Tess of The Road will not be for everyone. In fact, I feel like majority of the people who pick this up (because of the gorgeous cover, or because the author recognition) are going to mark this book as DNF.

Tess of The Road follows our main character, Tess, who is upset with how her life is going and after several not so great choices that have showed her the truth about the closest people to her, she decides to run away. In order to blend in better, she decides to disguise herself as a boy and takes on the personality and personas of two different boys in order to keep on wandering. She doesn't have anywhere in mind, she just wants to walk along the road.

Overall, the book isn't bad. There's pretty good representation. From characters who get a gender change (and it's not talked about like it's a big deal, but like it's normal), to characters with missing limbs, and even paraplegic characters. The world building is nuts. Rachel Hartman took the world from Seraphina and it reads that way. It reads like she's spent years thinking about and developing the world. We get snippets of fictional languages, sneak peaks into different towns, and many different characters and species.

The problem is, the first half sucks.

And what we get for the first half is mainly a lot of walking to a place that we're not really sure of. And a lot of listening about how perfect Seraphina and Jeanne are, and how horrible Tess is. And something that makes this seem more prominent, is that in the beginning, there's a lot of jumping back between the "then" and the "now." Maybe fans of Seraphina will be less confused, but it made the beginning drag that much more.

Overall, if you're looking for a fast-paced read about dragons filled with lots of action, then this is not necessarily going to be it for you. If you're looking for a slow-burn, centered more around the types of "dragon-like" creatures with minimal dragon-action, and more people action and self-discovery, then this isn't a bad choice.

*I received this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
DNF @ 15%

See, I'm not sure if I can rate this... I feel like I might like or understand the world more if I had read Seraphina first. I knew this book would take place in the same world, but I didn't know it would overlap so much... So, there is a lot I don't know. Although, perhaps I still wouldn't like it because of how negative Tess is about Seraphina...not that I entirely blame her.

The other reason I turned this one down was because although the writing is entertaining and well done, the I really dislike the main character. Yes, she is in a negative and horrible situation, but she feels the need to be a martyr and live with it rather than just leave. She doesn't even do martyr very well considering how she gets drunk....
I was excited about the dragons, but the way the book talked about dragons, I wasn't too excited to meet them either, unfortunately.

So, I won't rate this in case not having read Seraphina is the biggest factor in understanding and connecting with this book.

In Goredd, reputation is everything and there are certain expectations about women and their place. Expectations that Tess just can’t seem to live up to. Trapped in her duty to her family, Tess is bitter, angry, and hopeless. Also, a little bit of a drunkard. Which leads to the incident at her sister’s wedding…

Before she’s forced into a nunnery, Tess chops off her hair, dresses as a boy, and sets out on the Road, ins search of one of the World Serpents, creatures of legend she’s been fascinated with for years.

The Road is more challenging than Tess ever imagined, and every day, she must make the decision to live one more day. She meets friends in unexpected places as she searches for who she really is, learning to heal from the pain of her past so she can seek the future she dreams of.

There’s some darkness in Tess of the Road. Tess begins as a hateful, unlikeable character—although with her past, who wouldn’t be hateful? This is a book about growth more than anything, and Tess’s journey is magnificent as it unfolds, and she learns there is so much more to the world than what society expects.

(Galley provided by Random House in exchange for an honest review.)

I DNFed this book 2x over the course of February and finally forced myself through to the end. I think if I had read the Seraphina books I would have understood/enjoyed this a bit better. Personally, I need to really connect with the characters for me to enjoy the novel and if that factor isn't there, I need the world to be good. I felt like the author assumed readers would have a background of Seraphina and therefore the world building wasn't as in depth as I would have liked. Moving on the character...I really didn't like Tess. I tried to find redeeming qualities about her but every time I reached some sort of agreement with her character something else would come up and turn me off from reading (hence the 2x DNF) but I managed to push through.

While I very much enjoyed Seraphina, I just could not get into this book. I guess ultimately I wanted it to be in the same world but completely unrelated to Seraphina altogether. I do like this author's work and will likely pick up another of her novels in the future.

