Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for giving me this book to review.

Tess of the Road is a companion novel to Seraphina, but I did not grab me like that book. I think my main problem with this book was that was really slow paced, and it isn’t what I want in an adventure fantasy novel. I like to escape into a book and leave the realistic things in the real world, but this book was not an easy read as it is emotionally draining, which meant this book was more about Tess learning to accept the past and herself and less about having a fun adventure.

Tess is an interesting character and at some points I liked her with her stubbornness but also how emotionally damaged she was, but at other times she seemed so selfish, spiteful and unable to compromise that I just could not connect with her.

While I DNF Tess of the Road at 44% I would still recommend it to those who enjoyed Seraphina but are looking for a book about self-discovery rather than adventure.

I loved Tessa!! This is one of my new favorites and I am so glad I was able to review it. Great characters both human and beast, a perfectly written setting, and a plot that leaves you needing more at the end.

I wanted so much more from this book.

That's not to say that it is awful and there isn't an audience for it, but I wasn't hooked. I didn't care for the character or story and the writing left much to be desired.

The prose is undeniably well written, but unfortunately the story left a lot to be desired.

Things happen, and characters move around a bit, but nothing exciting ever really happens. There's lots of small moments with heavy-handed moralistic messages to be had, but I just couldn't get into the way it was delivered.

I've never read any of the Seraphina books, and unfortunately, this book has retroactively put my interest off Rachel Hartman's earlier series.

For those of you drawn to this book because of the prospect of dragons - as I was - look elsewhere, as that is a promise left totally unfulfilled.

For those of you who were first drawn to this title because of the cover (and dragons) like I was, realize that you'll be disappointed. Tess of the Road isn't bad, it's incredibly well written but slow. The slowness of the story made it hard to appreciate the world building (languages, creatures, lands!) for it seems like nothing was ever really accomplished.
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I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Growing up in the kingdom of Goredd, Tess has always had a spirit for adventure, though her mom continuously warns her it will lead to ruin and damnation. When Tess's impetuousness gets the better of her one time too many, her parents plan to send her to a convent. Tess, unable to bear the thought of being a nun, starts traveling south disguised as a boy and hoping to outrun her past. On her journey, Tess runs into Pathka, her quitugl childhood friend, and the two go on a search for the Anathuthia, the giant serpent of quitugl myth.

I did not realize until I started reading the book that Tess is the half sister of Seraphina, heroine of another series by Miss Hartman. I have not yet read the Seraphina books, but this book makes me want to check it out soon!

This book was a wonderful blend of both fantasy and character-driven plot. I enjoyed following both the quest for the Anathuthia and Tess's growth as a person throughout the story. I will be curious to see if the sequel becomes more plot-driven or if Tess still has more growing to do in the second book. I definitely look forward to reading the sequel!

Tess of the Road is one of the most mature and eloquent YA books that I have had the pleasure of reading for a long while. It is a slow-burn story that is the very definition of "character driven." As a high school teacher, I can see a lot of teenagers getting frustrated with the deliberate, measured pace of Hartman's story, given that it doesn't swing from intense action to an intense love story like a frenetic Tarzan--like many YA books that I can think of. It's a thoughtful book that allows our heroine to grow from an infuriating, listless protagonist to someone that we can root for. I will definitely be shelving this one in my classroom bookshelf--and I'll be finding another copy for my personal one as well.

It was a slow read, with not a lot of excitement. Tess was a believable, girl-power character, which I appreciated and liked.

I actually didn’t finish this book. I really tried to like it the book itself had a cool premise and the writing was really great but it seemed to drag on for most of the book. I only got to around halfway. I just couldn’t get into the characters I felt no connection with the book and they were just traveling for the whole thing. Really wished I liked it.

