Odd, but interesting worldbuilding. I liked Steve West's narration. There didn't seem to be too much plot overall, with so many weird things happening, but this is a book that is more vibes than story, with a focus on learning about the past and oneself, and one's place in the larger scheme of the world.

A dark and whimsical. Twisty and turny. Medieval fantasy that keeps, you scratching your head with moments of laughter and absolutely absurd characters.

Disclaimer: I did a tandem read a physical copy gifted by Tor as well as an audiobook through NetGalley. Thank you for the free advance reader copies.

There is so much to say about this book and yet so little I can say I understood. This book is pure vibes from start to finish all I can tell you is it's a vibes were very good. This gave me almost a Jim Henson type experience. I felt like Muppets what best depict this novel. This story is not about a narrative plot. If you're going into this novel, hoping for a solid stream of plot, you're going to be a little disappointed. This is all about an epic journey of two characters at intersect overall. Both Pell and Kew set out on journeys with similar goals at separate intervals and run into an absolutely absurd cast of characters that you cannot help but be totally mesmerized by. These characters range from absolutely terrifying to almost comical, and it really drives the entire story of this novel.

I absolutely found myself immersed in the stories of these two characters. Their side characters were interesting and absolutely well thought out and utilized. I loved the usage of stories and songs as war for how to overthrow a beast I loved the tying of whether to how well or unwell an area of this gigantic castle was. Overall, this was just done so well in the world building was just so unique and fresh.

I will definitely continue to read work by this author

This book was so strange and I loved it. The world building was phenomenal and unlike anything I've ever read before. Characters were interesting and quirky and the narrator was great.

I’ve only read the first part so far and I am entirely obsessed. I cannot remember the last time I read something that captured my imagination so fully. I desperately want a studio to option this and make it into a movie or limited series so that I can see all these characters and places. It reminds me of something, but I can’t quite place it yet. Perhaps I will.

Of note, I’m listening to the audio book and the voice actor is wonderful.

UPDATE (7 weeks after finishing):
I needed some time to process this before writing a review. The characters have really stayed with me...I laughed, I cried, I yelled, I sat with mouth gaping in awe. I eventually figured out what it reminded me of...it had the feel of Return to OZ. A strange, decaying, crumbling land with a journey, interesting friends made along the way, and strange creatures that seem entirely normal within the world, but with a decidedly medieval leaning. The writing was wonderful, and the narration brought everything beautifully to life.

It's not often that I like the ends of books. So frequently I'm left wanting more, or wanting some other conclusion, or with so many questions, but this book... It has, perhaps, the most perfect last line of a book I've ever read. It was such a beautiful conclusion. I was listening to it on my way home from work, and I drove the last 20 minutes in silence because I just wanted to sit with it and think about it.

This is truly a tremendous read with characters that I came to quickly care about and a wondrous place that I could picture so vividly.

I also didn't realize that the author is also an artist and has done some lovely illustrations for the book. I LOVED the audio book and definitely recommend listening to it, but I also think that I'm going to need to pick up a physical copy of this book as well, and to reread it that way too.

This is my favorite book that I've read so far this year, and as much time as I've spent thinking about writing this review, I don't think I've been nearly successful enough in convincing you that you should read it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Tor for the advanced copy!

I won a physical copy of this book from Goodreads and I finally got around to reading it and I listened on audiobook. I actually really liked this story. It really reminded me of “The Wall” from Game of Thrones and it really drew me in. I loved that we went on this adventure and got to travel through a lot of different areas and learn about those sections (I’m not sure if that is what we would call them but I will). Each land has its own terrors and this that happened but they are also each beautiful in their own ways. I liked the dual POVs. I really liked the narrator, I was actually able to listen at 2x speed with no issues. I haven’t read anything like it and I want more. I can’t really explain it too much because I don’t want to give everything away but I would recommend this to fantasy lovers and also those who aren’t. It was just so interesting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC and to TorDotCom and Goodreads for the physical book prize.