This book was so freaking great to read! It was also so hard to read, because Tess has had a pretty horrible time in life. An over-religious mom, a dad that just wasn't there, and two sisters who cover all the roles except the problem child. Add in that between the way she was raised and a few mistakes she made (which in no way means that she deserved what happened to her) well, she had this big pit of doom and misery that talked to her in her mom's voice and was overwhelmingly harsh. Not fun!

First off, this is in the same world as Seraphina, and only a few years later after Shadow Scale. So we do have some updates on the royal family, and we also get to see so much more of this world! Like the fact that there's and uncle and grandmother Dombegh. And I'm glad that I read the 2.5 books of the Seraphina series because there's one or two obscure familiar faces!

Tess's story was told in alternating chapters of the present when she's on the road and the adventures she gets into along the way, and the past, telling the story of why it was planned that she was to be sent to a nunnery. Those past parts were the hardest to read, because we know they're a downward spiral, and it'll take a lot of effort to heal.

Some of the adventures that she gets into are pretty benign, like theft and creating a persona and rolling with it. Others, not so much, like the main reason she's going where she's going-the World Serpents. And that one priest guy. He was awful!

One thing about this book, is that there's hardly any dragons, and it's more like everyday life in this world without a war going on. Well, there's some minor political stuff, but nowhere near the scale of Shadow Scale. It's the smaller things, but they're important too.

In the preface, Rachel Hartman writes that this is a duology, even if Goodreads doesn't have it as such yet. I really hope this is true, because Tess is on the verge of a new adventure, and there's so much that could happen, and I just want more of her story!

Yeah, I really enjoyed reading this book, and it was just so fantastic!

I liked this book for its girl-power themes and not-so-subtle critique of certain attitudes toward women. The novel discusses things ranging from the issue of arranged marriage to sex-shaming to sexual assault, and at the same time also addressed things as subtle as the socialization of women through behavior and religion. Tess, the main character, is dealing with her own shame from from a baby she had out of wedlock. As a result of that relationship and pregnancy, she is left with several emotional and mental scars. She begins to deal with these as she makes her journey. Obviously, this set the novel up for some serious character development.

There is a variety of characters, including plenty of strong women, that provide a variety of different perspectives on the issues that the author is trying to tackle with this story. This could make the story interesting for some readers because a new person is being introduced every other chapter, but I can see how this could also get confusing for other YA readers. The pacing of the novel tended to be a little slow, except for a few parts. However, Rachel Hartman is a very skilled writer. She is able to tell the story using beautiful and descriptive language. 

The only thing that might deter me from recommending this to students is the advanced vocabulary and the sometimes mature themes. The novel does discuss rape and prostitution, which are both very heavy topics. The pacing and language feels more for avid readers than those I might be trying to enthuse about reading.

Since I enjoyed the books about Seraphina, Tess’s half-sister, I looked forward to revisiting the story world in Tess of the Road. I still enjoyed the complex and intricate setting with its cultural and spiritual elements. It took me a while to get into Tess’s character. At the beginning of the story, she’s bitter at the world and desperately trying to drown her sorrows and her self-pity in wine or spirits. At first I felt like she was self-focused and self-pitying. As the scenes revealed her backstory, I felt more sympathy for her.
Tess’s journey gave the story a bit more structure. I didn’t find her goal super compelling because it was really about helping her friend Pathka reach a goal he had set, and she still seemed to be floundering as far as her own goals and needs. The most dominant force in the story remained the politics of equality (or really, lack of it) in Tess’s world. Sometimes the narrative felt preachy and forced.

Once Tess began her interior journey of healing from past trauma, I began to like her a lot more. I liked her journey companion, Pathka, too. Overall, it might be cathartic for someone who has endured some past sexual trauma to make this journey with Tess toward healing and recovery. It does contain some strong sexual content and a brief description of a rape, so consider that before reading.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

DNFing at 30%

”If Tess pretended she was married hard enough, could she fool herself into having a baby?”

I can confidently say that I have given Rachel Hartman a second chance with reading this book, hoping for the best. I read Seraphina in 2017 and ended up DNFing it. Unfortunately, I’m finding myself in the same boat with Tess of the Road. While the writing is well-composed and encompassing, I just didn’t like the main character Tessie, or the way in which the plot was headed.

