Thank you Netgalley for this arc. This book was creepy and wicked. I enjoyed it. It had me wanting more and wondering what the heck was going on. Such an interesting and entertaining story. It had me at the edge of my seat. I enjoyed this very much.

This book is a sequel to Red Rabbit, which I did not read but want to now.

It's weird, thought provoking with super interesting characters and themes. And a huge plus for any story with a house with ghosts. I enjoyed this alot and it was very different from what I usually read.

It's a story about what happens if Death dies in an act of revenge by a grieving husband. Thank you NetGalley for the eArc for a honest review!

I really wish the description would have said this was a sequel of Red Rabbit. I went in unaware and was pretty confused when I started. I rated this 5 stars, even though it was a DNF because I think it would have been a great read if I had a better understanding. The author did a great job with the atmosphere and from what I read it was a very interesting story. I think I'll go back and read Red Rabbit and give this another go later on.

Series Info/Source: This is the sequel to Red Rabbit. I got a copy of this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: DNF. I ended up stopping this about 30% of the way in. I realized that this was a sequel to a book called "Red Rabbit" about 20% in; I hadn't read that book. I wish it had been clearer on this book that this was the continuation of another book. I really struggled to stay engaged with the characters and story here. I kept having to re-read portions of the book and just couldn't stay interested.

We alternate between a few different characters. The first is a man who kills death and then himself, but he doesn't die and he's trying to figure out what happened. Then we go to the town of Ascension where three witches move in to Bethany Hall (a ghost infested house); they are there to help their friend take care of her sick cousin. We also hear from a thing in the attic in between chapters.

I was really struggling to engage with the characters and to follow what was happening here. I also didn't really want to read another book where death was killed and that resulted in people not dying. I've read a few books like this before, and I struggle with that premise in general.

I did enjoy the dark, eerie feeling to the story and the westernish setting. However, the scattered way it was written and the lack of intriguing characters made it so that I just never wanted to pick this up to read it. So I decided it was time to move on.

My Summary (3/5): Overall this book didn't work well for me for a number of reasons. I dislike the premise of death dying and then people not dying because death is dead; I've read a few books with this premise and it just doesn't parse well in my mind. This book jumped around a lot, and I didn't engage with the characters well. I was also frustrated to find out this was a sequel to "Red Rabbit", I wish that had been better advertised on this book. I wouldn't have requested this for review and would have gone and read "Red Rabbit" first if I had known that. This does have a nice dark, evil feel to it, and the western setting was intriguing. In the end, this writing style and this story just weren't for me.

The Rose of Jericho by Alex Grecian is a beautifully atmospheric and thought-provoking novel that blends historical fiction with subtle suspense. Grecian’s prose is rich and immersive, effortlessly pulling the reader into a world of secrets and intrigue. The novel’s pacing and character depth keep you invested from beginning to end, while its eerie, almost mystical undertones add a layer of haunting mystery. The Rose of Jericho is a captivating and memorable read for those who appreciate finely crafted storytelling with emotional and psychological layers.

"Not is all as it seems in the small village of Ascension, Massachusetts" …

In this inventive sequel to Red Rabbit, there is just enough blood and violence, blended with witchcraft to satisfy fans of the first book. In a very small nutshell, Moses Burke kills Death after the deaths of his wife and newborn. With Death itself being, well ... dead, no one who dies stays that way. And some of them are angry, very angry. I enjoyed this book and you don't necessarily have to read Red Rabbit to enjoy it, though it visits some old characters. Thank you to Tor Nightfire & NetGalley for the ARC. You can pick this up March 11, 2025 wherever you buy your books.

I thought this was beautifully written! Incredibly atmospheric, in a perfectly spooky way, and the characters were deeply, richly written. It was easy to care for the central people in here.
There were a few twists and turns which caught me off guard, as well as an element of mystery to the whole thing that I really appreciated. I wanted to know how everything would wrap up!
As others have mentioned, this is a "sequel", technically, but you don't need to have read the first in order to enjoy it (though there were a few moments when I wished I had read it, in order to understand the main characters more).
All in all, it was a solid horror novel, for anyone a fan of character-rich stories!

