I want to state this at the beginning- Tess of the Road is one of those books that you will either love or not. If you’re looking for dragons, high fantasy adventure, or swash-buckling action, this is not the book for you. Instead, if you’re looking for a beautifully written, thought-provoking, and insightful story, this is the book for you. Yes, Tess is an unlikeable narrator. Does it ultimately matter? No.

I applaud Hartman for her portrayal of Tess. Rather than the typical fantasy heroine, Tess is unlikeable, unsympathetic, and absolutely unconventional. And yet, there was something raw, real, and entirely human about her. I didn’t like her but I could understand how she had become the person she was. As the story progressed and more of Tess’s story was revealed, Hartman beautifully addresses a wide variety of difficult topics. In particular, I loved the way in which she utilized flashbacks to identify each specific aspect of the formative events in Tess’s life that led her to where she is now.

Tess of the Road is a novel about journeys. There is Tess’s physical journey away from her home. There is her quigutl friend’s spiritual journey. And, perhaps my favorite, Tess’s journey of self-acceptance and discovery. That was the one that resonated with me the most. I loved that Hartman didn’t give her heroine an overnight or easy fix for her problems but rather tracked Tess’s on-going journey day by painful day. She sometimes fails. There were setbacks, constant struggles against her inner voice, and difficult memories to overcome. But Tess kept going. And Hartman did a beautiful job of showing the strength it takes to do that.

There are so many different layers in this book, I feel as if I’ll discover a new story every time I read it. At first, I did feel as if the book was too slow and meandering. However, as I neared the end, everything began to coalesce and I understood why Hartman choose to write the book the way she did. It was absolutely brilliant. This book may have been fantasy but I’ve only read a few books that did such a brilliant job of exploring human emotions, both positive and negative. I would highly recommend picking up Tess of the Road if you’re looking to go on a journey, to understand what it means to travel The Road.

*I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

If I am being honest with myself, I am not sure why I even requested this book for review. Well, actually I know why, it's because this cover is GORGEOUS, I mean look at it! <3

That being said, the story was not anywhere near as gorgeous as the outside. 

I ended up DNFing this book around 50%, and I feel really bad to have to write a negative review because I know this is a book that would be appealing to so many people, just not me.

I found the writing to be really beautiful, but as for the content, it felt all over the place. It made the story confusing, and overall boring because it felt like there was nothing to follow. 

I also didn't know going in that this world would make much more sense to those who have read her Seraphina series, but I highly recommend reading those first if you haven't.

At the end of the day, my biggest issue with it was that I don't really enjoy stories with dragons in it, and I knew what I was getting myself into when I picked it up. I ended up giving this book a 2/5 and honestly, that rating is all on me. I really should have known. If you like books with dragons or have Rachel's other books, then I think that you would enjoy it - don't let my low rating dishearten you.

A powerful and exciting fantasy novel. Stands on the shoulders of those who came before, but a good transition to a more adult fantasy novel for teens who are well over Percy Jackson and his kin.

Tessie was born a troublemaker. She is curious and outspoken, which often gets her in trouble. I had to chuckle when reading the intro to this story. Her sister calls her a "spank magnet.'' But it's definitely true....Tessie has a great talent for getting into trouble. After a bad scene at her twin sister's wedding where she punched a priest (he really did deserve it), she decides to set out on her own to avoid being sent to a convent. She disguises herself as a boy and leaves her home.

Tess of the Road is set in the same world as two of Hartman's previous novels, Seraphina and Shadow Scale. I think I would have understood and enjoyed this story more if I had first read the other books. But despite the fact that I didn't understand a few things from the previous stories, I still enjoyed this book. It's dark in places....but....the writing is great, the story is good, and I love the main character. Tess is feisty, intelligent and does things her way.

Tess of the Road is both an adventure tale and a coming-of-age story. Tess has to find herself and a purpose for her life. It was so interesting to read about her learning to experience the world and finding her place in it. Tess grows as a person throughout the story. She's a very strong main character...it was easy to root for her as she got into some scrapes and difficult situations.

Great book! I loved the humor, adventure and vivid details in this story! I'm going to backtrack and read the Seraphina novels, and then re-read this one. An enjoyable story, but I think I will enjoy it more after reading the previous books.

The cover art for this book is awesome!!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I loved Seraphina and Shadow Scale written by the same author, so when I saw that it was going to be another book in the same world, I knew that I had to read it.

Initially I was not liking the story because Tess is not a likeable person, so it took me a while to like the book, especially since I was waiting to see Seraphina, to which we get to see a little. Tess in the course of the story goes from a bitter and angry young woman to a woman who is learning her place in a difficult world where she lives because is a world difficult for a single women, without the protection of her family. In the end I liked it, it has a good ending that got me hooked to read the next book.

I reviewed this book here: http://www.bethfishreads.com/2018/02/stacked-up-book-thoughts-escape-reading.html

I have been a HUGE fan of Rachel Hartman since I read Seraphina and fell in love with that world. I have been lucky enough to receive an advance reader copy of Tess of the Road and want to share my thoughts on it as well.

Hartman does a great job of taking us back before she takes us forward. We saw Tess briefly as one of the younger twin sisters of Seraphina. Hartman takes us through Tess' thought process during an incident in her youth where she wrangled in her sister and cousin. It didn't end well for Tess. She was spanked. A lot. All the time.

In the here and now, Tess is shown as a not-so-patient twin sister trying to help get her sister married off so her family can once again have money. We see glimpses from now and throughout the book as to why Tess isn't the one being married since she is the oldest sister, but we don't know the whole story until the very end of the book. While I see how it helped Tess grow as a person, only revealing it in chunks, it was frustrating trying to figure out exactly why she acted like she did.

So I don't give too much away, I'll stop with plot analysis there. We do see some characters from Seraphina pop up, but I'll be honest. It has been so long since I read that duology that I had forgotten who they were and why they popped up when they did. I had to Google them. Which helped. :-)

Seraphina, of course, makes an appearance. Initially, she is characterized as a very flat character, but I realized that that's because we were seeing her through Tess' eyes. Really, the longer you stick with the book, the better it gets.

Overall, if you had not read Seraphina, you would probably not like this book very much. I ordered it for my library, but now I have to go back and buy Seraphina and Shadow Scale so students can read them in order. BUT. If you read Seraphina and enjoyed it, you will also love Tess of the Road. She is one of the most bitter 16 year olds I have ever had the pleasure of getting to know. And I feel like I am a better person because I knew her.

I loved Hartman's previous books and was SO excited to get to read this galley. And it didn't disappoint. Rarely is a main character so 3D - Tess is a mess, actually, and the author doesn't flinch in getting this across. It's hard to write a character so full of flaws and yet so likable at the same time. (Not that a character HAS to be likable but Tess is.)

The story opens with Tess being the obedient servant to her own sister's pending engagement. Tess is a penitent; she majorly screwed up a few years back in a big way, which brought shame to her family and serious pain to herself. So she's hoping that her sister's new relationship will ease some of the impact that choice had on her family's reputation. But Tess has yet to process that impact on herself and when things at home come to a head, she takes off. (So now the title makes sense.) All the weirdness and world building Hartman did on Goredd is on full display in her adventures...plus a bit more.

I liked that this book resolves but in a nontraditional way. There's romance but it isn't the end-all focus of the story. The focus is more on Tess's own realization of how her past - right and wrong - has shifted her personality, and recovering from the trauma that caused. Like Hartman's other books, it's very female-centered without being sentimental or overwrought.

Recommended for readers of Hartman's previous books, anyone who likes adventure, cool world building and a lot of emotional depth.

I suppose "The Road" in the title should tip you off that this book is about the journey, not the destination. This was a good fictional traveling book, although I was not pleased with how a character reappeared near the end.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I finished this book last night and I felt my heart breaking and re-knitting itself all the way through. This is a book that captures so flawlessly what it is like to grow up, and all the messy wonderful aching beauty of the process, and it took my breath away.

"Tess of the Road" is a sequel, of sorts, to "Seraphina" and "Shadow Scale" but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone who hasn't read either. It is set in the same world as "Seraphina" and Seraphina herself makes several appearances, but the main character is Tess, Seraphina's younger half-sister. The structure of these reminds me of the way that Tamora Pierce has structured her Tortall series, with books featuring a different main character who comes into contact with old friends along the way. If you've read 'Song of the Lioness' and 'The Immortals' there's a similar dynamic at play here - the focus is on Tess, but familiar faces pop up with a decent amount of frequency.

The book is beautifully written, well paced and well structured. It's half quest adventure and half coming-of-age: the overarching plot is not resolved when the book ends so I'm sure we'll be getting another novel featuring the further growth and adventures of Tess. The quest adventure plot was very entertaining, with just enough mysticism to keep it fantastic and enough horror and tragedy to keep it grounded.

It was the emotional journey of the character that really got me though. Tess has had a rough time of it, and even though some of the trouble is of her own making Ms. Hartman does a wonderful job of building a character who is flawed but sympathetic. And the best part? Tess is growing up along the way. The character is far from static. She learns from her mistakes and her triumphs, and honestly grows up during the course of the book which is not always the case in coming of age stories. Tess makes terrible errors and excellent choices because that's what growing up is all about. I ached for her and cheered for her. I can't wait to meet her again.

Ms. Hartman has demonstrated once more that she's a wonderful writer and this book was worth the wait.

I was so ready to like this book after reading the Seraphina books, but this one just didn't deliver. I don't mind that she was rather unlikable, which I know is a complaint some have, but I just didn't find her journey that interesting. Hartman often falls into the unfortunate YA author habit of using unnecessarily big words to prove that just because its YA doesn't mean it's dumbed down.

I was really excited when Tess of the Road came up for galley and I was given a chance to review this much anticipated novel. A spin-off of the fantasy hit Seraphina, in which a young court musician is drawn into a delightful murder mystery involving dragons and intrigue, Tess of the Road reenters the world of Goredd by way of its predecessor’s younger half-sister. I’ve never read Seraphina but it is on my ever-growing TBR list, and I was drawn to the grass roots feel of the setting and characters.

The first few chapters of Tess were gripping. With a bird’s eye view into the childhood of Tess and her twin sister Jeanne, both of whom have grown up in the interminable shadow of their older sister Seraphina (who is more clever, better read, and prettier than they could ever hope to be), I was charmed by the pressing wit and undeniable sense of adventure that circled young Tess like a veritable aura. She could not help herself when her mind grasped upon even the tiniest threads of ideas, and many of them led her down paths that ended with spankings and admonishments, further cementing her status as “the problem child.” She was shameless in her quest for knowledge, a trait that remained glued to her side as Tess slid ungracefully into her adolescence and her young adult years, but it was also this push for all things academic that ended her in a very poor predicament – pregnant and alone, in a time when she should be preparing to fulfill her monetary obligations as first-born daughter and marry well to keep the family safe.

Drawn with an enigmatic pull by the stories of the roguish pirate Dozerius that she’d been obsessed with as a child, Tess thirsted for the great wide world and what lay beyond Goredd’s closely tended borders. For Tess, the way out would be through learning, but after attending several lectures with her cousin Kenneth, the young girl found her eyes shifting upon another source of adventure. Will, a dynamic academic in league with the local educational center that fancied itself on the forefront of discovery and studies, caught her heart from nearly the moment she laid eyes on him. Here was the first man to ever take Tess seriously; a man who found her interesting and full of bright ideas. He appreciated her mind and for that, Tess allowed him to appreciate her body – despite the biblical words of her mother grinding into her eardrums all the while. But things did not turn out the way Tess would have thought.

As a result, the life Tess was bound to by duty became undone, and she was spirited away into the countryside to give birth in secret. The sins of her past have haunted her for two years, but she has put those years into good stead, carving out an honorable place for Jeanne in court and assisting to find a husband for her sister that can save the family from their impending monetary ruin. Wine and spirits have helped to lubricate the days and endless nights of her pilgrimage, and it’s also allowed Tess to mask the pain that is etched so deep within her soul. The loss of Will, the abandonment of their child, the stabbing guilt at having been knocked down from her place of worth as first daughter . . . they are all things that have snuffed out the spirit of Tess Dombegh.

