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.

This was really bizarre and dense - I felt bogged down with details and information that was hard to understand. I couldn’t connect to any of the characters - it was too weird for me.

The West Passage is a charming debut fantasy that impresses with its prose and creativity. The story follows two characters, Kew and Pell, as they come to terms with their new circumstances and epithets they may or may not be ready to mantle.

This book encourages you to stretch your imagination to dive headfirst into this whimsical world. Every element of this story, from characters to architecture, is surprising and deeply creative.
It often feels like the plot is a secondary element to the setting, but in the moments when the story reveals a new element of the mysteries being unraveled, you’re in for a real treat. That being said: come for the vibes, stay for the story.

The writing itself is reminiscent of classic fantasy stories and is rich with imagery that brings you into the dusty storerooms in Grey to the rancid towers of Yellow. The narration is full of humor and does a great job of pacing the journey that our characters are on.

Overall, this book really works for me. A classic fantasy journey in an unexpected setting will always hit in my opinion. If you love time-honored fantasy elements but yearn to see them in a new light, this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The West Passage was a great story! The story was so much fun, I loved the characters, and it has some of the best world building I’ve read in a while!

This is definitely one you have to pay attention to as you’re reading, but it’s so worth it. From what I’ve heard, I need to get my hands on a physical copy, and I can’t wait to reread this one!

Overall, I really enjoyed this one!
With some of the most vivid writing and imaginative worldbuilding I've read in a while, this is definitely a book that will stay with me for a while. The worldbuilding was my favourite - the story takes place in a huge palace that's ruled by five ladies, each Lady inhabiting a tower of the palace with its own strange customs and rules. Exploring this palace through the eyes of some fantastic characters was truly a treat.
The casual queerness was wonderful too. This is how you do it right imo!



What dragged it down a bit for me was the last 10-15%. The plot got too confusing and intricate with the jumping pov's, so I had a hard time understanding what was going on with the Ladies. I think the point was to have mystery surrounding them, but with the way the plot went in the end this mysterious aspect just created confusion for me.

Still, highly recommend if you love fantasy that's original!

Well this is a hard one review and not just because the review copies lack the illustrations (gorgeous from what I've seen online). It's one of those books that is light on plot and frankly character development but instead focuses on the atmosphere and the world. I'm not actually sure what happened in this book to be fair especially the second half.

The West Passage is a book about decay, about being children in a world long-past its prime, stuck remembering a former glory while everything rots and starves. It's one of those stories where there's a looming threat (the Beast) but no one wants to do anything about it except the children (oh climate change when you get us). It's a pretext for political manipulations or power grabs. In a way the West Passage has the whimsical tone of a children's media when the young hero is seeking help and encounters adult after adults who are vey busy with their own (implied useless) tasks (like teaching monkeys how to read) and who can't do anything for them.

It's such a hard book to rate because some people will likely find it boring and not engaging and some people will love the detailed worldbuilding. It's well-written and bizarre, filled with Eldritch looking ladies whose roles are unclear and I'm still thinking about the death and decay, the coals of a spent fire, the mother of ashes. It's the children with no future, provided that there are still children.

I'm glossing over the concept of sacrifice, the mellified man, the fact that you give your entire self to the position (name and pronouns assigned to you).

I've noticed the "queer" tag on Goodreads and I would say it's in the form of a queernormative world: there is a nonbinary side character, one character is assigned pronouns at title, there is no romance or couples mentioned in the book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the e-arc of this title.

Boy that was a wild ride. What an epic quest of a fantasy book. It’s so hard to explain. The West Passage so fantastical and full of the weird and wonderful.
It took me a while to get into it but when I did I found I couldn’t stop reading it.
This was quite outside of the realm of what I usually read, but it did not disappoint.

If Kafka’s Schloss and Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea had a baby, this would be the deeply strange, slightly cannibalistic, eldritch Lady they would birth.

Not much is outright explained in this novel and many questions are left unanswered, but if you’re open to it, and trust in the narrative, The West Passage will introduce you to a fever dream of a world at times wondrous and even beautiful…but mostly violent and horrific.

Indeed, the main beauty comes not from the setting itself, which is unforgiving at the best of times, but from the main characters who, in spite of such surroundings, try their best to carve a path of justice and kindness. At its heart, The West Passage is a coming-of-age story, a literal journey through which we get to experience the Palace, a sprawling marvel in decay. It is at times extremely lonely and quite often tragic, but I at least was deeply invested in our protagonists, their quests and, most importantly, the way they both began to question their world.

