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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Blood
I found Tess hard to like at first, but she grew on me as the book went on. I really liked seraphina and wanted to know more about her, but now I am just as invested in Tess!
Love this book as a separate but related piece to Seraphina. Tess is such a wonderful, complicated character.
4.5 stars for me.
In Hartman's Tess of the Road, Tess doesn't fit the mold of an obedient, quiet young woman in her medieval kingdom of Goredd, where men rule the land and each household within it.
Let's just say that this time Tess has really taken things too far for fine society, and she's not a young lady who can be subdued. So Tess's family decides to send her to a nunnery. But Tess has other plans.
On the day she's scheduled to report for the beginning of her cloistered life, she cuts her hair, pulls on walking boots, and runs away, determined to craft a life for herself outside of the narrow parameters set upon her. Tess's long-held ability to get into trouble leads her on an adventure of a lifetime.
Tess is irresistibly faulted and headstrong; she is full of wonder and desperate for adventure; she is pushing at the edge of the disappointingly limited possibilities for young women; and she finds herself increasingly frustrated, then furious, about the double standards, injustices, and power inequality between men and women.
There are various complex serpent- and dragon-like creatures within the story, and the longtime, unorthodox friendship between Tess and a dragon-adjacent creature (called a quigutl) helps root the story. Yet the heart of this book is based upon timeless issues, a search for justice, and pushing traditional boundaries.
There's a "woman dresses as a man to escape gender limitations" trope; the story emphasizes loyalty, duty, and bravery; and there's some dabbling in faith issues as well as feelings of disillusionment related to certain religious conventions. Tess experiences unexpected, touching, and never-cheesy romance. We witness some of Tess's sobering realizations about the dark truths in the world--as well as her sometimes overly simplified, bull-headed, endearing insistence on interjecting herself to try to help others...or advance her own interests.
Hartman's 521-page story is immensely satisfying. Tess of the Road is playful yet never silly. The story zigzags in an appealing way through phases of Tess's young explorations. The tale is full of captivating discoveries of all kinds while also addressing deep issues about gender, power, and possibility. It addresses female empowerment within the frustrating constraints of the time, laying out some hopeful, plausible baby steps toward progress. I'm excited to read the sequel.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Tess of the Road.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
She felt like she was seeing with two different eyes: an eye full of stars that still saw the romance, and a new eye, one she'd acquired while walking, an eye full of...
It was full of fire, she decided. Her second eye saw the flesh of this story burned away, held the bones up to her own story, and saw the injustice.
In Hartman's Tess of the Road, Tess doesn't fit the mold of an obedient, quiet young woman in her medieval kingdom of Goredd, where men rule the land and each household within it.
Let's just say that this time Tess has really taken things too far for fine society, and she's not a young lady who can be subdued. So Tess's family decides to send her to a nunnery. But Tess has other plans.
On the day she's scheduled to report for the beginning of her cloistered life, she cuts her hair, pulls on walking boots, and runs away, determined to craft a life for herself outside of the narrow parameters set upon her. Tess's long-held ability to get into trouble leads her on an adventure of a lifetime.
Tess is irresistibly faulted and headstrong; she is full of wonder and desperate for adventure; she is pushing at the edge of the disappointingly limited possibilities for young women; and she finds herself increasingly frustrated, then furious, about the double standards, injustices, and power inequality between men and women.
There are various complex serpent- and dragon-like creatures within the story, and the longtime, unorthodox friendship between Tess and a dragon-adjacent creature (called a quigutl) helps root the story. Yet the heart of this book is based upon timeless issues, a search for justice, and pushing traditional boundaries.
There's a "woman dresses as a man to escape gender limitations" trope; the story emphasizes loyalty, duty, and bravery; and there's some dabbling in faith issues as well as feelings of disillusionment related to certain religious conventions. Tess experiences unexpected, touching, and never-cheesy romance. We witness some of Tess's sobering realizations about the dark truths in the world--as well as her sometimes overly simplified, bull-headed, endearing insistence on interjecting herself to try to help others...or advance her own interests.
