You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Xenophobia
Minor: Child death, Rape, War
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 ⭐ CW: violence, (off page) sexual content, rape, teen pregnancy, corporal punishment, descriptions of blood and gore, death of an infant, descriptions of birth, suicidal ideation
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman is book one of the Tess of the Road duology and a spin off from the Seraphina duology. I've always said Rachel Hartman is a super underrated author. Her books tend to be a little slower moving, because of all the world-building, but I love to sink my teeth into this kind of thing. Plus, dragons! And dragon adjacent beings!
We follow Tess Dombegh, younger sister of Seraphina, after the events of Shadow Scale. Reading the Seraphina duology first isn't strictly necessary to read this, but it does help to have context. Set in medieval times, Tess is expected to be a virtuous and obedient lady, but Tess has always had a rebellious spirit no matter how many times her mother tried to spank it out of her. She was the spank magnet while her twin sister, Jeanne was the angel.
Hartman takes another scathing look at conservative religion, focusing on the idea of virginal purity and the shame that that is beaten into girls about their own bodies, vilifying themselves while excusing the men for the same behavior. When a traumatic event happens to Tess, she is consigned to being the younger sister and is given only two choices: care for her sister and become governess to her future children or go to a convent. Instead, Tess creates a third option by running away and becoming a child of the road disguised as a boy.
This is such a great adventure/coming of age story! Tess discovers a lot about herself and about the world. We also get a lot more world-building of the Southlands, specifically Ninys, whereas Seraphina mostly took place in Gorredd. We also learn a lot more about the quigutl, which I really appreciate. We see how humans and dragons alike are prejudiced against quigutl and take their language for granted. Tess's best friend is a quigutl named Pathka.
I appreciate Hartman's inclusion of medieval birth control practices, and conversations on consent. There is also a significant piece about conserving natural wonders instead of destroying them. It was also great to see the changes brought about after St. Jannoula's war in the previous series. Tess is sassy, strong, and pigheaded which was kind of annoying at times, but you have to admire her anarchic spirit.
I can't wait to see what she gets up to next!
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman is book one of the Tess of the Road duology and a spin off from the Seraphina duology. I've always said Rachel Hartman is a super underrated author. Her books tend to be a little slower moving, because of all the world-building, but I love to sink my teeth into this kind of thing. Plus, dragons! And dragon adjacent beings!
We follow Tess Dombegh, younger sister of Seraphina, after the events of Shadow Scale. Reading the Seraphina duology first isn't strictly necessary to read this, but it does help to have context. Set in medieval times, Tess is expected to be a virtuous and obedient lady, but Tess has always had a rebellious spirit no matter how many times her mother tried to spank it out of her. She was the spank magnet while her twin sister, Jeanne was the angel.
Hartman takes another scathing look at conservative religion, focusing on the idea of virginal purity and the shame that that is beaten into girls about their own bodies, vilifying themselves while excusing the men for the same behavior. When a traumatic event happens to Tess, she is consigned to being the younger sister and is given only two choices: care for her sister and become governess to her future children or go to a convent. Instead, Tess creates a third option by running away and becoming a child of the road disguised as a boy.
This is such a great adventure/coming of age story! Tess discovers a lot about herself and about the world. We also get a lot more world-building of the Southlands, specifically Ninys, whereas Seraphina mostly took place in Gorredd. We also learn a lot more about the quigutl, which I really appreciate. We see how humans and dragons alike are prejudiced against quigutl and take their language for granted. Tess's best friend is a quigutl named Pathka.
I appreciate Hartman's inclusion of medieval birth control practices, and conversations on consent. There is also a significant piece about conserving natural wonders instead of destroying them. It was also great to see the changes brought about after St. Jannoula's war in the previous series. Tess is sassy, strong, and pigheaded which was kind of annoying at times, but you have to admire her anarchic spirit.
I can't wait to see what she gets up to next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Pregnancy
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence
Minor: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A well-woven tale of a young girl who runs away but ends up opening herself to great truths, transforming her flight into a journey that reconnects her to herself, the past, and those she left behind. It reminded me in its intention of Coelho's "The Alchemist" but has more humor and fascinating creatures (quigutls!). While, for me, it started a bit slow, after meeting the quig Pathka I was quite intrigued, and so glad I kept reading by the end.