I don't think anyone writes a better dragon book than Rachel Hartman. Her novels unfold with such grace and beauty and are so utterly compelling that they are nearly impossible to put down. Additionally, I love how Hartman was able to explore such important thematic elements, like consent, womanhood, religion and more, making it an excellent book for discussion. Those who read and enjoyed Hartman's "Seraphina" books won't be disappointed and those who haven't, have something to look forward to starting with "Tess of the Road." Truly a must have for every library collection.

For the love of all things stabby, I finished an ARC!

Yes....I know it was a full 2.5 months LATE, but I still finished despite SAD hitting me hard this year!

Mark of accomplishment to me.

All the awards.

*THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE*

I should probably get to the actual review now, right?

Right.

Tess of the Road follows Seraphina's little sister Tess on her journey to...well...spoilers. This is set in the medieval kingdom of Goredd, which adheres to all things medieval. Women are supposed to be pure, little dainty things hiding under the protection of men. (Can you see my eye roll from where you sit? You should.) Tess, however, runs away after being deemed a "troublemaker" whose family wants to put her in a nunnery. POINTS OFF FOR THE TERRIBLE ABUSIVE MOTHER.

Tess starts out as a broken hearted, lonely girl, whose only solace is in wine. <<
You: Now Jess, why on earth did you only give this 3 stars if you enjoyed it.

Me: I have my reasons.

You: Doubtful.

Me: DON'T JUDGE ME YOU FOOL!

Reasons why this only got 3 stars, despite me enjoying it:

1. It was so incredibly slow that I was literally BORED OUT OF MY SKULL DESPITE THERE BEING THE EXISTENCE OF DRAGONS for about 60% of this book. The prose was excellent, but the story fell flat at the beginning.
2. The entire side story of Pathka and Kikiu (the quigutls) left much to be desired.
3. Tess hated on Seraphina for a large chunk of this book and Seraphina is a character dear to my heart. You leave her alone!
4. Not. Enough. Dragons.
5. Not knowing if there will be a second book.

TW: This does contain references of rape, as well as emotional abuse from a mother to child.

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman was a difficult story to get into. I appreciate the opportunity to read this, but I will probably wait until the summer to try and read it again. This was just not catching my attention.

I thought this was an incredible example of character driven YA. I would definitely recommend it. While it was in the fantasy realm, it would appeal to everyone.

Hartman's writing is gorgeous, but the lack of plot got to me. I loved the first couple chapters, but my attention rapidly waned. Seraphina had a slow pace, but this one's even slower. I may try again when the series is complete, but I don't think I was going to like this if I tried to finish it now.

I have been trying to finish this book since the beginning of February. I read the ebook that was kindly provided to me, then I listened to the audiobook when the book was released to the rest of the world. Still, I couldn't finish.
I am not quite sure why Tess of the Road didn't jive with me. I really wanted to like it, as I was incredibly excited at the premise, the cover and the reviews it had been getting from some of my other friends. However, once the story got going, I got overwhelmed. I think that the world was too dense for me. Maybe if I had read Seraphina first, I would have understood what was happening better. However, a lot of the world building felt rushed and went right over my head. I also think that the writing style was just not for me. It felt very dense, just like the world building. I was so confused about what was happening once Seraphina left the castle that it was hard for me to keep reading. I knew that she was going somewhere to find some turtles who held up the earth (maybe that was just why Pathka was going), but that was about it. I will say that Tess is somewhat of an unlikeable narrator that I actually really loved. I also loved Tess's younger sister, who was incredibly sweet. I also was interested in Tess's friend, Pathka, but the character was so fantastical that I couldn't picture it in my head. I think that some people will really love this book. I know that a lot of people have rated it highly. Still, I struggled with it for so long that I don't think it would be worth it to continue.
Rating:
DNFed at 75%
-Jaime

I had heard great things about this one, but I was so excited to read it. Sadly it wasn't for me. I didn't enjoy the main character at all, and the story was super slow to start.

This book is absolutely phenomenal. I am a huge fan of SERAPHINA and Hartman's writing style, but I can't help but feel as though Hartman has really hit her stride in this latest novel that tackles feminism, consent, sex, autonomy, adventure, and finding your path and is a wonderful adventure to boot. I've been talking this one up so much that the hold list at my library just keeps growing, and I know that TESS is already one of my top favorites on 2018.

