Beautifully written and different from what I’m used to. Definitely complex and imaginative with hefty world-building. Highly recommend this.

The first 20% or so of this book I was really excited. It was atmospheric, interesting, and just had excellent vibes. The world of the ladies was unique and I was interested in learning more. But then, it just kept going. More parts of the world were introduced that just felt kind of random and I never got invested in the characters or the plot. But I kept reading because it was COOL!

This was a mix of Jim Henson's Labyrinth and Gideon the Ninth

The Labyrinth for its whimsical nature of things
And Gideon the Ninth for it's state of decay with knowledge lost to the centuries.
Both with that morbid sense of curiosity

It has that sense of wanderlust where you want to explore the world more and more. The narration made you feel like a fly on the wall, following the main characters on their respective journeys.

It's a wonderful tale through and through and I was hooked. There were times it was dark and I wanted to look away but your eyes can't leave the page.

This isn't for people looking for a quick epic fantasy read. This book is for the ones that love to be left wondering. To be left with more questions than answers, and I mean that in the best way.

Cons:
The narration/POV flip felt like it came out of nowhere, and maybe that is on me and I missed it somewhere. But suddenly it changed to the narrator talking to the reader. Which is fine, I just didn't know it was written that way until about 30% in.
Also I REALLY needed a map. And I hope it gets one in the physical copy. I was so so lost I couldn't keep up sometimes and had decided to just skim over any parts where it talked about directions 🥲

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this eARC. All thoughts are my own.
I cannot wait to add a physical copy of this book to my library

This is a fantasy book unlike any other! All fantasy readers will enjoy the creative and unusual world created here. When a palace in not protected correctly, anyone can find a way in. Snow in summer and crops fail leaving mass hunger. The mother of Gray house is the only one that can save the kingdom!

If you are a fan of very "different" fantasy, this one is for you! The world-building is beautiful, in-depth and unique (reminiscent of The Fifth Season world-building depth) The writing itself is gorgeous, but a tad bit wordy for my personal liking. The story was very complex and I did have to re-read passages several times in places but that is more to do with my exhaustion than the book. I would definitely recommend annnotating this one but overall it was quite enjoyable!

I enjoyed this book for it's originality but it wouldn't be a book I'd pick up again. The writing, dialogue, characters and world building were all amazingly done I just had a hard time getting hooked enough to make it a book worthy of not putting down. The West Passage would definitely be a 4 or 5 star for the right type of reader, it just wasn't for me.

**Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC**

"The west passage" is book unlike any I have so far read. It's full of mysticism, decaying Palace and wonder. It doesn't move quickly, but isn't still either. Things happen and we bear witness to a changing world, through the eyes of a few people living said change. There are weird creatures and things in this book, described in a beautiful way and giving that otherwordly sense. It was tremedously enjoyable in a special way. Not really character driven nor plot driven, but more world driven, if that make sense, with pieces of a age old secret being revealed bits by bits until we reached the end and the whole picture is revealed.
The world building is extraordinary, filled with details, weird and enrapturing. So rich. Cruel yet magical, not falling into a black and white frame of mind, the complexity woven everywhere. There is a sense of absurd that I rarely encounter in fantasy, making this book really refreshing and interesting, along with how the two main characters are traveling though the story, going on various quest. The tension is there, but like a humming in the background.
"The west passage" was thoroughly enjoyable in its originality, I hope it will reach as many reader, eager for this kind of atmosphere, as possible.

The palace is the entire world: five towers dedicated to politics (Black), war (Red), making (Blue), taking (Yellow), and duty (Grey). Each is ruled by eldritch embodiments called Ladies, whose periodic wars over the throne are as awesome as they are catastrophic. And one Beast, waiting to rise again to devour everything. To stop the cycle of destruction, two teens from Grey, Pell (later Yarrow) and Kew (later Hawthorn), are abruptly thrust into adulthood and forced to make sense of the literal and figurative ruins of their society. They are only marginally successful.

