3.5 stars. I read something that described the world of this book as a character itself, and that is completely accurate. Like it's been a week and I barely remember the characters' names other than that they were flowers and birds, but I remember every detail of a scene with the eldritch horrors. This is some 10th century monk's drug-induced nightmare, in a great way.

Oh my goodness this was PHENOMENAL, I was absolutely hooked form the first page to the last. I loved the world building in this and how immersive it felt from the start, it broke me out of a reading slump and I can’t wait (or at least hope) to return to this world again.

This is the weirdest, most bizarre and inventive book I have ever read. I’m not sure how to accurately review it without spoiling any of the wild, fantastical, and terrifying things that happen along Pell’s and Kew’s respective journeys.

The West Passage is not what I expected, and perhaps that’s what makes it all the more marvelous. This is a book where you will discover something new every time you re-read it. I cannot wait to get my hands on a final copy. And I am DYING to see the illustrations. If the blurb on Goodreads peaks your fancy, and you are able to suspend all disbelief and be wholly submersed in Pechacek’s world, this is so worth the read.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the eARC.

By far one of the strangest, weirdest, boggling books I've ever read (complimentary). I tried explaining THE WEST PASSAGE to my partner and ended up with nothing but a blank expression in return, because ... well, yeah. It's strange and weird and boggling.

But it's also so. much. fun.

Rules are broken. Frogs sing. Ladies devour. Men are mellified. There's a Mother, and a wheel, and a lullaby. The word "eldritch" is finally used in a way that feels 1000% earned.

I'm not going to try to described Jared Pechacek's debut, but if you like bizarrity (other reviewers have compared to Alice In Wonderland, Gideon the Ninth, etc., and I'd add Saint of Bright Doors to that list) and gorgeously expansive worldbuilding, THE WEST PASSAGE will consume you in the best possible way.

I'll be closely following this author's career to see what he does next, that's for sure.

This was a ride. A weird, wild ride.

If you love the idea of an epic quest littered with biblically accurate angels, weird and creepy creatures, and honestly just all-around weird vibes, you'll probably love this one.

I loved the concept for this! I love quest novels. I love world building and lore. I was so pumped when I started reading this--and that quickly devolved into confusion. While there is "action" in this story, it is definitely secondary to the world building--this is far more a character driven story than a plot driven one, so I can definitely see why people found this a little dull.

I think a lot of character development and "plot" is treated as secondary so the creatures, horrors and ~vibes~ can shine, which didn't always work for me. But when it works, it WORKS. I'm intentionally not saying anything about the plot, because I believe this is one of those books where you'll enjoy it more going in blind! I will say I DO love the chapter titles--they're descriptive and give a false sense of levity to the book that just tickled me in all the right ways.

If you're looking for a light, easy, fairytale read--this is not for you. But if you've ever looked at Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire and said "man, I just wish there were some eldritch horrors lurking about every corner and that I could never have thought of in a million years," this is for you.

I don't think I've ever used "weird" in a review as much as I have with this one, but it's honestly the best description I can give. And I love weird.

DNF at 22% - I wanted to love this, but it was too dreamlike for me. I felt like I was struggling to understand things that I wasn't supposed to understand, so really it just wasn't for me, personally. As evidenced by the other reviewers I think some people will really enjoy this book. I wish it had been less Alice in Wonderland because I did want to find out what happened to the main characters.

A queer adult dark fantasy of an epic story of powers, struggles, and a journey in a palace the size of a city.

The West Passage is dark, heavy, and immersive. This is a vivid world, the worldbuilding is some of the best I've read in a while. I love the backstories, the history, the lore, the magic, the setting, creatures, I could go on. It's so different and has a Wonderland feel to it but just more dark, more twisted.
We are following Pell and Kew who are tossed into positions of power for the Gray Tower before they are ready. I love the towers and colors' meaning and how they affect this world. I don't want to say too much about this book as I knew very little and loved learning and being surprised by everything within these pages.
This was Jared's debut and I was completely surprised by the writing style, the worldbuilding, the magic, the whirlwind of shocking findings, and crazy creatures that I had never heard of before. This is for sure a setting, world story. The plot and characters are important but for me, it's the world that took me away into the book. No matter how much info I was giving I always wanted more, it made me think and wonder about this world, history, and lore. I liked the mash-up of darkness and colorfulness in this world. I like that we get to travel and explore this world, it's weird, odd, and one-of-a-kind. This book is gory, heavy, and dark. Please read the content warnings.

