Ratings11
Average rating4
“A must-read for lost souls everywhere.” —Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW Magic will burn you up. Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career. When she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage, she meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin, who died over a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of Prague, where ghosts walk the streets and their kisses have warmth. But Benjamin isn't the only one interested in Ilana. Rudolph Wassermann, a man with no shadow, has become fascinated with her and the music she plays. He offers to share his magic, so Ilana can be with Benjamin and pursue her passion for violin. But after Ilana discovers the truth about Wassermann and how Benjamin became bound to the city, she resolves to save the boy she loves, even if it means losing him—forever. With spellbinding verse prose, R.M. Romero channels the spirit of myth into a brilliantly original tale, inspired by her experiences restoring Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe.
Reviews with the most likes.
This felt like a lovely wonderful and slightly scary fairy tale. The writing was beautiful and definitely made it feel like a fairytale. The downside was that the characters seemed a little flat and hard to connect to, but the writing made that little issue almost forgettable.
A lovely book that feels both contemporary and timeless. I loved the inclusion of music - which seems to make sense for Prague - and the information about Jewish cemeteries. I'm not sure I've ever thought about that angle of the Holocaust and it just adds another horror onto the horror of that time.
I received The Ghosts of Rose Hill as an ARC from NetGalley. I enjoy ghost stories and decided this would be perfect for Spooktober...and I was right.
Told in poetic passages, we follow the Ilana as she finds a forgotten cemetery, meets Benjamin and defeats evil. This is so much more than just a ghost story. It's a journey of a young girl, trying to find herself and in the process she becomes a savior and realizes her strength, courage and life is hers to command.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. While a review wasn't expected, I have offered my opinion and these are my own thoughts.
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