I give 5 stars to the book. I will be buying for the library and for my personal collection. Love the story and characters. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

DNF
Sadly I couldn't get into this. It's way too slow for my taste. I hoped that I would like it, since I love Hartman's quirky worldbuilding and her writing style. However the storyline is way too slow and too long wound for me

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

I really enjoyed the beginning. The story was a little slow but the voice carried me along. But then she ran away and the plot ceased to exist and I felt like I was being lectured with all the info-dumps and flashbacks. Not for me.

I wanted so badly to love this one, but I just couldn't get into it. The writing style didn't work for me and I was bored with it, so I couldn't force myself to continue. No one is more sad than I am, I was really looking forward to a dragon story!

I have a feeling this is a case of it's not you, it's me, but I absolutely despised the main character. That simple fact made the entire story feel like a chore to get through. I seem to be in the minority though, so I'll say read it if it sounds like your thing.

A touching allegory. It was an unusual fantasy novel, less about world building than character building. I really enjoyed the theme and the main characters. The people she meets are pretty one dimensional, but I love Tess. I also love the play between opposites and gender pronouns. Very cool.

I was really excited to read this book, mostly because it was supposed to be a really amazing novel with a badass protagonist and dragons, but truth be told, nothing exciting happened. There were mentions about magical creatures and dragons, but it was so slow and boring that I ended up stopping halfway through. And I hardly ever do that, because I think some books tend to get better as the story continues. Well, that wasn’t the case with this one.

I actually enjoyed the beginning of the story, but it was really confusing and I didn’t really followed the path of the story. The main character wasn’t my favorite, to be honest, and the flashbacks that happened in the story weren’t written properly, and I didn’t know if what I was reading was happening in the present or the past.

Overall, I didn’t like the plot nor the story, hence why I did not finish it, and I was expecting to read about dragons, and honestly? There wasn’t a lot of information about them, nor apparitions of those creatures in the story.

2.5 stars. Based on the description, positive press for both Tess and Seraphina, and the cover, I expected a high-adrenaline romp of a story. Unfortunately, Hartman missed the mark. Instead of being full of action and intrigue, Tess's quest is full of self-loathing and attempts at soothing her conscience. It takes a full 35% of the story to really get moving, but even then, the pace is inconsistent. Tess has many side "missions," some of which are stronger than the main story itself. There's too much filler, and too many come-and-go characters. Hartman tries to wrap everything together at the end, and it only *just* works. I have to give points for redemption - by the end of the story, Tess has learned to love herself, though even that felt a little forced. This isn't a terrible read by any means. I was just looking for more.

This was such a fun, entertaining read. I love the world that Rachel Hartman has created! Tess is such a fiesty, stubborn and fun character. I loved watching her grow! She started as a sullen teen, who lashed out at everyone and grew until she became a strong, capable woman. It was an absolute delight to journey with her!


ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

P. S. It took me awhile to read this simply because I started it, then had to backtrack. I highly recommend reading Seraphina and Shadow Scale before reading this. Just to get an idea of the world and some of the characters a little more clearly.

This book wasn’t for me. I decided not to review it on my site or any of the major retailers/Goodreads.

WOW, just wow! What a terrific book full of internal struggle and self reliance. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the world that was created. The characters are terrific.

A bit underwhelming and not very well written. The main girl was a bit too reserved and tough, also wasn't a well dialogue book.

I don't know of a nice way to say this, so I'm just going to come right out with it.

This book was really boring.

But in spite of the tedium, it was still well written.

Tess goes through a beautiful character arc throughout the book. She starts off as an angry, resentful, and dislikable girl who is bitter about the hand that life dealt her. As she sets aside her self-destructive ways and strikes out on her journey, she discovers who she is and finds the goodness in her heart. Through her interactions with people on the road and her experiences along the way, Tess becomes a different person. A strong, courageous, self-reliant girl who still isn't perfect, but she carves out a niche for herself.

That part of the story was lovely. However, the aimless wandering, the long explanations of quigutl language and traditions were tedious and hard to get through. While I loved the change Tess went through, I didn't like the tedium of getting there.

ess had always been an unruly girl. She had different ideas and could not keep herself from getting into trouble. Her parents, who were at a loss about how to handle Tess, decided to send her to a nunnery. Instead, Tess ran away and disguised herself as a man. She reunited with a quigutl, a species related to dragons, and set out to search for the mythological World Serpent. As Tess embarked on her journey, she made many friends along the way that taught her about life. Tess realized that the true journey is to find herself.