The West Passage pairs medieval European imagery with an Alice in Wonderland gone overtly violent. The oddness of dream logic dominates this book. It's never quite clear (to the reader or the characters) how spaces within the palace relate to one another. And causes need not match effects as expected. The narratorial focus is similarly unbalanced, with copious descriptions of the palace structure and the history of its decorations but no more than an off-hand comment when a character has a spoon instead of a face or changes gender (physically?) in their sleep. When combined with experimental writing strategies, this silence sometimes makes it difficult to envision the world or follow the plot. In the same vein, this book is entirely about the journey (and the vibes); the end leaves quite a few plot points unresolved.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but it needs a patient reader with no expectations about how a story "should be structured." It will probably resonate best with people who liked The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez, The Border Keeper by Kerstin Hall, and/or The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon.

Thanks to Tordotcom and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

There is no denying that the context and premise of this book is out of this world. Of course it is, just look at this masterpiece of a cover! Reading this book, I had to let go of all my pre-conceived notions of what a fantasy book should be like, because this is no ordinary fantasy story. It is a story with the main focus on the journey, the dialogues, the relationships, rather than the ending. It is a mix of contrasting concepts coexisting: the sweet and the dark, the colourful towers and the grey one, the emergency of the beast and the search for purpose, the love of friendship and the pain of loss.

It did get a bit too weird for me sometimes though. We always know what the main mission is and what our main characters are fighting for, but it usually stays in the background while we accompany them in travelling the world, meeting new friends, and learning more about the lore. I couldn't wrap my head around some of the concepts and developments which therefore impacted my enjoyment of the book and its fast/slow pace. This book not only makes use of the absurd but relishes in it, like a delicious honey (wink wink). I totally get other people mentioning Alice in Wonderland when referring to this book, because it does feel like that sometimes, but even more so. I did often wonder what this story would look and feel like in a movie or series format, with all of the world building, the different creatures, the towers, the bridges, and so much more!! Can we please bring back illustrations in books? That would be amazing here.

So if reading a book that is absurdly weird/magical, where characters can come in all shapes, sizes, and genders, with its own political system and lore, as well as a hint of adventure to save the world as we know it while also enjoying the ride while we do, sounds interesting to you then you should give this book a try. Also if you love world building because this was like nothing I've read before.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am quite ill at the moment, but I shall try to do this book justice. I have to give it five stars for sheer inventiveness alone. There were so many times that I reeled back and took a few minutes to ponder after a new piece of information was dispensed. This is not a Disney fairytale. It's definitely for older readers. There's a lot of gore and violence, as well as some what-the-freak-did-I-just-read and that-is-so-unsettling-I-can't-put-it-into-words. I'm just trying to be transparent here: you won't come out of this read with a clear head. There's also a weird, vague sex scene that left me scratching my head for a few seconds before I moved on. There's some jarring uses of profanity, mostly the F word, that did, quite honestly, take me out of the story every time I came across one. (At the beginning of the book, a character uses a direction to curse, as in "North!!"--in my opinion, the author should have just stuck with that). I will say, about the profanity, there is one utterly hysterical scene where inadvertent physical comedy has a brief minor character picking themselves off the floor while saying, "THE F***!! THE F***!!!", and I could *not* stop laughing, because, in my mind, it was as if it had happened to George Carlin and not Dick Van Dyke.

What a ride, though, folks!!!!! There are so many things in this book that I have never, ever come across, and I'm reasonably well-read, especially in the fantasy genre. I'd love to have lunch with Jared Pechaček and just pick his extraordinary brain. I don't know how he came up with half of the things he did, but I am HERE for it, people, and I anxiously await more stories set in this weird and wondrous world. It's a must-read.