Thanks to an unexpected snow day, I managed to finish reading this book in three hours, though I had started it the day before. I knew that there were some things that I needed to do, but honestly, I didn't want to stop reading. For those who have read Rachel Hartman's previous books, Tess, the main character, is very different from Seraphina. However, I was able to relate to both: Seraphina, the outsider, and Tess, filled with bitterness and grief.
On her journey, Tess needs to confront some truths that are more easily avoided and she grows from an impetuous and reckless child to an assured adult. She encounters many people in her travels, all of whom open up the world to her, both the bad and the good.
On her journey, Tess needs to confront some truths that are more easily avoided and she grows from an impetuous and reckless child to an assured adult. She encounters many people in her travels, all of whom open up the world to her, both the bad and the good.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book ruined me emotionally. It really has it all, when it comes to trauma and damaged characters. Catholic guilt? Check. Alcoholism? Check. Abusive family? Check. Complicated past, where the main character thinks they ruined their own life and everything is their fault? Check. Definitely read the CWs if you have any content you’re sensitive to. This is definitely the last book I’m reading without checking the list… it’s very good, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Incest, Mental illness
There is a LOT of elder abuse, and it’s BAD abuse, and one of the elderly people who suffers this abuse also is victim to a pretty horrific “accidental” death .
Wow, this was quite a ride - or I should better say walk.
Other reviews said that this was a quieter book, one more focused on the main character's growth, her finding herself and her place in the world, and while that's certainly true, there was also a fair amount of action.
This was my first Rachel Hartman book but I will definitely read the Seraphina duology now, even if I kind of spoiled some things for myself. Tess of the Road is, without a doubt, a masterpiece of YA fantasy and I am so glad enough people recommended it for me to pick it up and see for myself.
Other reviews said that this was a quieter book, one more focused on the main character's growth, her finding herself and her place in the world, and while that's certainly true, there was also a fair amount of action.
This was my first Rachel Hartman book but I will definitely read the Seraphina duology now, even if I kind of spoiled some things for myself. Tess of the Road is, without a doubt, a masterpiece of YA fantasy and I am so glad enough people recommended it for me to pick it up and see for myself.
On a reread, I found this story a little too slow and too obvious in places. I didn't remember the plot very well, but I felt like I could draw an graph of the moments when Tess would have a moment of insight, or personal growth. I still enjoyed it though.
Review from December 2018:
The storytelling here is almost flawless. Tess Dombegh has been everything a dutiful daughter should be for the past two years: kind, polite, helpful. She's secured her sister a perfect marriage, but her mother still can't forgive her for the relationship she had with an older man, and sees Tess as irrevocably ruined. Tess is frustrated and hopeless, until one day she does the unthinkable -- she runs away. Full of incident, this novel follows Tess on her journey, where she meets dragons and serpents, rescues elderly men, and pretends to be a young man nicknamed "Penis". We slowly glean Tess's life story, as well as learning about the world she lives in. Hartman's storytelling is perfectly judged, never too fast or too slow, and Tess, angry, kind, frustrated is a believable character and a wonderful way of exploring the sexism that pervades many fantasy stories, and our own lives. This book is fun and sad and surprising all at the same time. Highly recommended.
Review from December 2018:
The storytelling here is almost flawless. Tess Dombegh has been everything a dutiful daughter should be for the past two years: kind, polite, helpful. She's secured her sister a perfect marriage, but her mother still can't forgive her for the relationship she had with an older man, and sees Tess as irrevocably ruined. Tess is frustrated and hopeless, until one day she does the unthinkable -- she runs away. Full of incident, this novel follows Tess on her journey, where she meets dragons and serpents, rescues elderly men, and pretends to be a young man nicknamed "Penis". We slowly glean Tess's life story, as well as learning about the world she lives in. Hartman's storytelling is perfectly judged, never too fast or too slow, and Tess, angry, kind, frustrated is a believable character and a wonderful way of exploring the sexism that pervades many fantasy stories, and our own lives. This book is fun and sad and surprising all at the same time. Highly recommended.