No ordinary fantasy in this unforgiving medieval world of powers, adventure around every corner that will shock you, in this tension-filled that will keep you on the edge of your set guessing what will happen next.

I did an interview and review of this book in issue 60 of Double the Books. Will be making a IG post within the next few weeks as well.

This is a hard one to review, in part because reading this made me realize the absurdist fantasy genre is simply not for me. It felt like I spent months trying to get through this because the meandering and repetitive plot (which I know was intentional, it just didn't work for me) did not compel me, nor did one of the two protagonists. I enjoyed Yarrow's unraveling of her childhood indoctrination and establishment of her own terms and beliefs, but this didn't really seem to take place in the same way for the guardian's apprentice. The world-building was definitely unique; the parts I enjoyed most were the bizarre descriptions of each Lady and her quirks (and grotesque bodily functions - Citrine and her bubbles will haunt my dreams). If you are looking for a book that is mostly vibes and very little driving plot, this is the book for you.

disclaimer: I read an ARC via NetGalley and Tor.

It's like <a href=https://weirdmedievalguys.substack.com/about>Weird Medieval Guys</a>: The Novel! That is, this book depicts a world populated by rabbit-eared men and giant snails and all sorts of other characters who'd be perfectly at home decorating the margins of medieval manuscipts. It's a vibe.

...but that's all it is. A cool vibe, full of strangeness that is ordinary, but just a vibe.

I actually don't know how I'm going to write a full review, because the book simply doesn't have enough substance for one. I was so excited to read this! The description makes it sound reminiscent of Gormenghast, Bas-Lag, work by Wolfe and Muir: works whose worlds are ancient, decaying, and just cluttered with debris. And I guess the setting is, technically, "like" those, but those books do something with their settings. Their settings are important beyond being cool backdrops. This book itself is boring, the characters under- to un-characterized, and the prose is less "windowpane" than "absent in every significant way." (Aside, that is, from some very nice passages describing the eldritch horror's journey into our reality.) So incredibly disappointing.

Events occur at the characters, yet the characters never seem to experience anything. Their mindset, background, attitude, all of that, are left undescribed as they undertake their journeys. One likes rules. The other is into protecting people. (Or is it safety?) There are a whole lot of declarative sentences about them but nothing feels intrinsic to them. THey both depart with great urgency, and then...time just dilates and everything takes forever, but very little ever happens.

There are a few neat images here (especially the beehives and the various vore-friendly moments), and the hidden/~forgotten history of the palace is pretty cool, but nothing on the page serves those elements. The pacing just plods along, never varying, and then the ending just sort of happens and then it's over.

I struggle with what else to say, because I keep thinking that the rejoinder to my criticisms is "but it's supposed to be like that! Flat and weird and all surface." Maybe it is supposed to be like that. I just don't get anything from that.

The theme, if there is one, is shallow: did you know that the stories we tell, like the roles we play, are powerful but need not enslave us?

The West Passage feels like an exquisite fever dream. Reminiscent of “Alice in Wonderland”, and dare I pair it with Clive Barker’s “Abarat”? Which I vaguely remember (and think of fondly) from my adolescence. I will admit that my own adult imagination might be too stunted for this particular book. This story is fantasy to the highest degree, and I don't think anything can properly prepare the reader for it.

Pechaček is a masterful writer, excelling in lush, and often horrific descriptions of people, places, and… things. The references to medieval culture and architecture litter the story like glitter. Never have I had to use the dictionary feature so frequently. Often learning names for things I recognize, but would have never wondered about on my own. Which is great! I learned a lot of new terminology.

I do not believe that any description I write could do justice to the plot. Mostly because, while the goal is straightforward (defeat the beast), the deceptively easy path to the end goal decays almost immediately and we're left with chaos. Lots of disturbing vibes, with plot thrown in like a treat. You want to keep reading because to see Pell and Kew succeed is the ultimate reward.

It took me quite a bit of time to get through and I felt extremely challenged. That being said, I can recognize genius, and this book is beyond anything I’ve ever read when it comes to imagination. If I see a copy of this in a bookstore, I would be tempted to pick it up. Not only because the cover is insanely gorgeous, but because I think I would benefit from another read through (or twelve).

Future readers of The West Passage will have the advantage in understanding with a printed map, and (fingers crossed) illustrations.

