Loved this!

I love the ending! No spoilers but Rose is exactly the type of badass female protagonist I love in a story even though she didn’t start out that way!!! ( )

I love this author's work but I did not love this book as much as I wanted to. It got really repetitive- I know this girl is dead, there is no need to tell me over and over. Also, I get cranky about writers who insert preachy sections about their opinions on currant issues. Even if I happen to agree about gun control or homosexuality etc I do not appreciate it being inserted into my escapist literature.
There are a couple of brilliant parts of this story that raise it a level. I particularly enjoyed the ghost of petroleum emerging from the ghost gas station. The writing quality is uneven and parts of the book were downright irritating which is why it only gets 2 stars from me.

library audiobook read 4/13/2023 ( )

This book has Rose dealing with the death of the crossroads. Readers do not need to have read any of the Incryptid series, but it does flesh out how the death happened in That Ain’t Witchcraft. Rose is still being chased by Bobby and now that the crossroads is gone, she is going take care of him once and for all. She doesn’t want to do it since she isn’t sure how it will work but with the protection of Persephone and the fate of her great niece in the balance, she will do what it takes to get rid of him. The book does finish Rose’s story arc but of course leaves the door open for more of her either with her own books or appearing in more of the Incryptid books.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss
( )

I have very mixed feelings about this series -- on the one hand, it's Price-adjacent, and I love everything about that. Maguire's world of the dead is remarkable -- a fascinating place that truly weaves many traditions together into a whole, and Rose is such a good character. I've been rooting for her from day 1, and I love where the Road takes her in this book. Very hard not to spoil -- it's super good!

On the other hand, I've always found the Ghost Roads series to be more repetitive, slower paced, less focused than some of Maguire's other series, and this book is no exception. I guess it makes sense that a ghost who is fixated on her murder and spending a lot of time in a purgatorial state would have that sort of narrative, but after a while I just wanted the plot to progress. When it does, boy does it, but be prepared for the road to be a long one as Rose makes up her mind.

I absolutely love the gradual unfolding of the repercussions from the ending of the Crossroads and I feel like this book is either the ending of Rose's story or the start of a whole new chapter. Really looking forward to where this goes next.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

A great story with the always-awesome protagonist Rose Marshall, the ghost. I loved how this tied into recent events in the InCryptid series. The ending was great and I'm intrigued by what might be next for Rose. ( )