You may be thinking to yourself...huh, she didn't really say much about the plot. That's on purpose. Go in blind with this one. It's a twisty, turny, mind-altering, eerily beautiful tale. Just be prepared to take a little more time digesting the fantastically horrible happenings.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for letting me read this ahead of its publication. All opinions are mine alone. (I adore you, Tordotcom. Never change.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for the arc! This book was fantastic! Some of my favorite things about it are as follows:

This is for the fans of absurdist and weird fiction, and is a part of the growing niche of absurdist fantasy. I eat absurdist fantasy up and lick the plate like goddamn dog each time, and The West Passage is no different.

This is also for the people who choose side quests over a main quest line. Again, I am one of these people, and again, that’s one thing I loved about this book.

This book has a sure-fire aim. It hits every beat it needs to, and is intentional about every thing it does. It has beautiful and powerful moments, funny and cheeky moments, and balances all of these perfectly with purpose.

This book has teeth. It doesn’t pull punches, doesn’t hold back, and doesn’t hold your hand. It’s often dark, often bleak, and for a book about decay and inevitable destruction, it more than hits the mark. That being said, there is an underlying aura of hope at the end while still remaining realistic about its outlook.

This book has depth. It has clear themes and messages, it shows and doesn’t tell, the world is immersive (I will be talking about the world-building more), the main characters are well-rounded, the side characters are also deeply satisfying, the story itself is rewarding, and the world itself is a character.

Lastly, I would again like to talk about the world building; it’s supreme and masterful. Yes, Brandon Sanderson this and Brandon Sanderson that, but good god this is one of the most vibrant worlds I’ve read about. It feels so alive, even if it’s technically dying in the book. The entire damn book is a masterclass in world-building, and It’s not just the main chapters that have beef. The interlude chapters are pillars in themselves. You may get texts from books, extra characters going about their days, songs and lyrics, other miscellaneous passages. There is so much here and it is so delightful and purposeful. I love it.

So yeah, read this book.

Also, before I forget, this book is definitely for those who love Over the Garden Wall as well. You’ll know if you read it. It even has its own beast.

I stopped in chapter 2 (5%) as I didn’t feel hooked by the story or the prose. I can see this at three stars, four for the right readers.

The prose leans narrative and feels slightly overdone. When I started reading chapter 2… it felt like chapter 1 had been line-edited harder than chapter 2, and it was noticeable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

A magical, surreal, wonder of a story that feels like a dream. I absolutely love the setting of a gigantic castle that makes all the characters seem so small and takes us on a journey of discovery where nothing is what is expected. The movie that unfolded in my mind as I was reading this was so whimsical! Overall, a very unique story that I enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to have an early access copy of this book!

One of the most original works of fantasy I've read in years. The West Passage drops the reader into an utterly strange and unfamiliar world with its own complex mythology and history. Tonally, it reminds me of old school fantasy like Garth Nix or Redwall at times, though there are elements that make it more adult. If you're looking for something magical and different, you won't be disappointed.

In this captivating read, the author masterfully weaves a narrative that is both engaging and thought-provoking. Through a blend of richly developed characters and a meticulously crafted plot, the book offers a unique exploration of its central themes, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the story's depth and complexity. The narrative is paced perfectly, balancing moments of intense action with thoughtful reflection, ensuring that readers are hooked from the first page to the last. The author's ability to evoke emotion and create a vivid, immersive world is truly remarkable, making this book a must-read for anyone looking for an exceptional literary experience.

Beyond its compelling storyline, the book stands out for its insightful commentary on the human condition, weaving philosophical questions into the fabric of its narrative. The author's skillful use of language not only enriches the text but also elevates the reader's experience, offering new perspectives on familiar themes. Whether it's the intricate dynamics of relationships, the exploration of identity, or the confrontation with ethical dilemmas, this book tackles complex issues with sensitivity and intelligence. It's a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the nuances of life, making it a valuable addition to any book lover's collection. Regardless of genre, this is a work that resonates on multiple levels, affirming the enduring impact of well-crafted literature.

I had a difficult time connecting with this from the outset and was not able to finish it - I think others will enjoy this unconventional narrative, but it was not for me, unfortunately.