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for a chance to read an early digital copy of this book. Unfortunately, the writing style and story development employed for this book do not work for me. I read a chunk of the first bit in one day (about 10%) and then felt no desire to pick it back up for almost a month. I skimmed through another chapter and still was not pulled into it. The pacing is very slow compared to what I normally read, and I usually appreciate more of a balance between dialogue, action, and setting/world description. Someone who likes historical, otherworldly Asian vibes that focus heavily on setting creation and societal places of the characters could really enjoy this, though. Many other readers compare it to Alice in Wonderland, which I do see a comparative nature to this book with the whimsical vibes and strange creatures that are encountered even early on. I am not the right audience for this book, and that is perfectly fine. Even epic fantasies I like to unravel the world's secrets in a more enticing way than is delivered here such as with a sense of urgency or brisk actions and intriguing dialogue. The original premise I read portrayed it as a strong feminist quest story, so I know the readers are out there. One issue I do have that killed a little enjoyment for me was the chapter titles that essentially summarize each chapter's events. I love chapter titles, when they are done well with a peek into the forthcoming events or feelings, but a phrased summary felt too spoilery for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the digital copy. The opinion is my own.

Well this was an interesting book to get into as the story takes the reign and you will be taken along through an excentric world with eldritch beings called Ladies as the two main characters try to do their duty despite how unprepared they truly are for it. It's a plot with many side quests and wandering about, a bit Alice in Wonderland but with more blood and death included.
When reading this book, I took a while to get into it as I was not expecting this type of story, where you are supposed to take is as is - oh light can be a liquid? Ok. Honey types have inherent powers? Sure. Ladies are beings of immense power and also petty? Alright.
The explanations given are only what the main characters, isolated as they were, question and everything else? Well, just accept it.
I honestly love many of the ideas of this decaying world but I can see why someone would hate this book and go "What the hell is this book??". Personally, I enjoyed it once I got into it. My advice would be that if you want a book that explains every world building detail to you this is not for you. At all.
If you don't mind being taken for a whimsical yet deadly ride into this huge and fantastical palace and going "might as well" at almost every chapter of importance, give it a try.

“One of the finest fantasies of this decade, a sweeping swarm of fiercely human creativity.” —Indrapramit Das, author of The Devourers
Im SO happy these types of books are now "In", before everyone was devouring them, I feel like we were few and far between. Take a chance on something different! Fast paced, exciting and will leave you thinking about it long after youre finished!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for an advanced copy of this novel that tells a fantastical story about a Palace, strange events, decline and the failure of people in power to do what they should, and not look away.

Growing up I loved fantasy and science fiction. I followed so many series, modern and classic, spent hours rooting around in used book stores gathering, collecting and reading and re-reading. Spaceships, dragons, lasers and phasers, swords and sorcery were my favorites. As I got older, I found that the books weren't. They seemed stuck in a rut, either too militaristic, or too much like every book before it. I read less and less, and for awhile read nothing at all. The addition of different voices, different views and bigger bolder ideas, brought me back to science fiction, and recently to fantasy books. The stories have finally grown in a lot of ways. I'm glad I returned to this genre as I would have hated to miss this novel. The West Passage written and illustrated by Jared Pechaček is a novel that is hard to classify, a fantasy with Biblical overtones, David Lynch-like imagery, and a story that needs to be read to be believed.

There is a Palace larger than most cities. Inside the Palace are many towers which represent different ideas, and ideals, and people who dwarf humans in size and age. While huge, there is a feeling of decay about the Palace, one that started a long time before, well before the present troubles. Or are a part of it. The Guardian of the West Passage has been found dead, a death not easy. The others feed her bodies to the crows, and go on with their existence, not filling the position, or even wondering about the Mask that remains. The West Passage is important for the Beast is always trying to enter the Palace, and there is no no Guardian to stop these incursions. Rats begin to enter the floors, crops die in fields. Two people on different sides decide that something must be done, and try to travel the palace to stop what is happening. However things are changing, the passages are not the same, and maybe even the Palace might be against them.

This is a big book with big ideas, and lots of things that make a reader go what, hmm or I don't know about this. The book just double clutches all the way to 4th or 5th gear right from the beginning, so be prepared for that. Also there a multiple points of view, but this is easy to figure out. The writing is really good, a mix of wordplay and some lines that could only appear in a book like this, and are so apt. There are a lot of allusions, at least I think. There is a lot readers bring to a book like this, mostly their interests and ideas, so I might be guilty of that. What I came away with though was a wonderful reading experience.

This might be one of the oddest books I have read. And I have not mentioned the illustrations that will be in the finished edition. One can see them on the Tor website. They also do a lot to tell the story, and not in ways one would expect. A one of a kind story, and the reason why I read fantasy books oh so many years ago.

