Tam Lin! Tam Lin! Tam Lin!
I realize that "this book is a retelling of Tam Lin" is not actually enough to sell a book to everyone (just me, apparently), but I will add that Howard does an incredible job of taking the underlying narrative and rules for Faerie trades and dealing with the Fair Folk and changes it into something that feels deeply contemporary and beautifully brutal. It was glorious.
The premise was right up my alley and the execution never faltered. It's so nice to find a book that feels like the author somehow knows what you like and delivers.
If you grew up on Fire and Hemlock, Roses and Rot should delight.
Also, question, is the author Ellen Sherman a reference to Ellen Kushner's Thomas the Rhymer (given that Ellen is married to Delia Sherman)?