I had heard about Tess of the Road on a webinar about forthcoming Young Adult novels. Rachel Hartman tells the story of Tess Dombegh, a rebel against the expectations and strictures she labors under. She decides to run away south rather than join a nunnery as her family wants after her latest dust-up on her twin sister's wedding night. Over the course of her journey, Tess explores her past and comes to terms with what she is just in time to join an expedition to find another World Serpent. She had already had an epiphany when she met the first World Serpent on her trip south. Plenty of angst, plenty of adventure, and plenty of relationships, family and otherwise.

I. Loved. This. Book.

I've never read any of Hartman's other books, but jumped into this one for my lunchtime book - while simultaneously reading "Girl in the Tower" by Katherine Arden in the evenings at home (a pretty good complement, in fact!). It took me a minute to get into, since it starts off with a VERY different Tess from the one we leave the book with, confined to a servant-like state of existence with mean, uncaring parents, and a world of proper-etiquette-court-behavior to comply with. I didn't love this existence, and was perfectly set up for the break out. I LOVED Pathka and the communication and connection with this other kind of living thing, and the link to linguistic exploration in explaining her/his language.

I was a touch confused by the Saint/dragon linkage (though perhaps the previous books would be more illuminating on that front).

I loved Tess's adventuring, and was at first saddened by her necessity for disguise b/c of all the "uncontrollable" men running about (connection to Arden's book was huge here!), but then was a bit comforted by how many women actually run things in this world, and Tess was merely figuring it out. And her message, "Walk on," was brilliant for a life motto, especially when things get tough. Keep moving and you'll eventually move through the muck.

My mental image of the World Serpents is truly mind-boggling and magnificent, and something I'm eager to spend more time reading about.

For some reason, I'm compelled to think about the "Flora Segunda" series by Ysabeau S. Wilce, though I've not read these books in a LONG time. Something about the adventuring, mystical-creature world, and a girl on her own makes me feel a pang of nostalgia about those books - perhaps I need to revisit them!

Can't wait for more!

Tess of the Road is indescribable, unfortunately, but I will make an attempt. This is the story of a young woman hiding from her memories and ready to run from her future in order to be herself, a young woman who discovers herself along the road of epic journey, bizarre kidnapping, family troubles, construction, and exploration. A story of drunks and dreams and the moments in which one discovers their vocation.

Tess is a young woman made up of secrets, memories, and many things she'd like to forget. Like the dark parts of her past. Like her ways of getting into trouble, of not keeping quiet. Like how she got drunk at her sister's wedding and later punched her sort of brother-in-law in the nose. She's curious and gruff, intelligent and unforgiving. Stubborn. Unwilling to bow down. She's the kind of young woman who will venture out on her own, old friend Pathka the quigutl at her side on their own journey, to see what the world will show her. But what will the world show her? Where will it take her? What will it make her remember?

With this being my first Rachel Hartman book, I don't know that this is what I expected. Knowing her previous two books were connected to this one, I expected a few things. A medieval fantasy land. Possible dragons. Some post-war peace times. Maybe some magic. Maybe some dragons. I didn't expect a wholly uncooperative heroine and her internal struggle to dismantle all the religion and shame that was pushed at her when she was a child. I didn't expect a classic fantasy 'journey down the road disguised as a boy' that would dissect and deconstruct rape culture. I will never be able to describe this book accurately, because the second I finished I simultaneously wondered what in the world I'd just read and why more books weren't like this. Why more fantasy books about young girls and women weren't about them owning their mistakes, their dreams, and their bodies. From what I've read, this book is rather different from its predecessors. It's rather character-driven, Tess walking her way down the road, meeting people and discovering herself. It's certainly something I would suggest to those looking for something familiar yet utterly different from any other fantasy novel.