Wow. This book completely blew my mind. The attention to detail, the world building and the magic system. There was not a second of this story that wasn't planned and pruned until perfect. I often wonder what it would be like to have an imagination that worked in the wondrous sort of way.
I really enjoyed the characters, I found that they all had their part to play and even the villains were written so well that while they may not be likable you love them all the same. I would say that this is a more character driven book than plot driven. The story line itself is harder to put into words than I thought that it would be and a lot of that I attribute to not wanting to give anything away. For me the really shining jewel of this book is the world building. It is a mixture of darkly whimsical, gilded grandeur, and a touch of ancient religious. I will never not recommend this book to anyone looking for an escape into a beautifully written world and one heck of an adventure. The narrator did a marvelous job of bring this book to life!

This book started slowly, in the enormous grey tower of the palace, which is dying, yet serves the important role of protecting the rest of the palace from a being known as "The Beast" which comes down the West Passage every so many years, laying waste to all it sees and threatening the entire palace structure and way of life. Now the seasons are off, and the Hawthorne must leave the Gray tower to go visit the other towers to get some help to save the faltering Grey tower and hopefully the tower itself. This book is a colorful rendering of a place unlike any I had ever visited. This, plus the descriptions of the inhabitants and their lives, kept me reading the story even during the early parts of the book when nothing much was going on except for exposition of what the towers were, who the ladies were, and what they did, etc. Throughout the book, the Palace plays as much of a role as the protagonists in what happens, and though grisly at times, the end result is surprisingly good and satisfying. I started this book bored, and thinking I wouldn't like it. I ended up loving this book, and not because of the characters so much as the imagination of the storyteller.

I truly wanted to give this book a try with the super pretty and colorful cover. I wanted to try fantasy again and it just did not work for me. I couldn't get into it at all and I just could not grasp what was happening or what was going on so it did not hold my attention and I unfortunately had to DNF this one.

Listening to "The West Passage" by Jared Pechaček was an absolute blast! Steve West's narration brought the quirky and magical world of Eldoria to life. Ariella Mistaire, our fierce and silver-haired assassin, faces off against trials and secrets with Prince Caspian, whose charm and mystery keep you hooked.

The banter is sharp, the magic is captivating, and the twists keep you on your toes. It's like diving into a fantastical dream where nothing is what it seems, and the ending left me eager for more. If you love a good mix of adventure, magic, and a bit of romance, don't miss this audiobook!

THIS is why I read fantasy. I picked it up because the description reminded me a touch of Piranesi, with a strange and wonderous house, and it delivered and more. Lush, strange, and wonderful.

This is a book for lovers of Piranesi, meaning this is not a book for me.

This is a book set in a fantasy world that is medieval-esque, but it is not quite clear what is going on. I read one review that said the main character of this book is the setting and I agree. I personally couldn't appreciate it, however, because I was too concerned with the world writ large. Was this giant building/chapel/????? the entirety of the world? Was it the religious center of the world? Was this a world of normal people?

This reminded me a lot of Piranesi, a book that I was once asked, "What is it about?" when I was 80 pages in and I answered, "Honestly I have absolutely no idea."

This is a style of written art that appeals to some and not to others. I slightly felt like I was on drugs, and I couldn't let go of the need to understand what was going on to enjoy the ride.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This will be a difficult review to write because part of me has no idea how to summarize this book. Other readers have suggested that you should go in knowing nothing about this book, and I agree only because knowing anything about it really won't prepare you for it. I see the absurdity and humor of Douglas Addams, whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, all with a level darkness that reminds me of the exact moment No Face starts eating people in Spirited Away. This would actually make a fascinating Studio Ghibli Film.

The biggest draw of this book will be the vibes and the world-building. It is quite unique. It is so weird that I wish I had illustrations to help visualize the different beings. I listened to the audiobook, and while the narration was great, I think it was even more difficult visualizing and understanding what is going on.

There is an underlying plot, but it often felt unimportant. This is ironic because the entire plot revolves around a beast destroying the world, so you would expect it to feel high stakes. Instead, the 2 main characters trying to stop the beast are constantly met with a lackadaisical indifference by everyone around them. There isn't a ton of characterization either.