I started keeping a list on my phone of all the odd and strange things that take place in The West Passage but inevitably gave up because this book is a concoction of strange and fantastical things unlike anything you've ever read before. The West Passage is about a castle the size of a city and about all the nightmarish and hauntingly beautiful things that exist inside it. Be it the giant Ladies of mysterious origins who rule the castle, to the beehive deer that pee honey, The West Passage travels deep into the odd and the strange and doesn't hold the hand of the reader whatsoever. A lot of how Jared Pechacek unravels his story reminded me of the famous (or infamous) Dark Souls games where the lore and backstory exists in a hazy and nonsensical way where the discovery of the world rests solely on how deep the individual chooses to dig. There are characters, of course, but they aren't nearly as important as what is teeming and slithering around them in the strange corridors of this castle. While there is a central plot, the book feels more than just the adventures of two or more characters on individual quests to better understand the world they exist within.

It would be impossible to tell you what happens in The West Passage because I'm not sure I even 100% know what occurred. It feels like a book that could be read over and over and something new will be found each and every time. Wholly unique and wondrously strange.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR publishing for providing me with this ARC. This book was unfortunately a DNF for me. I personally am not a fan of third perspective POV and I had a hard time grasping the plot. I did feel like this was almost an interpretation of Alice in wonder land but had a high fantasy dark twist. I also needed more explanation for the mechanics of the world, specifically the lamp.

3.5 stars!

Thank you to Jared Pechaček and Tordotcom for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

You’ve never read a fantasy book like this, but I’m a little caught up on whether or not that’s a good thing. The West Passage combines the classic quest narrative with some truly unique fantasy elements in a queer normative world. If the “biblically accurate angel” vibe or weirdcore appeals to you, this book very much embodies that.

First, the good. Some of the fantasy elements in this are just so goddamn cool. The giant ladies with weird heads that rule over this weird world? The honey magic? The massive palace that the characters assume is the entire world? The medieval influences? The outfits? Fantastic. Just so cool, sometimes I had to stop to appreciate the author’s genius. I also always love a queer-normative world, and gender is particularly bendy in this one. The interludes were an interesting addition, and the frog’s poems were genuinely so gorgeous. There’s a lot to admire here.

Unfortunately, while I did admire all that went into this story, I didn’t actually enjoy reading it much. All of the lore and the large cast of side characters became confusing at times, so much so that certain revelations meant nothing to me. While I liked some of the interludes, having finished the book I can pretty confidently say that some of them didn’t contribute to the storyline. The two main characters were likable enough, but they spend a lot of time just one weird little side-missions which distracted from their actual adventure and motivations. I really liked the scenes with Pell and the apes, but I kept waiting for it to have purpose and it just didn’t.

I understand why people love this because I loved parts of it, but I wasn’t quite prepared for such a slow read. Even though this didn’t work for me, it’s genuinely such an impressive debut. I really look forward to seeing what the author does in the future!

Happy reading!

A lovely whimsical story with a truly fascinating world, this is definitely a refreshing change from most fantasy books. I enjoyed the world-building and learning more about this sprawling palace with its five different sections. However, personally I prefer more plot-driven stories and I wanted more direction which I didn't get. But I can easily see this being a favourite amongst a lot of readers as it is a very unique story.

Decent fantasy with great world building. Found the characters to be so so but the overall world is what made this book so enjoyable.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The West Passage by Jared Pechaček is a multi-POV high fantasy multi-POV novel with rich worldbuilding and fascinating concepts. When the Gray Lady dies and no new Guardian is named, Yarrow and Kew need to travel through the palace to the other towers to restore the seasons and save their home. On the way, they meet giant women who guard the other towers and encounter an entirely new world in parts of the palace they’ve never been to before.

The cover is stunning. I rarely remark on covers, but this one demands it. From the use of every color in the rainbow to the superb use of maximalism to the dozens of little details, it’s one of my favorite covers of the year. More covers like this, please.

The worldbuilding utilizes Medieval European aesthetics and matriarchal societies while putting spins on them. The Black Tower has beekeepers and different kinds of honey are a huge part of the culture of the Tower whereas the Yellow Tower has a woman with a bird’s head. There are interlude chapters that explore the mythology of the world and add details that will delight fantasy fans who prefer books that are worldbuilding forward.

Between Kew and Yarrow, Yarrow was probably my favorite POV character. There’s a no-nonsense quality to her character and I think I preferred the parts of the palace that she went to.

I would recommend this to fans of heavy worldbuildling and readers looking for a medieval European-style fantasy that has some Alice and Wonderland vibes.