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Sparrow Hill Road
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Sparrow Hill Road (Ghost Stories #1) by Seanan McGuire; Start Date May 10th
I'm going to try to join in on this one since it's the first in the series.
Oh I think I'll read this one too. Sounds interesting!!
I hadn't heard of this series. It sounds really good so I'm going to try to join you.
Me too! Me too!*shakes head*
My May reading plan is getting out of control!
Sonia wrote: "Me too! Me too!*shakes head*
My May reading plan is getting out of control!"
That is pretty much my always reading plan. lol
May is a crazy month for reading - I have four books releasing on May 6th alone - that doesn't even include the rest of the month.
Sonia wrote: "Me too! Me too!*shakes head*
My May reading plan is getting out of control!"
I know, right?
Lisarenee wrote: "Sonia wrote: "Me too! Me too!*shakes head*
My May reading plan is getting out of control!"
I know, right?"
Yep.
But, I was able to read 14 books so far this month... which is a great improvement from the usual 5 or 6, so... let's wait and see :)
Sonia, I thought you might need a little something extra so I asked the following female wizard to cast a reading spell on you. We'll see how it worked at the end of the month. *grin*:
Awwwww, thanks Lisarenee! I feel all magical now.I'll let you know how it goes!
Thoughts on Prologue - 1973Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
"This leads us to the story of the Phantom Prom Date. Her story is considered an example of the Hitchhiking Ghost sub-type..." - Also known as a woman in white or La Lorena among other names.
"I traded the coat for a backseat quickie..." - With another ghost or can Rose interact with the physical world.
"...like the routewitches and the ambulomancers know me..." - Other types of supernaturals and ghosts?
"I'm just here to make sure you find the right roads. I'm only here to get you home." - It appears that Rose spends her afterlife escorting accident victims to their respective spiritual destinations. It's a nice twist that Rose (the spirit) is the one escorting others "home" as opposed to the ghost wanting the driver to take her home.
Sara wrote: "Thoughts on Prologue - 1973Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
"This leads us to the story of the Phantom Prom Date. Her story is considered an example of the Hitchhiking Ghost sub-type..." - Also known ..."
I felt like the first story was filled with melancholy. Rose didn't really want to do what she did, but she knew she needed to. I did really like that Rose explained things to Larry and really tried to make him understand.
One a side note, I liked that Rose was able to talk with the truck. I felt sorry for the truck, what a horrible thing to know, it also makes me wonder if the truck could feel "hurt" in the crash. I would have liked to see that.
******** Spoilers1956 - Three rescues and a funeral
I thought this one was sweet. It took me a bit to realize that it was the same girl, but liked that Amy was saved. I really liked that Emma was there to explain her place in Amy's family. I especially like that Rose and Emma were there for Amy at the end, to give her some reassurance.
******** Spoilers1998 Hitchers and Homers
This was an interesting one, as it seemed to give more info on the world that Rose lives in. I hated the description that Rose gave of Homers and was glad that Rose was able to get through to Mackenzie and give her a different choice.
*********** Spoilers 2010 Bullets and Bad Coffee
This one confused me a bit. I don't get how a dead person could kill people. It made me feel sorry for him, that he didn't get what was going on. Once again I was glad that Rose was there to take care of things.
About to start this one. Is it short stories or something? No chapter I'm guessing?
*********** Spoilers 2012 True Love Dies More Than Once
For some reason I it took this story to make me realize how connected all the characters in Rose's twilight world are. I remember Tommy popping up in some of the past stories, but didn't think much of it.
With Tommy's story, the person that I felt the worst for was Laura. I felt bad that she couldn't or wouldn't let herself get past what happened in her past. It took Tommy's harsh words to get through to her. It makes me wonder what her life will be like now.
Lisarenee wrote: "About to start this one. Is it short stories or something? No chapter I'm guessing?"It seems like it is all short stories with the connecting thread of Rose, the ghost, and her role in. It is different, I like them, but have it my limit of reading them for right now. I'm switching to something else for now.
You'd think they'd mention that somewhere.
Lisarenee wrote: "You'd think they'd mention that somewhere."I did like that with the start of the book it is very loosely set in the same world of the Incryptid books.
********** Spoilers 2013 That Pretty Little Girl in the Green Dress
Finally we get Rose's story, what really happened. This one makes me really sad for both Rose and Gary. I wish that Rose would have waited or Gary wouldn't have gotten the flat.
The one saving grace is my hope that the "cheerleaders" get Bobby Cross.
********** Spoilers 2013 Ocean Lady
I don't like that with this one Rose is going after Bobby Cross. I worry that what the Ocean Lady told Rose is too easy and that things could get worse for her. I also worry that the favor will end up being a bigger deal that it seems.
