Tess Dombergh is stubborn, a troublemaker, a disappointment to her family, and destined for life in a nunnery. After making a scene at her sister’s wedding, Tess pulls up her boots and runs away, setting out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.
The plot of the book is aimless, the goal of Tess’s journey, to find a fabled World Serpent, Anathuthia, takes a back seat for most of the book. This isn’t an easy book to go through – Tess has serious baggage (I would not recommend this book to many younger readers), and in the end, her story is not about finding Anathuthia, but learning how to live within her own skin and to just keep going.
While I greatly enjoyed this book, and would recommend reading it, I will warn you: you might not like this book. Not everyone is going to like it, and if you look at other reviews, many have talked about how much they don’t like it. But, in the end, like Tess, this is not a story that needs to be liked. It needs to be heard.

If I could give feedback on the writing style alone this would be a solid 5 stars because it is written so beautifully that immediately I was drawn into this world and eager to follow Tess wherever she went, but unfortunately the more I read the less I cared to the point that this was almost a DNF as the prose itself wasn’t enough to save it.

I liked Tess a lot from the moment we are introduced to her as a child orchestrating a fake marriage in order to learn more about the world of women, she was smart and witty and I liked seeing her go off on this adventure like a character out of her favorite pirate books in order to better evolve and work through her issues instead of just accepting her fate but I don’t know if it was just me but not a lot happens or at least nothing too exciting or like we were leading up to something it was pretty stagnant all the way through.

I’ve never read the Seraphina books so I can’t speak to them, but I was excited to see this world and hopefully transfer over to that series but I think I might hold off for a bit, however I think those who read the former first might enjoy this book even if it focuses on a different sister and far less about dragons.

**thank you to netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

--Review will be posted to my blog [ https://thebookshelfcorner.wordpress.com/ ] and my Goodreads page around mid-February. --

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. Tess of the Road is set to be released February 27, 2018.

I have conflicting feelings about this book; more meh than good. I was sort of underwhelmed by the whole of it. There wasn't enough action or action that made a statement or not enough suspense. Not to mention there were one too many flashbacks. And herein lies the crux of my diametrically opposed feelings.

Tess of the Road is a story of self-exploration and redemption. It exudes the questions: how can one pick themselves back up when they feel they've fallen lower than the dirt they walk upon? how does one move forward when weighted down by the unforgiving chains of the past?

The beginning was bold but cringe-worthy as readers see a "small" sample of the kind of life Tess has lived up to this point in her life. It's sad and you feel for her, and part of you may or may not want to root for her. But Tess embodies an undeniable strength, one she has yet to realize.

Tess is someone people can relate to and respect. She's made countless detrimental mistakes either in the eyes of her very strict and religious mothers or in those around her. Or more importantly the detrimental flaws and mistakes Tess sees within herself. It's enough to make even the strongest of us crumble and never find ourselves again. But Tess's journey on the road offers much food for thought as - through flashbacks and interactions with various folks - she struggles to come to terms with where her life has gone and where it can go next.

As much as I admire the concept of the story and Tess's character, I was lost more often than not because of terms and language used. I either stumbled over or couldn't understand couldn't. I'm all for inventing new language and meaning in fiction but in this novel was too obscure. I think it would have been helpful to have included a glossary at the end.

My favorite parts of the story didn't come until 3/4 of the way through where we get the road crew scenes. These scenes were unexpectedly hilarious and highly endearing. I kind of wished the entire novel was sprinkled with such humor.

I feel that Tess of the Road has a lot to offer readers; it just wasn't the book for me.

Tess of the Road was full of surprises. When I was sent the ARC, I honestly didn't realize it was written in the world of Seraphina, which was fairly popular when it came out. I read Seraphina, but not its sequel, and I had hoped this book wouldn't rely too much on that world since I barely remember the plot. Not that Seraphina was a bad book, mind you.

A quick-and-dirty summary: Tess is living in a courtly society where she is expected to be virtuous, quiet, well-mannered and pretty so that she can find a rich husband and settle down to have many babies. Tess is the kind of girl who wants a life of adventure, though, much to her mother's dismay. She finds herself in a spot of trouble and ends up becoming her own sister's maidservant at court. Don't worry, though, she doesn't stay at court for long -- and you'll soon be introduced to a world of humans, dragons and giant mythical serpents.

Which brings me to a quick comment on Rachel Hartman's writing style. I saw a lot of comments online about how Tess of the Road seemed slow-going, or how it was "anti-climactic." If you actually think about Hartman's plot, this isn't true -- she just doesn't write melodrama. Not that every other author does, but still. Hartman's writing style is a bit detached, a bit matter-of-fact, though Tess's story is more emotional than Seraphina (in my opinion). I personally enjoyed this writing style, as it was a little off-the-beaten-path for me.