Tessie Dombegh is the main character. At a young age, her curiosity got her into rough waters with her mother. Holding onto her past mistakes, she becomes rather spiteful towards others, making her a very unlikeable character to follow.

”I don’t envy you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” said Tess, not lying exactly. It wasn’t envy so much as self-pity. Did that make her “all right” or not?

When her twin sister Jean is proposed to, Tess tries to hide her jealousy of her sister’s position. However, her true feelings bubbling beneath the surface pour out at her sister’s wedding, when out of her drunkenness, she starts a fight.

From this point on, I simply lacked interest in the plot. With the main character being so unlikeable, I fail to see a reason to move on.

Another point to mention is that there is a lot of focus on sex, in a very tactless way.

”Is it true what they say, that the saar are slow to warm up, but once they get going they burn hot as the sun?”

Sorry, but I don’t think this is a necessary addition to a YA novel. If anything, this book reads more like an adult fantasy novel due to its content. This is where the book crossed a line for me. Tess’ obsession with the topic was just off-putting.

Vulgarity: While there wasn’t a lot, (I counted six up until the point of stopping) the overall mannerisms of the characters were vulgar.
Sexual content: There isn’t anything explicit, but this topic is constantly being discussed between characters.
Violence: Minimal.

Since this is a DNF read, I will not be assigning a star-review.

Tess of the Road is not an easy book to read. At 544 pages it is long and those pages don't fly by. In the traditional sense at least. Here is the thing about Tess though, it is a long book, it is winded and yet, I wouldn't really have it any other way. The slowness can at times be exhausting but the book isn't really about a big adventure that Tess takes. It's about Tess's character arc and her trauma. This book would NOT work if it was a speedy read you could flip through. It is a painful read but there is so //much// that Tess has internalized that it makes no sense if we could uncover her and her experience in a mere handful pages.

Tess is not a 'nice' girl. She has always been seen as the bad influence, the untamed child, the forgettable twin. Always in the shadow of her twin sister and older sister, she no longer knows who Tess is or ever was. On a whim, and maybe to prove a point, she runs away from home. She encounters an old friend, Pathka, and together they journey to find a mythological serpent.

Words are so hard to use for a story that is so full of layers, each one unfurling the more you read. At its heart, Tess of the Road is a deeply feminist story. It examines rape culture in our society, mother-child relationships and the bonds between sisters. And it does all of these things in ways that not only break your fucking heart, but also heal it. There are many a time when I couldn't help but tear up the more and more we saw how much damage had been done to her by those she should have been able to trust and count on.

Tess isn't an easy character to like and you know what, there is nothing wrong with her being unlikeable. It is hard if you're a huge Seraphina fan like moi and spend the first quarter of the book absolutely home-sick for her and the OG squad and yet, by the end, I found myself head over heels in love with Tess and her story. To the point where I wondered if perhaps I liked her even better than Sera? Tess is so nuanced in a way I don't think Sera was and I can see just how much Hartman has grown as a writer since she first introduced us to Goredd.

The reason why it still isn't a 5 star read for me (which Sera was and will be if I re-read) is because we're thrown into a world that readers are expected to pick on right away or be familiar with from Seraphina. Don't get me wrong, if you haven't read Seraphina, you won't inherently be at a disadvantage. Hartman is particularly fond of throwing readers into the midst of the world. But, I still struggled for a bit, trying to get used to the world and to take it in all in so I could enjoy the journey I was being taken on.

So should you read Seraphina? Yes if you're into good character development because that's what this book IS. If you're looking for a breath-taking adventure (much like I usually am), you might not enjoy Tess on the Road as much but I'd still wanna shove it at you because I am 99.9% sure the sequel (and there better be a sequel) is going to give us the show-stopping adventure we deserve.

Honestly, I have never read Rachel Hartman's stand out debut, Seraphina, so I didn't know what to expect with this novel.
Tess is an unlikely heroine, in that she's kind of unlikable. She's aggressive, and rude, and kind of a drunk. At least for the first part of the book.
Tess of the Road is a journey, both in her character and in the world she lives in. I found it interesting sometimes, and at other times I was plainly bored.

