in a middle grade - some WWII history, some magic, some evil force to rise against. In this one, it's a punch in the gut to think about kids who died and were forgotten so they're looking for any piece of affection they can find. It made me think about the forgotten children from wars and I think that was exactly the point.

As for the plot itself, girl human and boy ghost fall in love. It's pretty much giving me what I needed from Christina Ricci and Devon Sawa in Casper. Thanks for that.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one even if it felt a bit short and I'll definitely pick up this author again without reading the blurb.

A book written in verse with magical realism. A book of poetry about the paranormal. This is something entirely new to me and I'm excited to read it!

Ilana is exiled to Prague to spend the summer with her aunt. Her parents want her to learn responsibility and to be sensible, while she feels like she has the heart of an artist. Aunt Zofie lives on Rose Hill, in Rose Cottage, and paints the magic of Prague up there. Her parents hope that if she sees what the life of an artist looks like, she will give up on her dream.

Instead, Ilana finds a cemetery in the wooded area and wants to restore it. There she sees a ghost boy and she wants to know him, his name and who he was when he was alive. Why he is there...

This story is also rooted in Jewish culture, which I found interesting. And Ilana dreams of becoming a musician, a violinist.

"I am just a tangled mess of notes
that don't make up a song
and barely
make up a girl."

The talk of the wars and the lives lost is so important to remember. History so often repeats itself, we don't learn from our pasts, and the sad thing is that we never forget the losses from the wars.

The story of the vodnik that takes his energy/power from ghost kids is so strange, like Jewish folklore.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-ARC to read and review. The opinion above is my own.

@netgalley @rmromeroauthor

3.5 stars, rounded up

Written in prose, The Ghosts of Rose Hill was a quick and easy read that felt much like a dark fairytale. I did feel like some of the pacing was a bit off for me - the beginning was a little slow, the ending felt rushed, and the middle was a bit of a mixed bag. I loved the characters, but I wish we could have spent more time with Ilana cleaning the cemetery and learning even more about the history. I wish that there had been more of a build-up to the romance (but I suppose that falling hard and fast is age-appropriate), and I wish that the ending would have been at least twice as long and stretched out. There was a lot of build-up to get to that part, and then it was over before I really even got used to the new setting and change of scenery.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. The story is such a unique idea though and I think I just wanted more from it.

Normally the format that The Ghosts of Rose Hill is written doesn't work for me. However the author chooses words beautifully, painting pictures as wonderful as Ilana aunt does. Ilana wants to play music, but the life of a poor artists doesn't appeal to her parents. . Sending her far away to Prague to stay with her Aunt. Board and alone in a cemetery it seems kind of obvious ghosts would be her friends. Ghost boy Benjamin is still cute. Although Ilana doesn't know all about the ghost business. She knows the supernatural being Rudolph Wassermann, isn't a ghost. But it's all cool he let's Ilana play with his violin. All things come with a cost, however she doesn't know what she is paying with.

Overall for a nice quick read that is fairytale like. It's a nice story about looking at your heritage and generation trauma. Rudolph Wassermann gives off a piped piper kind of vibe. Or that shady dude you know that doesn't talk about himself. Ilana herself although a little naïve for my taste, the girl is from Florida and is talking to dead strangers. Like hm you haven't avoided a scam before? 3.5/5

Final thoughts.
Good book.
New mythos I haven't heard of.
Easy to read.

This was a very lovely story. I don't know if it would've read better in prose (I think the themes were poetic enough), or as a short story (which is something I kept thinking while reading), but I still think it's a solid piece of work. The main character, Ilana, felt very relatable to me at the beginning (Jewish girl around my age, lives in Miami, away from her friends over the summer), but over the course of the story she felt less and less like a teenage girl and more like a heroine archetype (not that heroines and teen girls are inherently mutually exclusive, but it felt that way here). In my opinion, this book definitely reads for younger audiences (like young even within the young adult genre), which isn't bad but it is a different context to put it in. I think young readers would find this a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you for letting me read this very interesting book. I enjoyed it thoroughly. And this book was very creative and clever, it is so mystical. Just loved every bit of it. I will soon be posting my longer version of the review on the blog to which I will soon add the link.

This book was interesting and the first-person narration was a great boost to the way the story was told. Some very beautiful lines were the highlights. Thank you again, It was a fun read. Expecting to read more from the author in the upcoming writing projects.

Check out the full review at the blog link which is second to that of Goodreads.

I don’t read verse style prose generally, but the summary of this book had me curious enough to give it a chance, and it did not disappoint me at all. The authors writing craft is absolutely beautiful and elevates the story being told, the protagonist is a biracial Jewish girl, living in Europe, specifically Prague. While exploring a cemetery, she comes across the century old ghost of a young boy and that’s where her journey around Prague begins. There are more supernatural elements to the story, beyond our ghostly gallant, a shadowy, but shadowless man has shown interest in the protagonist, and he brings the antagonist element to the story.
I haven’t travelled around the world at all, but touring Prague through the eyes of the author and character was wonderful. I am not sure if this would be classified as magical realism, but if this is it, then I should read more of that genre. The exploration of the protagonist’s racial identity, her family history of being refugees is dealt with very poignantly and sensitively, the prose is key in this aspect. The plot develops steadily throughout the book, but you would be happy to stay in the moment and taken in whatever is happening in the book, rather than moving forward. You might be left slightly melancholy by the end of the book, but you won’t feel like your energy has been dulled in any manner.
Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC and the chance to read such a unique book!

A beautiful story about Jewish heritage, the monsters of our life, and learning to forge your own path. The writing was beautiful and made me not want to put the book down.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an earc in exchange for an honest review.


This was so beautifully written from the perspective of a young girl. I have never read a story that was written in prose and i found this fascinating and immensely gorgeous.

Incredibly difficult to read with the poetry format. I’m not sure if this was the best medium for the story being told here.

The Ghost of Rose Hill is beautifully written. It is a lovely coming of age story. I very much enjoyed it.

when i read this, i felt a tinge of sadness reading all the verses. it was beautiful, heart-wrenching, and i love the description of prague and the jewish history. i especially can also feel the self-journey that ilana is taking, and throughout reading i cant help but rooting for her. this is such a lovely and hopeful book.

This was beautiful and hopeful, the kind of YA story that I am 100% here for. The poetry was a fascinating genre/format choice and I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of first love, danger, and sacrifice.

The verse aspect of the storytelling was rather unexpected and didn’t really land for me, but I sincerely enjoyed the blend of Jewish history, culture, and romance. As someone who grew up half-Jewish and also semi-estranged from my culture, I sympathized with Ilana’s journey of self-discovery. The magical realism aspects are expertly crafted, and blend seamlessly into the timeless natural magic of Prague.

This was very good! I loved the way it was written in verse, and Ilana was such a fun main character! I would definitely read more from R. M. Romero!