Hartman's 521-page story is immensely satisfying. Tess of the Road is playful yet never silly. The story zigzags in an appealing way through phases of Tess's young explorations. The tale is full of captivating discoveries of all kinds while also addressing deep issues about gender, power, and possibility. It addresses female empowerment within the frustrating constraints of the time, laying out some hopeful, plausible baby steps toward progress. I'm excited to read the sequel.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Tess of the Road.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
Abandoning at 60%. I’m glad this book exists to reframe gender stereotypes but it’s not for me at this moment
I was hesitant going into this book after reading shadow scale, especially with such an odd ending. Characters from Seraphina and Shadow Scale make appearances, but this is all about Tess. I enjoyed the complexity of her character and how her story was told. Overall well done.
3.5/5
This was okay.
It was well written, but it felt a bit long and overall a little forgettable. There were a lot of elements I liked. I especially liked the emotional journey Tess took and how she grew into a strong female lead.
Throughout her journey along the road Tess pretends to be a boy and often uses the name of a priest she knew in her home town. There is a moment near the end of the book where this character shows up. Without giving anything away, this part of the book seemed a little stereotypical in how it ties up all the loose ends from Tess' trip. It felt a little forced and not genuine. I would have preferred this have been kept out entirely. I don't think we needed to know what became of all the characters she'd met along the way.
I found her quigutl friend to be a bit of a self absorbed asshole at times too. I think I would have enjoyed the story of their journey a bit more if I'd felt a deep connection between these characters. Maybe there was one and I just didn't pick it up, or maybe that wasn't the author's intention and I just didn't get it? I'm not sure, but either way, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
This was okay.
It was well written, but it felt a bit long and overall a little forgettable. There were a lot of elements I liked. I especially liked the emotional journey Tess took and how she grew into a strong female lead.
Throughout her journey along the road Tess pretends to be a boy and often uses the name of a priest she knew in her home town. There is a moment near the end of the book where this character shows up. Without giving anything away, this part of the book seemed a little stereotypical in how it ties up all the loose ends from Tess' trip. It felt a little forced and not genuine. I would have preferred this have been kept out entirely. I don't think we needed to know what became of all the characters she'd met along the way.
I found her quigutl friend to be a bit of a self absorbed asshole at times too. I think I would have enjoyed the story of their journey a bit more if I'd felt a deep connection between these characters. Maybe there was one and I just didn't pick it up, or maybe that wasn't the author's intention and I just didn't get it? I'm not sure, but either way, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Tess is the black sheep of her hyper-religious family, while her twin is the embodiment of purity. From a young age, their mother has drilled into them the importance of staying away from young men, obedience, and self-censure. Tess is naturally drawn to adventure, pirates, and pushing the boundaries. She has a love/hate relationship with her mom-consoling her when she is down, hating her when lectured on how awful she is.. As a teen, Tess has messed up. No one asked her the details of her impropriety, but she has been punished all the same. To repent, Tess does everything she can to ensure that her twin receives the highest honors at court so that she may have a chance at a good marriage. While they are successful, Tess is utterly unhappy. It is after she performs dreadfully at her sisters wedding, that Tess realizes she needs to get away from her family. So she takes to the road. Each day, Tess has to convince herself to keep walking, until she realizes that she has found her place as a traveler, and recognizes all the good that is inside of her.
Will resonate with many individuals who have a similar relationship with similar people or institutions. Takes place in the same world as the Seraphina books.
High school/adult.
Will resonate with many individuals who have a similar relationship with similar people or institutions. Takes place in the same world as the Seraphina books.
High school/adult.
I previously read Rachel's book series seraphina and was enthralled. When I found out about this book I had to get it
Its wonderfully written it follows sephinas younger human half sister, who has felt with so much, she had to run away to find home inside
It is absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend
Its wonderfully written it follows sephinas younger human half sister, who has felt with so much, she had to run away to find home inside
It is absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend