I received a complimentary THE WEST PASSAGE by Jared Pechaček thanks to Tor Publishing Group, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley.

THE WEST PASSAGE follows two main characters. After the Guardian of the West Passage dies, we follow Pell and the women of Grey Tower going through the ceremonies of her death. The Guardian has not named her successor, but she has tasked her apprentice Kew with delivering a message. The tower is now unguarded and the world around them is breaking down and winter is coming out of season. Pell and Kew must each go out into the world away from the tower to face the wider world and attempt to save it.

This book left me with a lot of mixed opinions, most of them favorable. I am a very world-building driven reader and the world in here is so interesting and there were new things to learn about it at every turn. I've seen reviews comparing this to Alice in Wonderland, and I do think this has a lot of similarities. This is a world that is both whimsical and dark and I loved the way the author balanced both of these things.

I do think there was a lot to this world that wasn't fully explained. I suspect it wasn't meant to be laid out as a hard, rule following magic system, but given that we're following two fairly young individuals who don't have a very big world view, our own scope of knowledge is a bit limited. We do get more as the book continues and they venture out into the world. Still, in the end, I think I would have a hard time summarizing the world's magic and purpose.

Overall this was a book that kept drawing me back to it and I would absolutely read from this author again.

THE WEST PASSAGE just came out on Tuesday!

4.5 Stars

This was such a fascinating read - easily one of the most unique books I've read in a long time. The West Passage won't be for everyone. If you're someone who hated The Locked Tomb for being 'too confusing', I would steer clear of this one. But for readers who love ambiguity and the exploration of a world where you discover things alongside the characters, where the world-building is complex and nuanced and doesn't always answer every question you have, where wonder and surprise and exploration is a part of the reading experience, this one is for you.

I loved the way this story explored the idea of culture and tradition that's been continued for so long, no one understands how or why they're doing anything anymore. It showed how adhering too strictly to rote rules and "what's always been done" can be the downfall of a civilization, no matter how powerful or magical or established. This book is a long, beautiful lesson on the necessity - and beauty - of change. This is definitely one of the most interesting books I've read this year and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a different kind of fantasy story!

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never have I encountered such clairity in the absurd.

They simply do not write books like this anymore.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

This was one of the wildest rides I have ever been on with a book - it was well written and kept me engaged the whole time....but I was definitely oft confused. I think the biggest struggle for me was that I wasn't invested in the characters, but I was engaged in the story....so I desperately wanted to know where things were going, but I didn't specifically care about the POVs.

I also struggled to feel fully immersed in a world I knew so little about, and the plot twist was fairly obvious to me....but I honestly had a hard time putting it down. I can't quite explain it - I loved it and didn't really care at the same time.

Most definitely one of the most unique books I've ever read and I would 100% read more from this author for style and quality of writing alone - but I don't think this will be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

It may be too early to say, but I'm pretty sure this is the best book I have read (and will read) this year.

First of all, the world-building is incredible. The amount of history and lore in this thing is crazy, I imagine the author must have spent years and years coming up with this world. The lore of Grey Tower is the most focused on, being that that is where the main characters are from, but we get to see glimpses into the history of the other towers, and every little detail is fascinating. This book reminds me a little of Alice in Wonderland, with how different and weird the people and creatures are, as well as how the certain aspects of the story are just weird and nonsensical. I could go on and on about this, but I think it's best to go into this book knowing nothing about the world and experiencing it for yourself. Even if there was no plot in this book, I would still love reading about and exploring this world.

Speaking of the plot, the pacing at the beginning is incredibly slow, although it gradually picks up, especially towards the end. Most of this book is spent travelling, which is great because you get to spend more time in this world, but not great if you're more into fast-paced action-packed type of stories. This book also switches up like crazy, one moment everything is chill and then BAM emotional devastation that comes out of nowhere, and the characters just carry on somehow. The ending though. I need therapy for that ending. Like, I am so mad about this book, and I mean it in both the angry way and insane way.

This is hypocritical, given all the rambling I just did, but I CANNOT talk about this book further because it has to be experienced with a blank slate. (Which is how I experienced it, I literally requested the ARC based only on the cover.)

Anyways! Read this book it will ruin you <3

This book was given to me as a ARC.

Wow!!! This book was honesty a fresh breath of air. Everything about it sung to my soul to the worldbuilding, the characters, the way the author turns and twist the world. I truly don't have any downsides for this book besides wanting more and more from it. It felt like I was in Wes Anderson film!

This was a really unique story with an interesting world, unique characters and a compelling plot. I only wish we had some sort of map, because sometimes the world could be a bit hard to mentally grasp or organize. Other than that, though, I enjoyed this. I also really like the cover!

Two young people are forced to move into positions of great importance in this medieval fantasy. We follow them as they traverse the giant palace they live in as they try to save their world.
This book is so good, but so, so bizarre. I would describe it as The Wizard of Oz meets The Phantom Tollbooth meets Alice in Wonderland, all grown up. To read this book, you just need to let the story carry you along, as you will not understand what is happening until well past the halfway mark, but you'll be intrigued and wanting to learn more. If you're in the mood for a challenging fantasy standalone, this is a fantastic option!

I love high fantasy and it’s compared to Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy series, the Kingkiller Chronicle. I was willing to go a journey through a unique world with 2 main characters, but at the beginning, I just could not get a grip on the towers/palace/city- I think a map would’ve helped ground readers. There’s some great worldbuilding and a good quest, but I was confused/lost, which diminished my enjoyment.

There is a great evil approaching. The last Guardian of the West Passage is dead, and rather than officially naming her apprentice as her successor, she used her last words to give him a single command. “Tell Black it’s coming.”

Kew should have been named as the next Hawthorn of Grey, the new Guardian, the most recent of a long line of people to hold the name and the title designating him for duties not fully understood in living memory. Now he must make the journey from the Grey Tower to the Black Tower in order to pass along his teacher’s message. If he can accomplish this, then he might prove himself worthy of recognition as a Hawthorn, taking the place he has been training for all his life.

Pell is an apprentice to the Women in Grey, an ancient order who exist to provide funerary care to the other people of the city. When Hawthorn is brought to the women for her funeral, Pell briefly crosses paths with Kew and sneaks away with a book that Hawthorn had in her possession.

The first indicator that something is wrong occurs during Hawthorn’s services, when her funerary mask is accidentally broken. Between that and the theft of the book, Pell begins to fear that her actions are bringing time itself out of alignment, with snow beginning to fall in what should be the middle of summer. Rats are pouring out of statues, and none of the women can be bothered to guess if something is truly amiss.

Jared Pechaček has created a somehow vibrant ruined world, reminiscent of Gene Wolfe’s Book of New Sun, blending things both magical and technological and decades or centuries past their prime. Frankly, I love worldbuilding that deliberately hides or doesn’t worry about how everything works, leaving plenty of mysteries in place. A massive palace ruled over by the Ladies (mysterious and powerful giant beings) serves as the setting for the entire novel, and it’s filled with ominous creatures as well as new allies for Kew and Pell as they go their separate ways to set things right.

The West Passage came out on Tuesday, 7/16, and it’s an absolute joy of a novel. It’s weird and truly fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what Pechaček does next. My utmost thanks to Tor and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a fair review.

This review originally appeared here: https://swordsoftheancients.com/2024/07/18/the-west-passage-a-review/

Deeply fascinating world, could not help but draw parallels between Pechaček's fantasy world and our reality today, both crumbling in their own way. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

**Features:**
- A dark yet whimsical world in the vein of Alice in Wonderland
- Parallel journeys where each step in the journey is more important than the overall goal
- Examines the naivety of youth versus the reality of people looking out for their own interests

There are many signs that the Beast approaches, but only the Guardians would know them. Too bad there are no Guardians left to see them. This book is strange in the best of ways and will definitely hit the spot for readers looking for a unique experience. It takes place in a dark world with an eldritch aesthetic but still manages to have the whimsy of Alice in Wonderland. The book does a great job easing you into its quirkiness and this skillful world building is what makes this a five-star read for me. Though main characters Pell and Kew follow a linear storyline and have their own goals they are trying to accomplish, the true focus of the story is on the different experiences the characters have along the way and the nature of the world itself. That being said, readers who enjoy a strong central plot or in-depth characters will likely struggle with this particular read. However, those who are looking to go on a bit of a journey through a unique world will be delighted with this read!