Tess of the Road is a companion novel to Seraphina. At first, it took me some time to warm up to Tess. She is different from Seraphina. Seraphina is composed, intelligent, and thoughtful. Tess seemed rude, selfish, and temperamental. However, once I got more into Tess’s story she became a real and lovable character. I truly felt that I understood her. She had suffered from a tragic past. She was always looking to heal her past. She learns that the past is who she is and learns to accept it. Tess is also a very compassionate person. As she heals and develops friendships with others along the road, she heals herself.

Overall, Tess of the Road is a journey of friendship, healing, forgiveness, and acceptance. The message of the novel is to learn to love yourself. Each of the characters play a role in shaping Tess’s character. Some of them are also on a quest of healing and self-discovery themselves. Therefore, each of the characters had a purpose and played a meaningful part in the story. The medieval setting of Tess of the Road was very realistic and did an excellent job in showing that women had very few options. After reading Tess of the Road, I’m very impatient for the sequel! Tess of the Road is a thought-provoking story that lingers with you! This is one of the most profound fantasies that I have read this year! I recommend this novel not only for women, but also to those who need a little inspiration and encouragement on their own life’s road.

*I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*
WOWZA! I really loved Tess, I had completely forgotten she was Seraphina's sister but this book just amazed me. Tess is wildly different from the normal heroine. She is complicated, unruly, and unhappy with her life. I loved that she decided to make her own path, and that at some point she had to stop caring what other people wanted her to do with her life. I get why people didn't like it, but I freaking loved it. Just like I loved Seraphina and Shadow Scale. Do you want beautiful world building? Do you want deep and complex characters? Do you want a dissection on a host of various social issues from rape culture to the victimization of the 'non-virginal' women of the world? If yes, please pick this book up because I cannot right a review to encapsulate this book.

Musings:


Tess of the Road follows Tess’s journey on the road to finding herself and turning running away into running toward. There are parts of this novel I love and parts of this novel that frustrated me. However, despite all that, the core message of this novel resonated with me.

What I Loved:

Tess is a flawed human who is learning all the time. Not only is Tess flawed, but the novel gives the why. How she was raised made her think that she was worth dirt. She goes through life thinking that she was born evil. During the time she’s on the road and reflects over her past and what she wants finding happiness in the strength of her feet propelling herself forward. It’s something that inspires me. She changes.

Her friendship with Pathka. Pathka is a creature that Tess befriended when she was young. Pathka is also flawed, but somehow the way they lean on each other and help each other grow inspired me.

The World Serpent. I love magical creatures and I was so excited to see this particular creature living inside Tess of the Road. Especially after watching a play through of God of War.


Tess’s backstory. Our main characters backstory is harsh and unforgiving yet full of mischief. I honestly feel like the book could have been stronger if it’s entirety past and present showed that sort of struggle.

What I Didn’t Like:

The beginning. There was a lot of things about the pacing of the beginning that made me feel like I was slogging through the novel. It felt like nothing was happening and I felt bored.

The weird language. This might just be a me thing, but it went from really complicated words to cussing language pretty often and that through me off. It was like the Author was trying to smash together to appeal to new and older audiences and I wish she would have just chosen one.

Final thoughts:

Tess of the road has a message and ending that redeems its beginning. I really enjoyed parts of this novel and I wish I could have said it’s entirety was great.

I loved loved loved this book! Hartman is such a fantastic storyteller and writes deeply compelling young female characters who are searching for meaning and identity in ways that readers of all ages can relate to. I can't wait for her next book.

Thank you to JRachel Hartman, Random House Children’s, Random House Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “Tess of the Road” for an honest review.

Do you like damsels and dragons? Do you like Young Adult and Fantasy? You will find all of that RIGHT HERE. But you will find so, so, so much more. a

Tess of the Road is a marvel of #metoo movement for the current YA generation of readers (and all those, of any age, who love both Young Adult Literature and have their pulse on the best representations coming out about it).

This a story about suffering and the great long path from it, how hard it can be, how cruel the world can be, but that there are endless reasons never to give up, and that effort wasn’t for nothing. It’s an acknowledgment that no matter how alone you feel, you are never truly alone, and no matter how far down society thinks they can push you, you can still be relisent, both in strong and soft ways, giving their labels no mind to you.

I haven't read Seraphina, so I was afraid I'd be a little behind while reading this. Tess of the Road is not quite a sequel, not quite a companion. Tess is half sister to Seraphina, so it's a continuation of the world, and I would have liked to have more of an understanding of the beings and nations, but I picked up on them pretty quickly.
This book is an incredible story of finding your way after you hit rock bottom. I loved the way Tess's story slowly unraveled to share abandonment, abuse, over the top religious restriction, and many other things in her past that she had to come back from. I related to so much of her story that it had me clutching at my heart in so many places.

TW: suicidal ideation, alcoholism, rape/assault, abuse