As far as characters: Tess is, in my opinion, one of those main characters that people either love or absolutely despise. A lot of reviewers called her "unlikable" and complained about her thought process and about how she did or didn't deal with family, friends, or herself. I actually liked Tess. I don't necessarily agree with everything she did or said, but I really enjoyed her story and I thought she was fairly well-written. There was only one point in the story when I was like, "Wait... what? Why is she pretending this didn't just happen?" But then my issue was addressed, and it was all smoothed over.

The secondary characters were all pretty good, too -- one of them comes back at the end in a way I never would have guessed. Tess's childhood friend is another well-developed character, and even the smallest characters along Tess's journey were memorable.

This book toes the line between a carefree story about a young woman on an adventure and an emotional story about trauma and finding oneself. Tess has a grim backstory, and it went even further than I originally suspected, but the full brunt of it isn't revealed in one go. It's hinted at often, but peeled back in short bursts, as so not to make the story too heavy. This works well overall, though sometimes the heavy hinting and little emotional outbursts from Tess are a bit much.

If you're wondering whether you have to have read Seraphina in order to understand the book, the answer is no. It would help you understand how the world works, how human-Dragon interactions work, how the government operates, and what the Quigtl are, but it isn't absolutely necessary.

Overall, I'm giving Tess of the Road four out of five stars. I'd give it four and a half if we gave out half-stars, but we don't.  I truly enjoyed reading this story, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure stories, coming-of-age stories, trauma survivor stories, fantasy in general, or stories with strong female main characters.

I really liked this book. I was anxious to keep reading it to find out what happened. But the main character lacked a focus and a purpose. Other than that, I loved it. The friend quigutl was amazing ---I loved it. Very creative characters and species. It would be very enticing to live in a world in which you could solve interpersonal disputes by biting one another!

It is well worth the read and I will go back and read Seraphina as I enjoyed this a lot.

Rachel Hartman scores another home run with "Tess of the Road," another story set in the world of Seraphina. Young readers will identify with Tess and her adventures, and it doesn't hurt that the book is excellently written.

DNF @ 12 percent

Ugh, glad I stopped. This was, honestly, really slow and I’m ~65 pages in and there’s still…. no dragons that are a main part of the plot. If books are going to be over five hundred pages I prefer for them to be fast-paced?? I think this story will work well for other readers, but I was bored.

I enjoyed the feminist aspects of it, especially in a fantasy world based off medieval times – and the world-building was awesome, but besides that,,,,,,,, bleh. There were also times when the characters used some modern day slang, like <i>”suck it up”</i> and other terms.

I would recommend this for those who don’t mind slowly-paced high fantasies.

After being bitterly disappointed by Shadow Scale, I was tentatively optimistic to read Tess of the Road. A friend reviewed it quite highly so I decided to go for it. And I'm really glad I did. It's a book about journeys, but not just the walking kind - there are emotional journeys contained within it. Those emotional arcs kept me invested in the core of the story, even as the outlandish adventures kept things rolling plot-wise. It's a book about how love doesn't have to stay the same to remain worth it; about the ways we view ourselves in relationship to others, and how those views can change; about the baggage of emotional and physical trauma, and how to lighten that load; and most of all, a book about Tess's relationship with herself, and how she walks her way into understanding and freedom. It's a meaty book, but one that's well worth the effort.

I will start by saying that I love the cover of this book.
Tess is a seemingly headstrong girl who is being punished for something by her family but she endures it because of the love she has for her twin. When she takes things to far her family arrange to send her to a nunnery but with a little help she sets off on her own. On her journey meets friends, aids in a rescue, goes in search of an ancient being and finds a bit of danger.
Ultimately, this book is about figuring out who you are and being true to that which is great and an awesome message for any reader. The problem is that the pacing is not great. I found this book slow overall. So much happens in this book and there is definitely more going on than originally seems but you must have the patience to get to it. I personally would have liked to know a few things sooner, the storytelling is not what I would call direct, and there are a number of flashbacks as well. I am interested to see if there will be a follow up because while it does not end on a cliffhanger I do have questions.

This story is the quintessential journey of someone who is out to change their world. Unlike most cases, Tess isn't a knight and it's not a plucky squire and a impeccable horse accompanying her, it's a dragon she meets on the road. Overall, I liked Tess as a character and liked following her journey, but the beginning was difficult to fall into.

Tess of the road is an unusual, funny, and moving exploration of a woman's place in the fantasy world created by Rachel Hartman. I felt compelled to keep reading the book and enjoyed all of the adventures that Tess got up to on the road. The book is unexpected and engaging, going into Tess's history and how it will shape her future. It's nice to follow a heroine's path, especially one who is stubborn and angry, and not skilled at martial arts.

Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: This one I was so excited to get to read I loved this author's other books where this spun from called Seraphina!

Check out author's other books? YES
Recommend this book? YES

Notes and Opinions: This book was a little slower than I would have liked but so were the Seraphina titles. These are books that are a slow burn are all about the story! They are some of the most amazing stories that I have read that come alive with magic and fantasy! This one although not directly about dragons is a coming of age story that I couldn't put down. I do wish that we would have gotten more dragons like the other books but this one was still very good. If you are looking for something to take your time with then check this one out the story won't do you wrong.

Go Into This One Knowing: Another great story!

This book was reviewed by Lauren

When I requested this, I didn't realize this was related to another series. I ended up picking through the comments on goodreads and finding that most people suggested reading the other books before this one to better understand how the world worked.
I won't lie - I was a little bit lost but other than that I really did enjoy this book. It was well written and I really liked Tess. I found the character to be real. This book had some triggers throughout, but none that really affected me to a substantial degree. I just wasn't quite expecting them, you could say.

I came upon Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman not realizing it was the spin-off to Seraphina. Although it's been a while since I read Seraphina, the fact that it was a spin-off definitely intrigued me.

Tess of the Road is told from the perspective of Tess, the younger sister of Seraphina and the sister who is neither a saint or sweet. She's bold and adventurous, which often gets her in trouble. Because of the mistakes she has made in the past, she's doomed to a future of either being a caretaker or staying at a nunnery, a future she most definitely does not care for. With a little nudge from Seraphina, she quits her family to seek an adventure like in the story her mother used to read to her. On the way, she meets an old friend of hers she lost touch with long ago: a quigutl named Pathka. From there, they travel the road by foot to seek the World Serpent.

The best way to describe Tess of the Road is conscious. Told in third person, it does an excellent job of capturing both the flaws and the positive traits of characters. While Tess is made out to be audacious and adventurous, she is in no way valiant. She tries not to be the selfish and careless person she comes off as to others, but she still makes choices for herself sometimes. Although Tess thinks she has sacrificed her time to laboriously seek a suitor for her twin sister, her sister also gets a say on the situation from her perspective. Even Seraphina is flawed, constantly stealing the show, but she also proves herself to be considerate.

It's all very raw, and the story is eye-opening and mature in that way and more. For example, one of the bigger themes in the story is sexuality. This is very much a coming-of-age story, but the growing up is mostly through reflection on the past. Although Pathka is older, the creature is not made out to be wiser. Both Tess and Pathka get a chance to reflect throughout their search for the World Serpent. There's a parallel between the two friends' stories, even though they have been separated for years.

One aspect of the story I had hoped for more of is the dragon culture. Dragon culture plays a decent part in the bildungsroman and in the plot, but I didn't feel immersed in it. The focus of the book seems to be more on the people Tess meets and on her reflection of her relationship with the man she had once cared for. I was also expecting more of a swash-buckling adventure and a more casual-building romance, but I did enjoy reading about what she learns from her encounters.

The world-building, despite the fact that I wanted more of it, comes at a good, casual pace. I especially love the imagery, which is meant to be more gritty than elegant. Instead of shoving the fact that Tess is a bold character and not at all the perfect protagonist down readers' throats, Hartman writes gorgeous lines like this one:

It was past midsummer, and the plum tree was dropping fruit onto the bricked walkways, little plummy bombs that fermented in the sun and got the bees drunk.
Although I wouldn't approve of everything Tess does, I do find her a relatable character. Another thing that makes this book different is that the ending is not your typical happily-ever-after. Luckily, there's a sequel because it has left me with some unanswered questions. All in all, I rate this story 3.5 stars, not bad for a book that is more laid-back than what I typically enjoy reading.

I received this advanced reader copy from the publishing company in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 15%

Blogger Problem #74: Being blinded by the excitement surrounding an ARC that you accept it without completely thinking it through.

Seraphina was a real struggle for me to get through, especially when all my blogger friends were raving about it. Despite this, I still picked up Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2) and ended up DNF-ing. Even though Tess of the Road is not classified as Seraphina #3, it really is. It’s set in the same world, most of the same characters, just focusing on a different main character. Same series, spin-off series, either way… I really should have skipped over this one. Hartman’s world building is spectacular but I continue to struggle with the pacing of her stories.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I received a copy through Net Galley in exchange for review. I give it 3.7 stars.

Tess of the Road is a young woman's somewhat rambling, heart breaking journey of self discovery.
The strange thing was the longer I read this, the more the plot made sense, the more I finally understood what Tess had been through, that her family was as much to blame for her life and issues, and rather traumatic events, as her own decisions.
Faced with no way out of a convent or looking after her sister's future children, forbidden to marry, Tess has not much a future, and the events of her past, heartbreaking and sad that someone so young should lose so very much.
She runs away and truly finds herself and what she's capable of, what she can do with her own hands and her two feet, that perhaps the world has much more to offer her, she just has to make her own way and "walk on".

I have to say having read at least one of Rachel Hartman's books, I had mixed feeling about this. It was a struggle for 60% of the book to will myself to keep going, she waits so long to fully explain the events that truly sent Tess into her situation. I found in the end it was worth the read, I might even decide to follow Tess on her next leg of the journey. But for some reason this really felt like a prequel to me, it took so long setting this tale up.
If you haven't read Seraphina, this world and the creatures that inhabit it, especially the language and words made up will be more difficult to grasp. I'd read that first to give yourself an idea if you'd want to continue with Tess's story.

This was a story that truly kept my interest with secrets unfolding continually! I enjoyed the flashbacks to explain the situation at the moment! In so many ways I could relate to Tess! Poor Tess finds herself in sticky situations and tried to find her way over and over! An excellent read!! I would definitely recommend this book!! Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book!!

I went into this story completely blind to the world and the characters. I loved following Tess on her journey, especially since we get to have a peek into her life as a child and her relationships with her parents and siblings. She is an incredibly complex and emotional character, and the way that Rachel weaves the issues into Tess's everyday life was nuanced and natural. I never felt like I was being hit with all these issues or moments of the past, despite the fact that once you realize what happened in Tess's past reader's can see how it has been a part of the book from the beginning.

The world is colorful and interesting. I have to admit I was slightly confused by the different people/ species (like dragons and half dragons) and the way they fit, or didn't fit, into the society. By the end I had a good idea but I think that reading the previous two books would have really helped with this in particular. There were also times I thought the plot dragged on a little, and though sometimes it really worked, since Tess is kind of figuring it out as she goes, as I neared the end I found myself trudging along slightly. That being said I thought that the medieval ideas mixed with the old lore of Saints and dragons and magic was unique and enchanting. Seraphina's character was especially fun to experience and helped set up all the complexities of this world.

If you were a fan of the previous two books, I can't help but think you will love this one as well. From what I could tell, Seraphina and Tess are very, very different women, but have shared traits of strength and resilience and intelligence that any fantasy-loving feminist will love. I also think that if you liked Unrooted, you will like this book, and probably this series (if you haven't read it already.

Smart and enchanting, Tess of the Road is a magical story of a woman who doesn't know where she's going but pushes forward anyway, taking each and every obstacle in stride and still finding a way to stay true to herself and the things of her past that has shaped her into the woman she is.

Feeling thrilled to say that I loved this book so very much. I have been waiting years to read this story. And I finally had the chance to do so now. It did not disappoint. I have so much to share about this book. I don't know how I will get to it all. But I will try my best. This book was pretty much amazing. But also very heartbreaking.

Which makes me feel the need to mention that this book is full of subjects that can be hard to read about. Tess has been through a lot. And it's mentioned often. It's so heartbreaking and cruel, yet I handled it pretty well. I loved reading her story. But yes. It is very sad. And full of details at times. But also very, very worth reading.

I am giving this precious book five stars. Because I loved it like crazy. Tess of the Road is a companion book to Seraphina and Shadow Scale. Set in the same world, around five years after the end of the second book. And it's written from the point of view of Tess, whom is the human half-sister of Seraphina. I also need to mention that despite the very stunning dragon on the cover of this book, this story is not about dragons. Although there are dragons in this world, they are not really included in this book. And I didn't mind that at all. I would call this a soft-fantasy novel, if that's a thing. It focus almost entirely on Tess and her journey to kind of find herself. Still fantasy, but not that much of it. I did not mind, though. Because I loved Tess like crazy. I loved her story.

This book tells the story about Tess. She is sixteen years old for most of the book, though a lot of it focus on her past as well, with some flashbacks telling what she was up to as a child and such. And all of those scenes were wonderful to read about. I mean, some of them just about killed me with heartbreak, but they were written excellently. At first, Tess is very much an awful person. She gets drunk every day, she lashes out in anger towards everyone. But she has her reasons for this. And those reasons are good. And rude.