Rachel Hartman has done it again people!

Trouble maker Tess has always been a headache to her family. After punching her cousin at her sister’s wedding and learning that her family plans to send her to a nunnery, she realizes it’s time to take matters into her own hands for once and leaves home disguised as a boy. She meets Pathka, her quigutl friend from childhood and together they embark on an epic adventure, just like they used to dream about as children. However Tess’s past has a way of catching up with her and she must learn to face these nightmares that she’s kept dormant for so long. Only then will she be able to truly move on.

Oh I loved this book so much!! I mean, I loved Seraphina, but I think I just loved Tess’s story even more. She has gone through some horrible things in her life and she learns to overcome them. Making mistakes along the way and helping others as well. I think I loved it so much because of how flawed Tess was. She’s far from a demure young lady and is the first to tell you that. She’s quick to anger and often spites herself because of that. I loved watching her journey (both figuratively and literally) into becoming more confident and allowing herself to finally forgive herself. There are so many characters along the way that it would be too many to mention here, but each one is complex and brings their own story that helps shape Tess.

The plot moved quite nicely. There wasn’t action on each page, but it was really well balanced and every new adventure Tess faces is there for a reason. There are no real “villains” per se (although there are some really nasty characters that you wouldn’t mind seeing getting their comeuppance). It’s more about how Tess views these characters and their actions or, more importantly, the reasons behind them.

I need more of Tess’s story immediately. It was such a vivid and wonderful narrative of somebody who is deeply in pain and taking that one last shot to help themselves. Its the book that every person needs to read, if only because we’ve all gone through our own hells and could all benefit from taking a journey on the road with Tess.

I was totally enthralled by this book and Tess's journey almost from the start.  It is a bit slow to start, but as the journey begins, so does the best part of the Tess's story.  Rachel Hartman has created a very strong female character, who is trying desperately to put her past behind her and to move forward everyday.  I was a little worried that it had been such a long time since I read the other two books set in this world that I would be a little lost, but you don't have to have read those books to enjoy this one.  This one stands quite well on it's own, even though it does have appearances from characters from those books. 

From my quick glance at other reviews, not many people like Tess.  I found her  completely likable,  and a very interesting character.  She is a product of her upbringing, but she desperately wants to break away from that and become her own person, and I think by the end she does just that.   She is a strong female character, that pretends to be a young man through most of the book, because she realizes how dangerous it would be to travel as a young woman alone.  There is also a great scene towards the end of the book when she explains the two male personas she creates on her journey and why she needs them.  I won't spoil it by telling you, but it was a masterful insight on her part.  Tess also doesn't travel just to get away from her family and her past, but she soon realizes that she needs to help people along the way.  Tess often appears to be selfish and acerbic in nature, but she does have a desire to do what she sees as right and to help those that she sees as being either helpless or wronged in some way.  Tess has many flaws, but I can't help but like her. 

Pathka is also an interesting character, not only because he is a quigutl, but because he helps Tess in many ways and adds purpose to her journey.  He also is quite essential to her survival at the start of their journey together.  I find the quigutl almost more fascinating than the dragons in this world.  They are smart, but also have a connection to each other that is interesting and complex.  Their understanding of the world is also complex as well as their beliefs.  Hearing Pathka interpret what is going on around them and with what has happened to Tess is wonderful.  He is very insightful, although most humans and even dragons consider them almost unworthy of their attention.

I love the way that Rachel Hartman writes.  It is never your typical story and at it's heart is also very meaningful and almost religious in nature.  Although the pacing might be considered slow by some, there is always something going on and moving the story along.  Her characters are also very well rounded and complex, even the ones that you don't like very much.  There is a rich assortment of secondary characters that you also feel you get to know, even when they are only a small part of the story.

There are many times when Tess reminiscences about her family and what happened to her that made her family want to send her to a nunnery ( and no it was not punching the priest in the nose, it is much bigger than that).  But these memories never felt unnecessary and were always placed into the story in ways that felt right.  You might want to call them flashbacks, but they really weren't, they were Tess remembering particular events in her life that impacted her development into who she is at that particular time.  