The West Passage is heavy on vibes, episodic, but there is definitely a plot and nearly every time it reared its head it got a gasp out of me. The book might not be for everyone, it’s weird, occasionally gory, and not at all interested in whether you’re able to keep up, but it was exactly my kind of jam.

Many thanks to Tordotcom and Netgalley for the e-ARC which I was delighted to receive and even more so to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was extraordinarily bizarre, and very, very good.

When I started this, it was with an ebook ARC I got from the publisher. It was, I was sad to see, not illustrated, and it was painfully clear to me that I was missing a lot. So a big *thank you* to the people at Reactor/Tordotcom for answering my plea and getting me a physical ARC with the illustrations.

Speaking of illustrations: [here are some examples of the artwork](https://reactormag.com/excerpt-and-art-reveal-from-the-west-passage-jared-pechacek/), along with commentary by Pechaček on where he drew his inspiration from, and the text of the first chapter of the book. There is an illustration at the beginning of each chapter, almost a visual epigraph, depicting (very stylistically) a scene that takes place within that chapter. There is also a full-page illustration at the beginning of each book within *The West Passage*. Having tried to read it without those, the book is definitely missing something (sorry, audiobook readers).

The protagonists of this are Pell and Kew, two young inhabitants of Grey Tower thrust into positions of power and responsibility before they are ready. Grey Tower is part of “the palace,” which has no other name that is ever mentioned. It is a sprawling city, more than half decayed into ruin, dominated by the Grey, Yellow, Blue, Red, and Black Towers. The city is ruled by the Ladies, strange unknowable beings of wildly varying appearance and unclear but potent powers. As happens every few centuries, the Beast is rising to threaten the palace. Pell and Kew both, and separately, leave the familiar cloisters of the Grey, looking to reach the palace’s rulers in the Black Tower and get help.

Of course it is not so straightforward as that, and as Pell and Kew go off on their respective quests they travel far and wide over the breadth of the palace. They meet many very bizarre things; not only Ladies, but the many and varied inhabitants of the palace, before making their way back to Grey to confront the rising of the Beast.

The illustrations set the tone: Fantastical and mysterious, with a definite feeling of the medieval. It’s never entirely clear what is going on, or why. The strangeness of the palace is normal to Pell and Kew, and they don’t really feel the need to comment on it - it can take some time to figure out just how bizarre it all really is. Not a great book for those who like clear answers and explanations, because you’re basically going to get none. And, fair warning, this book has a lot of sadness in it.

I would call this “New Weird” if I had to pick a genre, but that doesn’t feel quite right. Possibly just because I associate with Jeff VanderMeer, and his stuff all has much more sinister/dangerous overtones than this book does. It also reminds me quite a lot of Walter Moers’ Zamonia books, though with more sinister/dangerous overtones than those books have. But slotting this into a genre just feels wrong, regardless. It’s too unique.

I think this is a love-it-or-hate-it book. I am giving it an easy 5 stars. But if someone were to say to me, “I read it, and WTF was that?” I would understand. Looking forward to hearing others’ opinions when it comes out this summer.

A profoundly weird and stunningly beautiful book. it embraces its own beauty and strangeness without apologies or superfluous explanations. I don't know how to properly explain the surreal, phantasmagorical, unsettling majesty of this book. It's like the unholy and gorgeous love child of Wizard of Oz (on acid), Alice in Wonderland, The Green Knight (movie), Piranesi, and the works of Hieronymus Bosch. All of this is made even better because the writer embraces the work's beauty and strangeness without apologies or superfluous explanations.

I really liked this book, and I think the world-building and character creation worked great together. I found them to be dynamic and very entertaining to read. I was looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint, I can't wait for it to come out so that I can have a physical copy of it

The West Passage is difficult to describe, it has a descriptive and particular style, the voice is whimsical and poetic at times, gothic and archaic at times, medieval and flowery at times, and occasionally modern. The story takes turns between two characters on separate but linked quests through a world that at times feels like Alice's journey in Wonderland, meeting characters each in their own daily life that while to readers may seem bizarre to the extreme, but to the characters journeying through just another day in their world. The world is a character in itself and readers will start to delight in every twist of the passage for what new strange vision will appear around the corner. What daily drama our characters will stumble into and how they'll get out of it, and ultimately if their quests will be rewarded.
Readers who enjoyed Armed in Her Fashion by Kate Heartfield will find the same medieval imagery paired with gore and horror and twisted celestial imagery is employed extremely well in this novel. Folks who enjoy playing Elden Ring will enjoy the similar worldbuilding and imagery.