But as the light of a new day dawns upon the girl, as harsh as the headache her hangover is inducing, Tess decides on another path. She could do as her parents are insisting and settle herself in a nunnery, a place where she will surely have any life left in her stifled and burnt out like a troublesome candle’s flame in the shadows of night. Or, she could take Seraphina’s not-so-subtle advice and put her new boots to road, striking out on her own and hopefully finding a bit of herself along the way.

Of course, Tess chooses the latter, and thus a story is made . . . weaving together the superstitious nature of a undesired species, a quest for treasures that lie deep within the ground, the healing powers of a curious legend, and many odd characters along the way into a tapestry of fantasy.

Dressed like a boy and ready to steal for her supper, Tess meets up with an old friend and ally, but also finds herself in a nest full of unsavory creatures. She will make choices that define good and evil, learn an honest day’s work for an honest wage, and carefully crack open the egg of pain that is so firmly nestled into the aching pit of her stomach. Tess will become a pirate of her own road, coming to grips with the sins of her past and putting old anguish to bed.

Tess of the Road is the newest novel by YA fantasy author Rachel Hartman, a writer best known for her acclaimed Seraphina series. While readers will recognize the dusty and antiquated land of Goredd and its surrounding cities, they will get a closer look at the elements to be found in them and what lies beyond the edges of town. Hartman has a flair for illustrating beautiful visions of hard beaten paths and fields of wheat, as well as of richly drawn characters that hold admirable and ridiculous qualities that can make them turn foe from friend on a dime, and then back again. Tess is one of those such characters; she is unrepentant and unruly, and that should make her likable . . . right?

While the overall writing of this novel was lovely and well-placed, I was completely shocked at how terrible the story was. I don’t use this term of phrase lightly, but it felt like a knock-off. I was captivated by the first few chapters of the novel, feeling a fresh take to the time-old tale of a misunderstood eccentric who knew she did not belong, and as such, decided it was time to forge her own way . . . but as the story actually got it’s footing, so to speak, I was shocked. Was I reading Wicked all over again? The politics, the creatures, the love affair – they all felt way too Elphaba’ish and I quickly soured. The story that I thought I was reading seemed to morph into something nearly unreadable and loathsome, with a storyline so convoluted and nonsensical that I became offended by the way the author’s flowery language tried to cover it up. The plot went nowhere. The characters did not evolve. There was zero resolution. If the author’s plan was to bring things to a close via a sequel, good luck to her – I won’t be going anywhere near it.

If I wasn’t a finisher, I would have put this book down little more than halfway through. It was so disappointing; if a book is going to be terrible, I’d rather it open that way instead of sucking me in with a few well-plotted chapters before diving off into the deep end of a dark ocean with its slime and sludge. My time was wasted, plain and simple. Every time I felt that the story was going to start ramping back up to something I could relate to and made sense, it would veer left again into a silly plot line that held no place or purpose and dead-ended. Hartman did not do Tess the justice she deserved; in fact it felt as if Seraphina continued to do what she had done to Tess all along – overshadowed her and outshone her at nearly every turn. Serpahina popped up so much that it felt as if this book belonged to her; Tess was portrayed as someone who was striking out to make her own choices and find herself but instead, she was being coddled and protected nearly the entire way by forces she could not see (and in my opinion, forces she would not have appreciated).

I did not like this book, and as a result, I will not be reading Seraphina – I don’t care how good people say it is. 2 stars to this new novel, and nothing more.