I found this book to be thought provoking and empowering.  I think a lot of young women will like Tess and will see themselves in her.  It was a very enjoyable journey for me to walk along the road with Tess and her journey to accepting herself as she is and learning to stand up for herself.  I can't wait to see where her journey will lead her next.

Tess of the Road: A tough start, a solid if meandering rest
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

This is the third book I've read by Rachel Hartmann set in her fictional word. I absolutely loved the first, Seraphina, and was greatly disappointed by the second, Shadow Scale. Unfortunately, Tess of the Road falls more toward the latter than the former, making for another disappointing foray into this setting.

While set in the same world and in roughly the same timeline as the first books (it covers a lot of ground thanks to flashbacks, so there's both overlapping and later events), and sharing as well some of the same characters in minor roles, Tess of the Road is meant to stand - and does - as its own novel, with no need to have read the others first.

Tess is one of a trio of sisters, with half-sister/half-dragon Seraphina as the oldest (by another mother) and Tess and Jeanne the younger twins. For reasons that are eventually revealed, the family has been pretending that Jeanne is the "oldest" twin so she might be the first to be marred, a goal that Tess has been working hard to achieve. When Jeanne does find a relatively wealth husband (thus saving the family), Tess thinks she might finally have her freedom from courtly requirements and family obligations. Jeanne wants her at her new home, though, while her parents want her in a convent. Nobody, meanwhile, seems much concerned about what Tess wants, especially after she makes a drunken spectacle of herself the night of Jeanne's wedding. Gifted a pair of fine leather boots by more-of-a-sister-than-she-seems Seraphina, Tess takes them as the "suggestion" they are meant as and heads out on her own to find her own way. Eventually she joins a childhood friend Pathka, a lizard-like "quiguti", on a mystical quest for one of seven world serpents. Tess has many adventures along the way and does eventually come into her own, though not before she resolves a past trauma and overcomes her mother's strict misogynistic religion.

For a good amount of time, about a quarter to a third of the book, this was about as close to a Did Not Finish as I've come to without actually quitting, with only my memory of how good Seraphina was convincing me to give it more of a chance. There's no doubt I would have put it down well before that if it hadn't been for my fond memory of Hartman's first novel. A main character doesn't need to be likable, but they do need to be compelling (more so if they are not the first), and Tess was neither. Whiny, drunken, self-focused-there was nothing particularly redeeming or interesting in her character or her story. The childhood flashbacks, the lead-up to the proposal, the wedding; it all felt like one great prologue, and I just couldn't figure out why I was spending my time reading about almost any of it. In classic writer's workshop style, I wanted to point to about 27% of the way in and say, "here is where your story begins."

Except even then, when she steps out onto the road, it didn't hold my attention much, as it became a meandering episodic story with what felt like random encounters that either didn't carry enough weight narratively or thematically or, on the flip side, became too obvious in their blunt connections to theme. The world serpent quest got bogged down in its own abstract mysticism, I quite often had a hard time with basic logistics and plausibility, and a parallel tale of Pathka and her/his (gender is more fluid in that species) offspring was at times too on the nose and other times too sporadic. And the flashbacks that eventually fill in what happened to Tess to turn her into the broken person we meet at the start come in fits and starts, sometimes with too much time between them and sometimes with spending too much time in them. Pacing, therefore, was a major problem. And I'm not sure the change we see in her or her life situation (and this holds true for another character as well) is earned at the end.

There are positive elements. The questions raised about the role of women, about consent, about unfair burdens of social responsibility, the often hateful attitude of religion toward women and toward the body. And Hartman offers up some strong passages/lines, as when for instance Tess notes that "There was nothing so fine it couldn't be spoiled by family," or when Pathka relates the great serpent myth.

But these moments were too few and far between and couldn't for me make up for the plodding start, the pacing issues, the episodic structure that couldn't seem to carefully select what to show and what not to show, muddy logistics, unlikable characters, and implausible or overly coincidental events. Tess of the Road ends with Tess about to strike out for more adventures, and while I can't recommend this book, assuming there is a sequel I'll give it a shot based on Seraphina and the flashes in Tess.

This was a book that surprised me in a lot of ways.