********* Spoilers2013 Devil in the Wind
After all the build up with Bobby Cross, I feel like this one was so anti-climatic and not really worth all the build up.
********* Spoilers 2014 Prom Night Sweethearts
I really liked how this one started, loved that Rose found family. It didn't take too long before I realized that with family like Bethany, who needs enemies. I also think that Rose made the right choice at the end. People do need to live with the consequences of their choices.
********** Spoilers2014 Do You Believe in Ghosts?
I found this one to be funny. I loved how Rose went along with things, then had to save them. I also loved that Rose revealed herself to them after. I bet that car ride home was an interesting one.
*********** Spoilers 2014 The Killing of Route 14
I like Mary, like that she wants to be friends with Rose and that she came clear with her role in what happened to Rose. I hope that Mary can come through with what she wants to help Rose with.
*********** Spoilers 2015 Crossroads Bargains
I find it interesting that Bethany showed back up, like a bad penny. I can't believe that she had the balls to go to someone to ask for Rose's help. I'm glad that she didn't get what she wanted. I can't see Bethany being the judge of all that is fair, she is more likely to screw people over.
*********** Spoilers 2015 True Love Never Dies
Ahhh, this one is my favorite, mostly because it wasn't as sad as so many of them. I was really glad that we got to learn what happened to Gary, even better was that Gary still loved Rose and left her an awesome gift!
********** Spoilers 2015 Thunder Road
The big show down with this one. I'm very surprised that Bethany showed up and even more that she was on Rose's side.
I loved that Rose and Gary were together and that they fought as a team and that they came out ahead.
Thoughts on 1956 - WisconsinWarning, Spoilers Ahead...
"She'd probably be a road ghost, maybe a hitcher like me, maybe a homecomer, or even a little white lady, so sweet, so cold, so deadly." The little white lady is a reference to a woman in white but I wonder what a homecomer is?
"...a readheaded woman is watching me from the shadows of the weathered brick building. And she's smiling." - Is the woman another ghost?
"A lot of carnie-folk are route witches, or know one. A few of them are even ambulomancers." - I wish we would receive more details on this - what do their abilities entail? To never get lost and always be able to find the scene of an accident?
The carnie man was very sweet. Who is this mysterious redhead?
"The only difference between a truly old hitcher and a really young homecomer is sometimes intent: faded hitchers kill the same way homecomers do." - So the homecomers would be the ghosts who want you to "take me home"?
Is Amy a medium or does near-death incidents keep happening around her because you "can't cheat death"?
Bobby Cross is very scary and ..."Bobby only takes the chaste girls, the ones who've never been caught." - There's a unique and powerful argument for losing your virginity! I wonder how many females in ancient cultures that practiced virgin sacrifice had the same thought when it came to their choices: "dishonored" and alive or virgin and dead.
"There's a slight strangeness in her accent, like another country that's been worn away to almost nothing. A ghost of a beginning." - I'm really enjoying the different classifications of ghosts.
The mysterious redhead is Emma who is a banshee and was referenced in the first chapter.
Amy didn't get to cheat death a fourth time but it's comforting to think you'll have loved ones waiting for you to escort you into the afterlife.
Sara wrote: "Thoughts on 1956 - WisconsinWarning, Spoilers Ahead...
"She'd probably be a road ghost, maybe a hitcher like me, maybe a homecomer, or even a little white lady, so sweet, so cold, so deadly." T..."
A lot of the things you question sort of get explained later. I thought it took a few stories to get in the rhythm of the book and that knowing what you do after you are done reading, the second time reading the book you would catch more things.
Sara wrote: "Thoughts on 1956 - WisconsinWarning, Spoilers Ahead...
Bobby Cross is very scary and ..."Bobby only takes the chaste girls, the ones who've never been caught." - There's a unique and powerful argument for losing your virginity! I wonder how many females in ancient cultures that practiced virgin sacrifice had the same thought when it came to their choices: "dishonored" and alive or virgin and dead."
This made me laugh, because of the choice. I know which one I would pick.
****** Spoilers/Thoughts for Prologue - 1973 *********I'm going to take this a story a day because I have always had trouble keeping my attention focused on anthologies with multiple short stories and this is fairly similar.
Love the creepiness of the whole story.
Sara asked, "With another ghost or can Rose interact with the physical world."
It sounded like when she has to escort the soon to be dead, she can be as alive as you or me. Makes me think she had sex with another person who was alive. Interesting she can't eat the food unless its offered does that mean she couldn't have gotten the coat unless it was offered too?
Sara said, "It appears that Rose spends her afterlife escorting accident victims to their respective spiritual destinations. It's a nice twist that Rose (the spirit) is the one escorting others "home" as opposed to the ghost wanting the driver to take her home."