The way Tess was in the beginning of this book was a bit hard to read about. She was so broken. And she had such angry thoughts at times too, towards her family especially. I can't help but say that I really didn't like the way she saw Seraphina. Hmph. As she wasn't like that at all in her own books. But I guess that is how a siblings views someone, lol. And oh, their poor father. My heart is aching for him. But gosh, Tess's mother. I cannot with this woman. She deserves death. Cannot help but say so. She was horrible.

There is so much I wish to share about this book, and I'm probably going to share a bit too much, but not many spoilers. Just details that I wish to talk about. Like Tess and her family. She has a twin sister, whom I cannot decide how I felt about. She was kind and sweet at times, yet pretty blind too. And just not kind enough, not the way Tess needed her. And their mother. It kills me, how she made Tess be as broken as she was. And their father. Sigh. He simply was not there. I liked the glimpse of her grandmother, though.

Not going to talk much about the plot of this story, or what happens to make it so. Just a little bit. Tess and her family has been going through some hard years, because the truth of her dad and his earlier dragon relationship came out. Because of this, Tess has had to work hard for her or for her sister to marry well, to save their family. Tess ended up broken because of something to do with this. Her sister ends up married, and probably happy with that. And then Tess ended up running away after her sister's wedding, all alone.

This book is about Tess being on the road. Running from her family, running from her past life. She is pretty awful at the beginning of the book, yet I could always see her heart, and she wasn't that bad. But she changes a lot on this journey. It takes about a year, and so much happens in between. She meets a lot of people, and I loved that a lot. Always interesting and exciting. And there is so much to learn about Tess too. Getting to know her past, piece by piece, it just about killed me. Was so good, but so sad too.

I am not going to say what has happened to her. But know that it was bad. And it was not just one thing. There was a bunch of things. And I can't believe how strong Tess is, to manage to bear it all. Yeah, she handles it badly at times, but she's still so strong and so fierce. I loved her the most. She also travels with a childhood friend, Pathka, whom is a quigutl. I would describe him as a mix between animal and dragon. They are human sized, I think, and pretty ugly. But Tess understands his language, and he is her friend.

I'm not going to mention too much about everything that happens. As I don't have the words to describe everything, and I have already written way more than I should have, haha. But yeah. I loved this book a lot. And I enjoyed reading about Pathka too, though I must admit that he was all kinds of disgusting and awful at times. Yet a good friend most of the time, and fun to read about too. Though he was a horrible mother, just saying. But still. This book was full of interesting and awesome characters to get to know.

I almost forgot to mention something about this book that was very important. Glad that I remembered it just in time. These books is part history too, seems like they are set very far in the past. While this wasn't such a big thing in Seraphina, it was a huge deal in this book, and in the world of Tess. There is a lot of focus on women having to marry, being virgins, and such. It was pretty heartbreaking to read about, and some of it made me so angry too. But it was all very fascinating to read about as well. I enjoyed all of it.

I cannot help but mention that there are small parts of Seraphina in this book too. Not her point of view, sadly, but there are views of her. And I got to know a bunch of things that have happened with her, and I am beyond happy with it all. Eee. I mean, I want more, much more, of course. But so happy with these small things. A little bit confused about some of it, but it was amazing to get to know more details about Seraphina and her life. It made my heart so happy. Hoping that she will be a little bit in book two as well.

There is not a lot of romance in this book. And there is an important reason for that. And so I did not mind at all. Though there are much more hints of it near the end of the book, and oh, I really do ship Tess with this person. Yet I cannot help but feel like it will not happen by the end of this duology. Hmph. How rude. But either way, I'm super excited to know for sure how this series will end. I adore Tess. And cannot wait to read how her story ends. I'm sure it is going to be all kinds of epic and amazing. I am so excited for it.

I really think you should all read this book. Tess of the Road was everything I was hoping it would be and more. I loved every moment of this stunning book. Reading about Tess, learning her story, all of it was so incredible. I can't wait for the second and final book. I need to know more about this precious girl. Though I fear it might kill me a bit too. And I can't wait for it. This isn't a usual fantasy book, and I didn't mind that one bit. I'm hoping you will all give it a chance. Because it was truly wonderful. I loved this book so much.

I loved this book. I love this book. I LOVE this book!

I adored Seraphina and Shadow Scale, but at times I felt like they dragged. This flew by and was just endearingly beautiful. I'm always drawn to flawed characters, but I fell in love with Tess. At the start of the story she is broken and watching how she puts herself back together took my breath away. And not for nothing, it's huge to find a YA book that deals with how toxic abstinence-only education can be.