Truly outstanding. I am a fantasy fan, in general. So, when I got the chance to read this as a #NetGalley ARC, I jumped at it. But it wasn't the fantasy elements that most impressed me in Tess of the Road, rather the deep examination of a young woman struggling with herself and the trauma she's endured. Here is a protagonist facing the same sorts of traumas young woman face today -- wrought by family members and partners -- struggling with the after-effects of that trauma as she tries desperately to reclaim who she is in the world. This is a fantasy story, but it is also a story with so much emotional depth that a reader can connect with Tess as reader and character seek wholeness together at the same time. This was more healing journey than epic adventure, which I for one found very satisfying. . I'm interested in seeing where the adventure takes Tess in the future, but I'm not sure a sequel will be able to resonate so deeply on an emotional level. Tess of the Road is part of the same world as the Seraphina books, but Tess stands on her own two feet. A reader could easily begin with this book and work back to Seraphina while waiting for the next Tess book to hit the shelves.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I loved Tess and the parts of the story that focused on her as she dealt with her past and walked toward her future. But the book was long, dragged in parts, and the fantasy pieces were often interrupted by the character pieces (but not in a smooth or seamless way). I didn't feel the integration was well done. It was as if the book isn't clear about it's own identity. From the cover, I was expecting a dragon-adventure sort of story. That is not what this is. If you are looking for action and adventure in a fantasy realm, this may not quite satisfy. If you are looking for a character-driven story, this may be a better fit. I liked Tess enough to push past the flaws, but I likely won't try any sequels.

Thanks to the publisher for access to this title.

3.5 stars

Throughout her younger years Tess is known as a spank-magnet, constantly getting in trouble. When she creates a scene at her sister's wedding, it's the last straw and she is to be sent to a nunnery. Ever the rebel, she decides to take fate into her own hands and takes off on her own. Along the way she meets a multitude of characters, both friend and foe, old and new. All her trials and thoughts come together as she struggles to find herself.

I didn't love this as much as I did Seraphina. I couldn't get as invested in the story or characters, and many times felt preached at from a soapbox. That being said, it is still a strong story, and will appeal to older readers of Hartman's other books and fans of Sarah Maas.

Tess Dombegh lives in Goredd, a Medieval-esque nation where women are meant to be perfect ladies, men are protectors, and falls from grace are expected to either be governesses or nuns. She decides to do neither and instead cuts off her hair to pose as a boy and take to the road. She is a prickly, angry young woman, and eventually joins the quigutl she had befriended as a child in search of the World Serpent. This search takes her across Goredd and Ninys, with various detours along the way.

This is written in the same world as the 2012 novel Seraphina, which I hadn't read. Even without reading that, Tess of the Road is able to be read on its own merit.

In the beginning, Tess is angry, frequently drunk and bitter about being unable to please her critical mother, measure up to her perfect twin, or Saint Seraphina, who is able to break society's rules because of her heritage.

While there is reason for it, we don't discover what her reasons are until much later on in the book. The discovery of her secrets occurs naturally and in spurts, so that we learn who Tess is as she does. That makes Tess difficult to get to know at times, so that could prevent some people from really getting into the beginning of the book.

However, the travels are vividly described, and I was fascinated as much with the lands and creatures as with Tess's reasons to take to The Road.

Because of the nature of Tess's trauma and how she goes about healing from it to become someone she can live with, this would not be a book for younger teens. I'm not sure what age group Seraphina was geared toward, but Tess being 17 at the start of this novel should be a good rule of thumb about its target audience.

The real world is mirrored in this fantasy one, as many good fantasy worlds are: there are rigid gender roles and expectations in society, as well as biting commentary and consequences for the girls that don't follow them. Younger readers wouldn't understand those roles and the impact that it has on Tess and her family, or how the consequences played out. Sorry if this sounds very foreboding, as this is a very well written book and was a gripping read. I don't want to spoil the story or Tess's journey, because it's an important one for her to go on, and one that teens may appreciate.

This review has been posted on Goodreads and my blog but will not be disseminated via social media or posted on Amazon.

I tried to like this book. I really did. It's the first that I've read by bestselling author Hartman and sad to say, it might have poisoned the well for me. First, I was surprised to find that the Seraphina of the bestselling duology was actually not a dragon dragon but a cryptid half-dragon called an ityasaari, child of a full dragon that can take human form (Linn, a saarantras). No problem, since I read (and enjoy) an entire series based on the idea of cryptid animals and there are shape changing cryptids in that, too. But since Seraphina is only on the fringes of this story, here's no great dragon in this book, despite its beautiful cover. We do have Pathka, a sex-changing quigutl which is like a small, human-sized dragon that seems sort of like a large bipedal worm, and their child, Kikiu. But beyond these interesting creatures, the setting of the story- a medieval fantasy world in which religiosity seems to plague Tessie's family and penance involves the frequent beatings of children- didn't appeal to me. Added to this, Tess felt was almost contrived in her bullishness and bad behavior, driving corporal punishment from her mother. Tess has an interest in dragons and a curious mindset but I just didn't like her much. Tess runs away to find herself and a new life, like Viola in Twelfth Night, finding her safety in pretending to be a male. She sees many things on her journey, and some of them are awful or surprisingly. I just couldn't relate to her much. In fact, I didn't feel an attachment to any of the characters, which posed a problem for me, especially since the book is 360 pages long.

I think one could have lively debates about some aspects of this book for a YA novel. Drinking, unwed motherhood, sexual assault, prostitution, and running away are all things that are real issues in young adult life. On the hand, the way we discuss these things in a book are part of what differentiates the book from an adult fiction to a young adult fiction novel. I'd have to say that one of the reasons I enjoy YA fiction is that the impact of things like sexual assault or unwed parenting is not just glossed over as mere events but are rendered three-dimensional with emotions and... impact. The way some of these things (little exploration of say, sexual exploitation of servants) are handled in this book makes it feel more adult in tone. "Yes, these things happen. Oh, well..." I still might have stuck with it if I felt that Tessie's journey of finding herself didn't feel like it dragged on, if it gave us a more likable, relatable central character and secondary characters along the way. Alas, that didn't happen for me.

So the beginning of this book is boring and long. It really should not have taken so long for us to start with Tess on the Road. Even when you start on the road with Tess it is hard to like her. By then of the book I have come to like Tess, understand her and admire what she did through the book. It really is amazing what Tess does for being only 16 years old and of course being back in the day and not modern time is even more interesting. You have to get past the first part of this book to get to the better parts.


*Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this for my honest opinion*

Once upon a time, I came across a book with a pretty cover. That book was Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. I knew nothing about it other than that it had to do with dragons and that it was 500+ pages.  With a little hesitation and all the optimism I could muster, I read it. And you know what? I loved it.

So, as you could imagine, I was extremely excited to know that this book was being written taking place in the same world as Seraphina. I was even more excited when I found out I had gotten approved for an ARC. Sadly, this book in no way lived up to the expectations I had been building in my mind.



Taking place in the same world as Seraphina, I would recommend reading Seraphina first, but that isn't strictly necessary. Don't worry too much about not understanding, Hartman does a good job of establishing the world in this one.

Like in Seraphina, Hartman writes beautiful prose. She is a skilled writer and there is no doubting that. Unlike Seraphina, this book seemed to go nowhere. This book is over 500 pages for absolutely no reason. Like, what is the plot? Where was the action? What was even the point?





Then there was Tess. I almost liked Tess. Almost.

She was hardheaded, and strong, and not afraid to speak her mind. That's all fine and dandy, right? No. Not it's not. Not when on her way to fight the man! And stand up to the patriarchy! And whatnot, she ends up ruining things for other people. You don't need to be a rebel at every hour of every day. Because of this, I simply could not find a real connection with Tess, a thing that greatly diminished my already shaky enjoyment of the novel.

Overall, I wasn't a fan of this, which is a real shame because I truly wanted to be. I almost called it quits on the book at certain points and only pushed forward because I don't like leaving ARCs unfinished. While there were some really good parts, I felt they were outweighed by the bad ones. If you really want to read a book by Rachel Hartman, I recommend you go read Seraphina instead.

The genre of fantasy can do many things: discuss social justice, reveal a magical world, etc. Tess of The Road, does all that and more. It is fantasy seeped in humanity. Beautiful and moving. I loved it.