I thought it interesting that she tries to save some from their fate and if she sees the right aura(?) then there is the potential their fate is not sealed.
Still want to know why she can't find her way to her final resting spot. I wonder if we'll learn more later or the story was meant to make us wonder?
Routewitches and the ambulomancers? I'm not sure what these are. She says a person can get lost. Is that what happened to her?
Lisarenee wrote: "****** Spoilers/Thoughts for Prologue - 1973 *********Routewitches and the ambulomancers? I'm not sure what these are. She says a person can get lost. Is that what happened to her?"
At the end of the book there is a glossary with the definition of what all the terms are.
Darcy wrote: "Lisarenee wrote: "****** Spoilers/Thoughts for Prologue - 1973 *********Routewitches and the ambulomancers? I'm not sure what these are. She says a person can get lost. Is that what happened to h..."
Thanks.
Lisarenee wrote: "Darcy wrote: "Lisarenee wrote: "****** Spoilers/Thoughts for Prologue - 1973 *********Routewitches and the ambulomancers? I'm not sure what these are. She says a person can get lost. Is that what..."
No problem. I do wish that when authors have these glossary's they would put them in the front of the book instead of the back.
Darcy wrote: "Lisarenee wrote: "Darcy wrote: "Lisarenee wrote: "****** Spoilers/Thoughts for Prologue - 1973 *********Routewitches and the ambulomancers? I'm not sure what these are. She says a person can get ..."
My new pet peeve for eBooks. Put Maps, indexes, glossaries, etc at the front. :)
Darcy wrote: "This made me laugh, because of the choice. I know which one I would pick."Me too! Alive and dishonored for the win!
Thoughts on 1998 - Hitchers and Homecomers - Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
"...a gather-grim..." - Another name for a reaper?
"...and as a homecomer, she can borrow flesh and bone from the living..." - Spiritual possession?
Poor Mackenzie! At least Rose prevented her from becoming homicidal.
Thoughts on Book Two - Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
Dimitri was sad yet dangerous.
Laura is a scary stalker. Good thing Tommy arrived for the rescue.
Rose and Gary's story was so sad. I didn't see the cheerleader/valkryie twist coming.
Watch out Bobby Cross - Rose is coming for you!
Thoughts on Book 3 - End - Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
Rose and Gary's love story is one of the more unique and touching in urban fantasy. Someone needs to teach Dean Winchester the car spell so he can take his beloved Impala into the afterlife with him. Gary's speech via songs reminded me of Bumblebee from the Transformers. I laughed when Gary played "Back In Black" because any Supernatural fan knows that's the Impala's theme song.
I'm a bit disappointed that Bobby Cross didn't get what was coming to him - maybe the author is saving that for a future story?
I'd rate the book 3 and a 1/2 stars. It was intriguing and the information on the ghosts appealed to the geek in me but the book didn't have a "I must keep reading" vibe.
I did like the Price guide at the end - it was a nice way to tie the book into the Incryptid universe.
Sara wrote: "Thoughts on Book 3 - End - Warning, Spoilers Ahead...
I'm a bit disappointed that Bobby Cross didn't get what was coming to him"
I wanted that too!
**** Thoughts on 1956 Wisconsin - end of Wisconsin *****Interesting that we get some information about the diner mentioned in the first story. Also, I don't recall Bobby Cross being mentioned in the first story, so its interesting to see how things are related in Rose's after life. Is she meant to take down Bobby Cross?
A sidhe bean? Interesting twist. So now Rose has a friend to feed her.
The coat thing is kind of interesting. So she doesn't become seeable by others until given a coat or is it a clothing item in general. Also this seems a little different then the food needing to be offered. She can make deals to get the coats.
So it sounds like all these stories are connected. Knowing that, I may be able to get into this one a little better now.
Still chugging through, but I can't sit and read these for long periods of time.****** Thoughts on 1998 - Hitchers and Homecomers ******
Poltergeist, yikes.
I wish there was a reason or rhyme to which ghost you become.
Interesting in all that wreckage she only found one ghost.
I had to make myself sit down and finish the reading. The book is very well-written but it's similar to an anthology - you don't have the feeling that you have to continue - instead it's a "I'll get around to it eventually" feeling.
I found that the darker nature of the stories made it harder to read a lot at once.
This topic is open for discussion of Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire. Be Prepared for SPOILERS.
Sparrow Hill Road is the first volume in the story of Rose Marshall, who was the first victim of the man called Bobby Cross, although she was far from the last — and unlike most of them, she did not go easy into that good night. Sixty years down the line, she's still kicking ass, taking names, and more than a little bit pissed off about the way that she died.
You want a good little ghost who'll stay where she's put and only haunt the people who deserve it? Go to a sleepover. You want the real story of the American ghostroads? Come and have a word with Rose.