Whatever we’re calling the gourmet genre blend of horror Alex Grecian is writing is like catnip to me. It’s very dark, fantastical almost to the point of surrealism, steeped in body horror and gore, saturated with violence, laced thoroughly with wicked humor, but also has this really sincere heart of social responsibility and philosophical thought that I can’t get enough of. 

Of course there’s a warning here: I wouldn’t recommend reading this without reading Red Rabbit first. It’s not a direct sequel, but reading RR first makes Rose of Jericho more interesting and easier to understand.

Did I like this as much as I did Red Rabbit? No, but that’s only because Red Rabbit felt more like a rollicking thrill ride of a horror novel, while this feels like a siege of a horror novel in a way: The horror is happening centered around one place in time, in a limited time period, with two sides moving metaphorical soldiers around a supernatural game board. I liked the constant chaos of RR, whereas Rose of Jericho is more of a steadily increasing pulse of violence and horror as the book proceeds. 

Does this mean Rose of Jericho is a worse book than Red Rabbit? Not really. Alex Grecian has a rare talent, in my mind: He writes female characters who pass all of my personal checkboxes for being absolutely terrific. I don’t trust the vast majority of male authors to write truly great female characters, especially ones who you don’t want to anger or who have power. All of his characters are multifaceted and it brings me such joy. If you add in the creative plotting, the well-crafted storytelling, the intense worldbuilding, and the polished style I can’t stand to think this book isn’t anything but excellent. It just isn’t Red Rabbit. 4⭐️

I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Dark Fantasy/Folk Horror/Found Family/Ghost Fiction/Historical Horror/Supernatural Horror/Witch Fiction