**A dark and whimsical world**

The Guardian of the West Passage, the last of her kind, has died. However, rather than using her dying breath to name her apprentice the new Guardian, she instead gave him a mission: tell the Black that it is coming. To honor his master’s dying wish, Kew sets out along the treacherous West Passage. But how will an unnamed apprentice convince the Ladies that rule the land that the message he is conveying is true? Meanwhile, Pell, an apprentice to the Grey women, is eager to prove herself ready to take on the full duties of her order. However, Pell soon realizes things are not quite as she has been told and the looming danger will challenge her in ways that she could never imagine.

This book takes place in the strange world of The Palace with each section being ruled over by Ladies and their different orders. However, this is a world that has been crumbling apart long before any ancient danger could threaten it. The book is clever in its use of Pell and Kew as its main characters. Both are young apprentices with an idealistic view of both the world and their positions in it. They have enough familiarity to ease the reader into the world, but they are still surprised and challenged as they explore parts they have never truly experienced before. Even if their experiences are completely strange, what they learn from them and the overarching message is extremely relatable. The way this book manages to make something both extremely odd and completely relatable is what makes it truly stand out.

**Happily lost in the rabbit hole**

Though I have given this book five stars, it is definitely not a book I would recommend to everyone. There is definitely a main plot and goals that each character works towards, but they all exist in the background. Not everything the characters experience or do is directly related to the overarching plot and they are frequently made to question their personal goals. However, there is a lot being revealed about the nature of the world through these experiences that shape the characters in unexpected ways. In order to enjoy this book, you must be the kind of reader who enjoys the journey regardless of whether the destination is clear or not. I was honestly surprised to find myself jumping into this crazy adventure so wholeheartedly, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

What a unique story and fantasy! I wish I could've gotten the full experience of reading this with illustrations and all. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the characters and the plot.

Thanks so much to the publisher for inviting me to read this title early!

I was completely blown away by the amount of intention and care that went into the worldbuilding! I found it to be a slow read, if only because I needed to really take my time with all of the fantastical elements in it, but I really appreciated it. The cover alone was enough to make me interested in reading this, and I may not have ever been aware of it without the email. Most of all, I loved this because as far as I can tell, it's just one book. We love a standalone!

So much of the world was visceral and so easy to visualize but at the same time it sometimes felt impossible to really picture what I was reading. I really enjoyed the different kinds of people (if they can be called that? Who knows!), particularly rabbit-eared Frin and all of the bird people. The Ladies were eldritch and terrifying and I found myself anxious whenever Yarrow or Hawthorne got too close to one. Peregrine is a certified book boyfriend and I will not take any criticism. We DID have fun.

It got a little bit clunky towards the middle/end, when we were approaching the climax of their journeys and it got a little slow for me there. I think it could have benefited from a little more high-stakes action at that point rather than more exploration. Once the stories converged though it became much better paced and I really enjoyed the ending. We don't have to stay chained down by the decisions made by everyone who came before us! We can break cycles! We can extend grace and mercy in the face of violence!

If the pacing had been a LITTLE bit better this would be a 5-star book. This is my favorite kind of scifi/fantasy--eldritch, weird, ethereal, and beautiful. I would LOVE to see a graphic adaptation of this in some way--not even a whole graphic novel but like an art book. Character designs, that sort of thing. It could be STUNNING.

Definitely a new favorite! I'll be looking out for this author's future projects for sure.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

The Guardian of the West Passage's death throws the Grey Tower into chaos. Summer snow paints the looming silhouette with a chilling omen – the Beast is awakening. The fate of the palace hangs on a too-young Mother of Grey House and the Guardian’s squire. Both must embark on individual journeys, venturing into the treacherous West Passage to save their people.

