Angel of the Overpass by Seanan McGuire
Ghost Roads #3
Urban Fantasy/Ghost Story
May 11, 2021, by DAW
ARC

Angel of the Overpass is the third book in the Ghost Roads series and continues the tale of Rose Marshall, also known as the Girl in the Green Silk Gown, the Phantom Prom Date, or the Angel of the Overpass. Rose died in 1952 at the age of 16 when she was run off the road by Bobby Cross while on her way to meet her boyfriend at prom. Now she’s a road ghost who hitches rides around the country in order to fulfill her duty to the twilight.

The crossroads are dead and that means Bobby Cross’s time is almost up. When several goddesses ask that she be the one to end his life she can’t say no. After all, Bobby Cross is the one man who she’s been running from since she awoke in her afterlife.

This was a slow, meandering book. I will confess to being a little excited to finally get the chance to see Bobby Cross get his due, but I wasn’t prepared for how long it would take for the deed to finally get done. I guess I should have expected it, Rose is a road ghost, after all, she has to get her rides and visit her diners and drink her malts. But all of the meetings and ghost rescues and explanations of the different layers of this world made the pacing drag. I just wanted Rose to get to the good stuff and triumph over her nemesis.

The ending was satisfying and I liked how everything wrapped up. I’m not sure what the end of this series arc means for Rose. I’m hoping for another release in this world and to see her again soon.

Final grade- B-

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Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
Murderbot Diaries #6
Science Fiction
April 27, 2021, by Tor.com
ARC

I glommed this entire series in the last couple of months and have zero regrets. Murderbot is exactly what I needed to start off my year.

This is the sixth, and newest, release in the Murderbot Diaries, which follows a rogue SecUnit’s adventures. This book was a return to the novella length page count and it was a quick, easy read. Murderbot is asked to help station security with an investigation of a dead human on Preservation Station. And despite its misgivings and the fact that it would rather be watching entertainment vids, the request is granted.

I can’t help but love the humor, amazing action scenes, and wonderful world-building. I wasn’t sure what to expect after the events of the last book. Before I read the blurb I did wonder if this next release would have Murderbot helping ART or back with his Preservation Station humans. Thankfully, we get a nice long look around Preservation Station. I think this was the exact right direction to take this series.

Murderbot is evolving and I enjoyed seeing it not being able to rely simply on hacking but having to think outside the box. I think it is starting to almost enjoy and find a bit of comfort in its relationships with the humans who readers first met in book one. These are Murderbot’s humans and it is their SecUnit, they make a good team.

Another fabulous book in a fabulous series. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Final grade- B+

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