It is ridiculous how absurdly happy I am to revisit the characters from Red Rabbit. If you have not read that book first, you should. Strictly you don't have to but it enriches your reading experience so much more to know the characters' background. I could feel the uncanny penny dreadful-esk atmosphere that Alex Grecian created yet again with Rose of Jericho. The characters were vividly described and the high weirdness was captivating. Any book that manages to create a house as a living thing is aces in my mind. The gothic qualities of that were present here. What an absolutely enchantingly dark novel and I loved every word.

Overall enjoyment:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Prose: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pacing (1=slow 5=fast): 2
Scary: More uncanny
Gore:💀💀💀
Character Development:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Atmosphere:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Something about this book completely failed to hold my attention. I really didn't enjoy it. I couldn't connect to any of the main characters, and while there wasn't technically anything wrong with the writing, I just disliked. Most likely just a case of the writing/author not being for me!

The readers is instantly transported back to Ascension MA 1881 where people are dying, but not staying dead. Say no more and sign me up! Alex Grecian is an author to pay attention to. This is a sensational follow up to Red Rabbit. I love a horror/supernatural/thriller/fantasy mash up where there are gruesome deaths and some of them stick with your for days!

I have a feeling there will be a 3rd book in this series. If there is, I will be here for it.

I absolutely did not realize this was a sequel but all and all I still really enjoyed it. The writing is excellent and Alex’s ability to build suspense is too notch. I’ll absolutely be grabbing the previous book now, ooops!

I'm giving a flat rating of 3 stars since this book was not for me. I also DNFd Red Rabbit, so I was hoping that this one would work more for me. There's multiple timelines going on during very long chapters, so it was very hard to follow. It's a bit dense, so I was struggling to pay attention. Literary horror readers will enjoy this one for sure.

Alex Grecian has done it again! This book is a sequel to Red Rabbit (which is a horror/thriller/fantasy in which almost all of the characters die, some more gruesome than others). It picks up about 10 years later, but I absolutely recommend reading Red Rabbit first because it provides insight into the main characters in this book.

This is another fast paced, plot driven novel with short chapters that follow along several characters all leading to one path. As with the last book, there are many deaths, but the question this time is whether or not the dead will finally lie down. (Don't worry, they aren't zombies.)

Despite this being a horror/thriller/fantasy, there is also spit-out-your-tea humor, redemption and love.

I have no idea how he comes up with this entertaining madness, but I'm grateful for it all the same! I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of Sadie Grace.

Wow, this book was sensational! I loved the characters and the setting! The atmosphere was very creepy. I loved all of the symbolism. This read will grab you and won't let go.

This is a story of how death returned to the world.

Synopsis:
When Moses decides to kill Death, his actions produce bizarre consequences. He sees Rose’s name in Death’s notebook and heads East to warn her. Sadie, Rabbit, and Rose have moved to Ascension, Massachusetts to visit Rose’s cousin who is ill. They move into Bethany Manor which has wild tales and many ghosts of its own including something looming in the attic. Then strange things happen. Rose’s cousin miraculously “recovers,” a boy is run over by a cart but is not hurt, and hanged men with broken necks are walking about. The dead are no longer staying dead! As the women try to figure out what is going on, they must protect themselves from the townsfolk who are convinced they are witches and from the danger heading straight towards town.

My Thoughts:
This is a great sequel, and I loved being back with these characters. I don’t think you need to read the first book, Red Rabbit, to enjoy this book, but I highly recommend it. This story is unique, weird and fun. There is just the right amount of gore and witchcraft. I would be super excited to see these characters again! Hint, hint!

Thanks to NetGalley, Tor NightFire, and Tor Books for this copy of "Rose of Jericho."

This book was definitely unusual, inventive, and thought-provoking. It blends so many genres to tell the story of Moses Burke in 1881 Kansas who kills Death after his wife and newborn son die.

So with Death "killed", it means no one can die. Of course, the "undead" still feel alive, are understandably angry, but come to realize there are no consequences if they unleash the violence they've been feeling.

OK, so Moses feels that his old friends Rose, Sadie, and Rabbit might be able to help and heads to their new home - Bethany Hill, a cursed house full of ghosts in Massachusetts.

Plus the narrator is hiding in the attic in Bethany Hill and wants to remain hidden. But they're waiting for Moses to arrive.