The most surprising part of Tess of the Road was that it was much more character-centric than it was focused on the plot, which I didn't expect. There is still definitely a plot, don't get me wrong, but Tess' personal journey was far more important than her physical journey. The personal and physical mesh, however, as Tess has to endure her own physical adventure in order to conquer her mental/personal challenges. If you are someone that prefers your books to have a decent bit of action and excitement, then this probably isn't one for you. If, however, you don't mind a slow-moving pace that acts more as a character study, then you will love Tess of the Road. This book is set in the same world as Hartman's Seraphina books, but the previous series is not required reading before starting this book.

In regards to the character of Tess: I really liked getting to know her. Despite the fact that she was often stubborn, reckless, and made poor decisions, there was still something about her that I was drawn to. I partially think that this is because Tess is someone that most of us can relate to in one way or another. She is most definitely not perfect and in fact makes quite a few less-than-glamorous decisions, but despite all of this... she dreams. She wants for more than what she is, she longs to not just be the side character in her--or anyone else's--life. Her journey was a long one, and at times I felt as if it were moving a bit too slowly, but then Tess would discover some new step or realization about herself and it all made sense again.

The other characters that Hartman introduces are also ones that always seem to be on a bit of a journey themselves. Everyone that Tess meets seems to be at a different stage in their life, which I found particularly interesting because they ended up making many of the same revelations as Tess.

Something that impressed and surprised was how relevant the topics in this book were despite time-period/fantasy setting of this book. The most prominent of these was the inclusion of a person with disabilities and a 'was-it-rape' scenario, both of which were included smoothly and in a smart, informative manner.



The reason that I've given this book only four stars, however, is because it did drag quite a lot in more than one area. I found myself getting a bit bored and frustrated at various times, wishing that the book would just move on and continue the story. This may have been a character-focused story, but it still needed plot to keep it going.

Hartman is clearly an adept writer who knows how to craft a passionate and well-written tale. The overall theme of this book to 'just keep walking the road' was told so well, and I really can't relate to it enough. The world-building is subtle, but distinct, and the creatures and magic within it are really something unique in fantasy. I feel like so much of what is in this novel can be best described as 'subtle,' but also incredibly beautiful and enchanting. If you're looking for a fantasy focused on characters and the world itself, then this is the book for you.

Overall, I've given Tess of the Road four stars!

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Children’s for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review

My expectations were quite high with this one, I think that actually sounds much better than it really is

This is a book that takes place in the same world as in Serafina, personally I haven’t read that book, but I think that if you have read it, you may enjoy more aspects of Tess of the Road

Tess is a very particular girl, in Goredd women must be ladies and men must perform the function of taking care of women, but Tess has other plans for her, she has always been rebel since she was little, always looking for adventures and getting into trouble. Until one day her parents decide to send her to a nunnery to correct her behavior for which she decides to escape pretending to be a boy, along the way she’ll meet a faithful friend, a dragon who will protect her in this adventure. But soon Tessa will realize that the past is a heavy burden to bear.

One of the things I enjoyed the most was the author’s writing style, I read that it has been one of the weak points for alot of people, but not for me. I feel that it’s obvious that she knows how to write in a very beautiful and lyrical way and although I really liked this aspect, it hasn’t been enough

I think that this book really doesn’t have a solid plot, the idea of reading about a character like Tess was unique to me because of the fact that I think she’s a character that is obviously very ahead of her time, she has very strong feminist thoughts and It doesn’t pigeonhole people according to their sex, which is brilliant for a character from the medieval era. Returning to the plot itself, I think the book has several moments where it seems that finally the plot reached its most important point but that actually never happens. It has brief moments where there is action but they’re cut very abruptly, which has prevented me from enjoying them 100%. Anyway, this is something very personal, maybe you enjoy this particular aspect, but I prefer when the plot is more solid and really is directed to something in particular.


The idea of the dragon is another of the things for which I wanted to read this book but it hasn’t been entirely convincing, I think that it lacks more development to this character and the promise has fallen short

I mentioned in my Goodreads Update that although the book is indicated as YA I have found that it leans more for the genre of MG, even though the ages of the characters are classic from YA, their behavior and the way in which the book is handle It seem pretty much MG.

