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.

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, even with the help of the audiobook narrator (he did an amazing job, but I think I’m just not generally enjoy the voice of male narrators). Thus it was really hard to follow the story along, until i completely lost it.

Sorry. It’s just not for me, I guess

I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS NARRATOR. When the book got confusing halfway through, I relied on this man to make it interesting and he delivered. 10/10 brilliant performance would listen to this man read the dictionary.

As for the book: 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.

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.

That being said, I think the quality of the audiobook narration improved my reading experience and I would definitely recommend listening in this format!

This book is more than a story - it’s a whole experience. I waited a bit to provide feedback because I wanted to process things better, but I’m still at a loss for words.

I absolutely enjoyed every moment of this book. The characters, the story, and the writing style pulled me in and kept me engaged. My mind was racing for most of it in the best of ways because the writing style has you pulling bits of information together for yourself.

The tone somehow manages to be both dark and wholesome. It’s cozy but not at the same time. And I realize how strange this sounds, but providing details would detract from the reading experience, I think.

I did read this from NetGalley (thank you!) as an audiobook, and I can say the narration absolutely nailed the tone of the story. Engaging, immersive and expressive. Though there were times I wish I was reading a physical book so that I could flip back and check some things I’d read from earlier, the audiobook was well worth it.

Thanks to NeyGalley and the publisher for the advance read of this title! The opinions here are my own.