At times, this felt like a chore to read. At others, I really enjoyed it. I think many will enjoy it much more than me and better appreciate its weirdness.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

To read The West Passage is to escape into an entirely different world. A world rich with detail and completely different from our own. The narrative switches between two main characters who both independently travel to the Black Tower. Much like in Alice In Wonderland, each time they reach a new location, the people, the rules, the expectations are different. However in The West Passage each main character is of the world they travel. Will Q be named Guardian? Will Yarrow succeed in ending winter? I really enjoyed listening to this book especially because of the wonderful voice and voices of the narrator. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the audiobook!

This is such an inventive and unique story. I know this will sound weird, but it kind of reminded me of an indie pixel art video game. I think because a lot of this story was characters traveling from place to place and each new place was just as imaginative and vibrant as the last. I listened to the audiobook and liked Steve West's narration. I don't regret listening to the audiobook, but it was difficult to truly grasp the scope of the world while listening to it rather than reading it. If you want to just enjoy a unique world and quirky characters, I recommend giving this a listen. If you are wanting to really delve deep into the lore of this world, then you will likely catch more details reading the text.

5 mysteriously twinkly stars!

Audiobook is very well read.

I love this book! The world-building is amazing, the characters dynamic and the storyline ever-shifting.

I am going to give this book the absolute BEST (and most concise) praise that I maybe ever have, and it is this: If I hadn't known who the author of this book was, I would have guessed Terry Pratchett without a shadow of a doubt!!!

It is indeed that great, fun, weird and magical. This book dances to the same tune as the best in the DiscWorld. If that doesn't tell you what you need to know and how fast you need to grab a copy of *The West Passage*, I really don't know what else to say.

Huge HUGE gratitude to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for an Audio-ARC of this book (which I gobbled up in record time), in exchange for my honest review.

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!

Very entertaining fantasy novel. Although at times the story felt unoriginal I still flew through the audio due to the excellent narrator

Probably the weirdest book I’ve read all year. It felt like the bizarreness of Alice in Wonderland x Adventure Time if they had a bit more eldritch horror and societal decay.

We follow two young people from Grey Tower on their various journeys to save their home. The story exists to build the world around the characters, and I felt no particular strong feelings toward anyone we’re introduced to. Characters are what I usually care the most about in a book, but I didn’t find that to be detrimental to this one. The world that’s described is simply so fantastical and strange that it carried me through to the end.

It’s a great palate cleanser if you feel like you’ve been reading a lot of the same stories; I can almost guarantee this will not feel like that.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

3.5/5 stars

To start with the narration, Steve West proves once again why he is one of my all time favorite narrators - amazing job!

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.

The Beast is waking. The inhabitants of the palace know that the Beast can only enter through the West Passage. However, the Guardian of the West Passage has died and did not appoint her apprentice as her successor. There is no Guardian, and now winter has come early to the Grey Tower.

The story that unfolds in the novel is of two young apprentices who come into their offices unprepared, and go on separate journeys to save the palace and stop the Beast. A classic hero's tale set in a wonderfully imagined and unique universe.

The first word that comes to mind when I think of the world-building in this novel is "lush". Every chapter brought new details of the world to light or illuminated more of its lore. The richness, and weirdness, of the story reminded me of The Neverending Story, which is one of my top tier favorite books.

The narration for the audiobook was clear and the performer (Steve West) did an excellent job. However, I found myself wishing for the printed version of the text at times. The story is so rich with detail that there were points where I wished I could flip back a few pages and re-contextualize the information. Also, one of the downfall of fantasy audiobooks is that you might not hear character or place names correctly.

If you have been looking for a fantasy adventure book with deep lore (but not a lot of magical spells and such), I highly recommend this book. I hope that Pechaček plans to write more novels set in this world. I feel like there are so many more stories to explore.

This review will be posted to Goodreads and Instagram on July 17, 2024.