Angel of the Overpass
Written by: Seanan McGuire
DAW Books
2023
Angel of the Overpass brings the story of Rose, the Phantom Prom Date, and Bobby Cross to an impressive climactic ending.
Angel of the Overpass brings the battle between Bobby Cross and Rose to a climatic and engaging finale.
Incredible!
I am so sad this series is over, but I am glad because McGuire did such a good job building up to this point. The Crossroads are dead, no longer around to protect deer Bobby Cross. However, their gifts linger on. However, now Rose has a chance to end Bobby Cross and destroy the car that has killed her and countless others.
Moreover, Rose is not the only one who wants him gone. The Ocean Lady asks Rose to be rid of him, and Rose gets the blessings of both Persephone and Death to do the job. So three big goddesses are behind Rose as she hunts down Bobby.
Talk about tension. However, it was great. The story moves at such an incredible pace, highlighting the journey Rose has been on. Everything has led up to this defining moment, and it fits while also being unpredictable.
It was an ending unlike any other, but it fit with the journey Rose has gone on. While being one hundred percent unpredictable, it only seems like the most logical route for this hitchhiking ghost to venture on. And I loved it.
Simply Excellent
What McGuire also does so well is the structure and pacing. Not only is the characterization spot on, but the way the story builds itself around Rose keeps the momentum growing. There are also plenty of flashbacks that are structured so well. Good authors structure flashback scenes in a way that does not take the reader out of the story. Moreover, that is what happens in Angel of the Overpass.
The transitions between present-day and her flashbacks add definition to Rose’s narrative and personality while also adding more context to the dynamic she has with Bobby.
Yes, Bobby ran her off the road at sixteen, and she will always hate him for that, but there is more. Rose despises him because he takes lives for his vanity, he destroys families, and he is still hunting her. He made her a ghost, but he has also destroyed other innocent lives. So that drives Rose, making her such a good character and why this has been a good series.
The structure of her past, alongside her internal narrative, draws in the reader. In addition, her voice comes alive, making it feel at times feels like she is sitting in the car next to the reader, telling her story as a hitchhiker would.
Rose feels alive and very much like a hitchhiker, selling the story perfectly.
Final Thoughts
Angel of the Overpass was incredible. The journey to this point was as well. There is something unmistakably unique about McGuire’s storytelling and characterization that keeps the reader hooked until the very end.
Impressive & Incredible Finale | Angel of the Overpass Review
Angel of the Overpass brings the story of Rose, the Phantom Prom Date, and Bobby Cross to an impressive climactic ending.
Cynthia Ayala
Cynthia Ayala-Bujnicki majored in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College. Editor-in-chief of Cyn's Workshop, she loves to read and write while tending to her pepper plants. She currently lives in South Florida with her husband, two kids Dante and Selene and two furbabies Mr. J the Kitten who Thinks He's Batman (yes, that is his full name) and Nyx.