This story captivated me not for its plot, but for the atmosphere it conjured. It felt like tumbling into a Miyazaki movie or the mind-bending reality of Alice in Borderland. Unravelling the lore of the towers and their enigmatic Ladies was pure joy, like piecing together a forgotten myth.

While the plot itself wasn't the driving force for me, it was a captivating framework for exploring this richly imagined world. The true magic resided in the dreamlike setting and the mysteries waiting to be unravelled.

Decided to drop this when I almost hit 50% mark. I was curious, really. But I couldn’t connect with the story for whatever reasons. I couldn’t conjure the scenes in my head at all, thus it was really hard to follow the story along, until i completely lost it.

Sorry. It’s just not for me, I guess

Is this the trippiest ARC I’ve ever read? Most likely.

The West Passage is an ethereally eldritch tale following Kew, the would-be Guardian but currently apprentice of the Guardian of the West Passage, and Pell, an aspiring grey lady who tends to life and death in “the Palace”. They are both inhabitants of The Grey Tower, which is part of a castle city. They both navigate their own journeys to try and save The Palace from the threat known as “The Beast”.

I think to say that this is a very surreal fantasy would be putting it mildly. This is not a character driven book, and its more the world around Kew and Pell that drives the plot. There are so many viscerally vivid happenings in the book, weird and unsettling but powerful and interesting nevertheless.

It would be fair to say that I’ve never read a book like this in my entire life. Its so interesting but I was dismayed by the lack of character focus, which is more of a personal taste if anything. Its such a difficult read, mostly from a visualization standpoint than anything else. Its hard to keep up sometimes but you are motivated by the mystery and intrigue of the book itself.

This is NOT for the faint of heart, but if you are looking for a new type of fantasy, this would be a great choice. For me personally, I didn’t love it or get sucked into it, but it is certainly a testament to the power of fantasy and storytelling.

I think people are either going to be absolutely GAGA in love with this read or they are going to be very confused. It's intricate. It's strange. It uses its own logic. I've seen other readers compare it to Alice in Wonderland for the strange otherworldly logic here and I think it's an apt comparison but only for that aspect of the book. This is a weird and wild medieval fantasy with beasts, giant Eldritch ladies, and a quest that will introduce you to many wacky characters. This book also goes very dark places and I was sometimes shocked at how violence and whimsy live side by side in this strange world. I'm really excited for other readers to get their hands on this one and hear what they think. There's so much going on in this book that is difficult to describe in a quick review/synopsis. If you're looking for something weird, whimsical, dark, and intricate - this is a good pick for you!

For me, I gave it a 3.5 because I was impressed and enjoyed the epic world-building and the layers of logic. At some points on the quest, I got confused and the stakes diminished for me as a result. At a certain point I had a hard time continuing. However, I pushed through that and it picked back up and I ended up really enjoying the end.

for an honest review.

Wow. This is certainly one of the best books I’ve read this year. Perhaps ever.

Set in the medieval, fantastical world of the Palace, its five towers, and the West Passage, the reader follows Yarrow and Hawthorn (along with many other effervescent minor characters) on their respective and collective journeys to defeat the Beast – a fabled monster with a mysterious and destructive past.

Reminiscent of Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, with somehow even more whimsical and strange world building, The West Passage covers themes of tradition, love, loss, friendship, duty, belief, and coming-of-age. I admit I was confused for the first few pages of the story, but once I clicked with the narrative and the complex uniqueness of the world, I swiftly became invested in the characters and the plot. There are incredibly dark moments balanced with fresh, light, humorous ones, interspersed with short chapters of lore and history. The characters and their towers are incredibly alive. Everything just pops off the page, from the people to the giant, powerful Ladies, the frogs giving birth to lambs, the beekeepers, and the somewhat educated apes.

I hope Pechacek continues to write novels in this vein. I’d pick up everyone. Absolutely worth every reader’s time!

This is an immensely intricate story - definitely not a brain off kind of read, but it was definitely well done. I liked it, but I think I read it at the wrong time. I wasn't ready to parse through all this descriptive language.