Centralizing in Tess for a moment, I want to mention that although she’s a character who obviously has noble intentions, I think she has never fully matured. There are many moments where she simply ruins things for the other characters but never ends up recognizing that it was her fault, there are also moments where her rebel spirit reaches the limit turning into stupid, this makes me feel annoyed with her on several occasions. You know how important it’s for me the construction and development of the characters and I haven’t felt particularly atached with Tess, this obviously influences my rating a lot. So in summary I warn you about Tess I think she’s not an easy character to love

Sadly I’ve seen many people DNF this book, which is a shame, but in some way I get it, it’s built in a very messy way and I think it’s honestly too long when there is not much happening really

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Yes, I can understand some of the lower ratings. A lot happened. There were some coincidences that were.. interesting. However, the overall journey that Tess embarked on was amazing and spiritual and religious and eye opening and awful and wonderful. I would recommend this to advanced readers. The writing is great, but it’s complicated. The fantasy world is also a little complicated.

DNF at 41% (chapter 12). I really enjoyed the first couple chapters, before Tess goes on her journey, and then the story slows down to a crawl. I couldn't get into Tess's journey since there was basically nothing happening between point A and B and Tess changed into a sullen unlikeable character.

This is actually part of the Seraphina saga and is all about one of the sisters, Tess. Tess suffers from an uncontrollable urge to speak her mind and to act as she pleases which gets her into a lot of trouble and public scorn. After she gets out of hand at her sister's wedding, she dresses like a boy and runs away rather than be sent away. Tess is like a character out of a Jane Austen novel and she takes to the road rather well although it is not always easy and her traveling companions are unusual. Even if you have not read the other two books in the series you will still be able to pick up on this new world. Her defiance and sassy wit makes this not an easy read but one that is well worth the effort. Fantasy feminism at its best. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Tess Dombegh is ruined. When she was quite young, she met an ambitious young scholar who took advantage of her and left her in the family way. Since then, her main goal has been to find her twin sister, Jeanne, a husband that will save their family from their dire financial straits. Tess successfully finds Jeanne a husband, and after getting extremely drunk at their wedding and embarrassing herself and their entire family, she decides to run away.

Notice that I got through this description with nary a mention of dragons? There are dragons in this world. But only barely, hence the reason I didn't need to mention them in my synopsis. This is actually, I think, the weakest point of the book, but I'll come back to that later.

I am more conflicted about this book than I've been about any other book in recent memory. Tess, our main character, is insanely unlikable and unsympathetic, especially at the beginning. However, she's intentionally unlikable and its entirely because of the circumstances of her world are similar to that of Edwardian England in terms of how the ladies are treated. As Tess travels further down the road - often painstakingly slowly, the unnecessary and at times boring digressions in this book are legion - she learns more about who she is, who she wants to be, and how she can make her way in a world that sees her as less than a person because of her gender. Those parts, the introspective philosophical parts, I liked. Unfortunately, they were few and far between and were including in those aforementioned digressions that had nothing to do with the plot at large. My interest in the book would wax and wane in huge swings. I did finish it, and I even liked the ending, but wow, this was often a slog.

The thing that bothered me the most about the book was almost the complete waste of the worldbuilding. There were dragons and quigutl (sic), which are like the small, less ferocious cousins of dragons, and while a quigutl was a main character, that character could have easily been a jaded staff member, or really anything else. The fantasy world didn't add to the story, and sometimes, it distracted from Tess' character development, which, at the end of the day was the point of the entire novel. I think making this book pure historical fiction (and I loved the worldbuilding and fantasy setting in Seraphina, the companion series) would've made it a more impactful, better book.

Anyway, complaints aside, at times, I found myself really loving this book, mostly on the strength of Hartman's writing and the very important messaging regarding women's rights. Overall, though, the execution left something to be desired, at least for this reader. I won't be coming back for the sequel if there is one (everything was tied up nicely, but there definitely is room for another book), but I would definitely read another book by this author. 2 stars - it was ok.

Thanks to Random House Children's and Netgalley for the eARC that I received for review consideration. Tess of the Road is released on 27 February, but you can put your copy on hold today!