The Girl in the Green Silk Gown by Seanan McGuire

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown (Ghost Stories, #2) (Ghost Roads, #2)

by Seanan McGuire

The second book in the Ghost Roads series returns to the highways of America, where hitchhiking ghost Rose Marshall continues her battle with her killer--the immortal Bobby Cross.

Once and twice and thrice around,
Put your heart into the ground.
Four and five and six tears shed,
Give your love unto the dead.
Seven shadows on the wall,
Eight have come to watch your fall:
One’s for the gargoyle, one’s for the grave,
And the last is for the one you’ll never save.
 
For Rose Marshall, death has long since become the only life she really knows.  She’s been sweet sixteen for more than sixty years, hitchhiking her way along the highways and byways of America, sometimes seen as an avenging angel, sometimes seen as a killer in her own right, but always Rose, the Phantom Prom Date, the Girl in the Green Silk Gown.

The man who killed her is still out there, thanks to a crossroads bargain that won’t let him die, and he’s looking for the one who got away.  When Bobby Cross comes back into the picture, there’s going to be hell to pay—possibly literally.

Rose has worked for decades to make a place for herself in the twilight.  Can she defend it, when Bobby Cross comes to take her down?  Can she find a way to navigate the worlds of the living and the dead, and make it home before her hitchhiker’s luck runs out?
               
There’s only one way to know for sure.
 
Nine will let you count the cost:
All you had and all you lost.
Ten is more than time can tell,
Cut the cord and ring the bell.
Count eleven, twelve, and then,
Thirteen takes you home again.
One’s for the shadow, one’s for the tree,
And the last is for the blessing of Persephone.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

5 of 5 stars

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I received an advanced copy of The Girl in the Green Silk Gown through Penguin First to Read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Girl in the Green Silk Gown is the second book in the Ghost Roads series. Anybody that’s read the first novel (Sparrow Hill Road) will immediately recognize where that title came from. I wonder if all the books from this series will use a different name used to describe the ghost of Rose Marshall?
I only recently discovered this series, and I have to tell you that I’m totally hooked. So much so that I actually almost regret the fact that I got an advanced copy for it, because now I have that much longer to wait for the next book.
It’s been so long since I found a ghost series that I was able to sink my teeth into. The world is so complex and intricate, as are the ghost roads themselves, the rules each ghost abides by, and so much more. All this combined results in a wonderfully written and immersive series.
If you haven’t read or heard of this series, I strongly urge you to stop and give it a try. Also, definitely read them in order, you don’t want to miss anything. I promise.



You know you’ve found a fantastic book when three hundred odd pages of writing passes by in the blink of an eye, leaving you feeling like you only read a few dozen. I inhaled this novel, I swear. Same for its predecessor, actually, so that’s not terribly surprising.
Rose Marshall is a stubborn, determined, and charismatic ghost. She’s compelling and well written, and more than anything she’ll always follow the rules of being a hitchhiking ghost. She also still wants to get revenge on Bobby Cross, and who can blame her? Rose is painfully aware that each moment Bobby is allowed to roam free is another chance that he’s found a new victim. It’s actually a terrifying thought.
I’m still looking forward to Bobby Cross getting what’s coming for him. But honestly I’m okay with his plot not being resolved right away. Seanan McGuire has done a fantastic job with his character. He’s a constant threat to Rose, always lingering in the back of her thoughts, and yet he never feels overused. At no point have I hit a point where I felt like we’ve been shown his character too many times for him to be threatening. If anything it’s the opposite.
With the conclusion of the last novel, I had some questions on how they were going to handle certain things. Like the introduction of Gary. His inclusion was handled seamlessly however, never ignoring him when he was in a scene and giving plausible reasons for his absence. I’m more relieved than I’d like to admit about that.
There were so many twists and turns in this novel that I really wasn’t expecting. I won’t list any examples, because I don’t want to spoil them, but trust me when I say you should get ready for a wild ride. I will say that I absolutely loved the inclusion and modification of folklore and mythology. Seanan McGuire used some classic mythology stories and managed to modernize them; this helped them to fit the world she created, but more than that it made the story her own. It was beautifully done.
Now that I’ve finished the book, I find myself a little depressed at the thought of it. That’s how you know it was good – finishing it felt like I was losing a friend. I can’t wait to get more information on the next in the series, even though obviously I know I’m going to have to do just that. On the bright side there’s several series by Seanan McGuire I haven’t read yet, so I’m going to dive into those to help pass the wait (hopefully I love them as much as the ones I’ve read!).


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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 July, 2018: Finished reading
  • 5 July, 2018: Reviewed