What happens when “Death,” is murdered? In this grotesque fantasy horror, which reads like “Final Destination,” took place during the Salem witch trials, we watch the small town of Ascension grapple with the absence of death. A novel that explores grief (its power), the value of both life and death, and what exactly happens when the natural order grinds to a halt, it turns out that this is a sequel to Grecian’s 2023 novel “Red Rabbit,” although I read it completely oblivious to this, and followed and enjoyed it all the same- it’s a story that stands on its own two decomposing feet. Complete with an other-wordly narrator and a compulsive plot that unfolds over the span of a week, if you’re a fan of witches, ghosts, decomposition, and just general entropy this one may be for you. Thank you Tor Nightfire for my ARC, this one comes out March 11th 2025.

The week in 1881, when Moses Burke murdered the grim reaper, was a strange week indeed. To the delight of her son Benjamin and newly-arrived cousin Rose, Clarissa Sinclair bounces back from her terrible illness and springs out of bed. The same day, when Benjamin is hit by Mr Mulacky’s milk-cart, an accident that should have sent him straight to the pearly gates, he finds that he’s absolutely fine. People everywhere, who should be dead and buried, find themselves making miraculous recoveries. The absence of the grim reaper seems like a blessing, until that blessing curdles, and tensions between the undead and the living begin to rise, the undead begin to grow pale and start losing weight, and the more unfortunate in the cast learn that there are indeed fates worse than death. It is of course the responsibility of Moses Burke, the good Grace sisters who live in Bethany Hall, and the celestial being who lives in their attic to restore order, although where there isn’t order, chaos thrives, and a certain somebody would do anything to keep it that way.

Grecian takes on witches in this novel, in the form of the good Graces, Sadie, Rabbit, and Clarissa Sinclair’s cousin, Rose Nettles. These women are hugely powerful, have been around for centuries, and are very much implicated in this battle between good and evil. One thing that Grecian makes clear from the get go however is that there are things bigger than the sisters, bigger than Ascension, and far, far bigger than us. From the omniscient narrator itself, to the strange being determined to keep death away from the land of the living- the cosmic factor is strong. If Terry Prachett rewrote Dean Koontz’ “Lightning,” through a fantastical, horror fantasy lens, perhaps you’d have something a little like this. “Rose of Jericho,” is a story that is steeped in the vast and unknowable, but interestingly, the author opts to have most of the plot unfold in Ascension. Exploring death itself, something very macro, in a small, puritan-like town, something very micro, simply adds to the existentialism, and the implication that life is short, but that’s good, and it’s best for us to leave it well alone. Mary Shelley would quite like this one.

Despite the messaging being very clear, the circle of life is one that must remain intact, Grecian does not dismiss grief, instead representing it as powerful. The reason Moses Burke is able to kill death is because the grief he feels for his wife is so strong, that he can not only see and interact with the grim reaper, but put a bullet through his head. We should grieve those we love, but to wish they could live forever, is more of a curse than anything. By representing undead life as angry and uncomfortable and exhausting, he brings us a strange sense of comfort, assuring us that eternal slumber is far, far preferable to an eternal, unnatural and tortured slog. This portrayal seems horrifying, but is ultimately reassuring. We’re forced to confront our fears of, and perhaps anger toward, death, and are reminded that it doesn’t have to be the enemy, it’s the merciful conclusion to a life hopefully well-lived.
A novel that’s got a whole bunch going for it, “Rose of Jericho,” by Alex Grecian is part cosmic, part small-town and wholly unputdownable. A rollicking descent into utter chaos, the narrative bounces between witchy intrigue and undead melodrama, what more could you possibly want? Huh? Whilst death may (should…hopefully?) be predictable, this book is anything but.

Book two left a little bit to be desired but it was still good enough to wake up at 3 am just to finish. Another very original entry in the publishing world. Tight storytelling, compelling characters and just a touch of "what if..." . Looking forward to book 3 should there be a story to tell for the new Grim Reaper.

While this book took a little bit for me to get into and wrap my head around all of the characters, I enjoyed it! Things take a little time to start happening, but once they do it’s a whirlwind until the end. Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this early! I loved getting to know the good Graces and their faded Rose.

The plot is more straightforward than Red Rabbit, allowing Grecian to dig deeper with established characters and the bizarre corner of the world they inhabit. Musings on the nature and necessity of death are organic and impactful. A great twist on the “I defeated death” tale.