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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I really could not get into this book. I wanted to. It seemed like everything that I would love: adventure and dragons and a kick-ass heroine, but the writing style just wasn't for me. Fans of Seraphina may like it, but otherwise I'd recommend a pass.
I kind of want to give this book a 4.25.
There were a few things that threw me off about the book. First, some of the chapters are lengthy and can't lack in interesting detail. I almost took a break from the book because this happened. Second, the age that they all had children made me a little uncomfortable. Like Tess, she had a child before she was 17! Weird in my opinion but it happens.
Now, I hated Tess's mother, Anne-Marie. She was so harsh and unforgiving. I understand that she was still hurting from her marriage but come on! There was no reason to say some of the things she said to Tess. Example: When Tess had her baby and it died three days later, her mother said it was a good thing the baby died. LIKE WHAT?!? She also said it was a mercy because they didn't have to deal with a "insufferable bastard." This woman just made me want to punch her so much.
Learning about quigutl, Pathka, and Kikiu was so cool! There traditions totally caught me off guard but I was fascinated. Like finding out that quigutl actually change from female to male several times during their lifespan was interesting. The details about them was so much deeper than other books I've read. Mostly, they skim over a mythical race but this one just immersed you into quigutl myth, behavior, tradition, etc.
The one part that destroyed my heart was when Big Arnando comforted Tess and cradled her even when she told him her true identity. There were so many sweet people to Tess. It was beautiful to see that even in Tess's messed up world that there still is beauty and kindness. You just have to know where to find it.
When I started reading this book, I thought it would be more event based but it wasn't. It was mainly a mentality sort of book. Where Tess fights with herself more than anything else. She fights herself against the standards she was raised with and finds her own self image. She finds that maybe she isn't as broken as everyone says but, in fact, everyone else is more broken. She learns compassion, friendship, love, self-reliance, and self-respect.
There were a few things that threw me off about the book. First, some of the chapters are lengthy and can't lack in interesting detail. I almost took a break from the book because this happened. Second, the age that they all had children made me a little uncomfortable. Like Tess, she had a child before she was 17! Weird in my opinion but it happens.
Now, I hated Tess's mother, Anne-Marie. She was so harsh and unforgiving. I understand that she was still hurting from her marriage but come on! There was no reason to say some of the things she said to Tess. Example: When Tess had her baby and it died three days later, her mother said it was a good thing the baby died. LIKE WHAT?!? She also said it was a mercy because they didn't have to deal with a "insufferable bastard." This woman just made me want to punch her so much.
Learning about quigutl, Pathka, and Kikiu was so cool! There traditions totally caught me off guard but I was fascinated. Like finding out that quigutl actually change from female to male several times during their lifespan was interesting. The details about them was so much deeper than other books I've read. Mostly, they skim over a mythical race but this one just immersed you into quigutl myth, behavior, tradition, etc.
The one part that destroyed my heart was when Big Arnando comforted Tess and cradled her even when she told him her true identity. There were so many sweet people to Tess. It was beautiful to see that even in Tess's messed up world that there still is beauty and kindness. You just have to know where to find it.
When I started reading this book, I thought it would be more event based but it wasn't. It was mainly a mentality sort of book. Where Tess fights with herself more than anything else. She fights herself against the standards she was raised with and finds her own self image. She finds that maybe she isn't as broken as everyone says but, in fact, everyone else is more broken. She learns compassion, friendship, love, self-reliance, and self-respect.
This was excellent and delightful. Oh, my Tess. Oh, your life. This is absolutely heartbreaking and affirming. Poor Tess is so hurt. She's been through so much abuse and hardship, and she doesn't even realize what has been done to her. But she keeps going and going, and she manages to get out from under that and find herself, and it is good.
Honestly after the first 3rd of the novel I was ready to give up on this book. But the cover just was so enticing, and once I accepted that it wasn't really going to be an action adventure novel (I read some other reviews), it really drew me in.
Tess' journey kept me hooked as she started forgiving herself, as she started opening back up to the world. I really love the way this ended, with forgiveness, with love, and with the start of another fun adventure.
Tess' journey kept me hooked as she started forgiving herself, as she started opening back up to the world. I really love the way this ended, with forgiveness, with love, and with the start of another fun adventure.
Impressions:
* I did not think I was going to enjoy this as much as I did, and now I'm off to read Seraphina immediately. Thank fuck overdrive has it.
* I am SO BORED of fantasy that takes place in generic medieval europe, maybe with a different map, because that's where fantasy books Must Happen. TotR is, astonishingly, set in a medieval europe analogue that has a real sense of place and culture. Serfs and hedgerows, monasteries, natural philosophers and their societies, repressive religion with weird pagan roots, and even the clothes (I Wikipedia'd them). Plus dragons and quigutl, with interesting alien cultures of their own.
* Quigutl grammar is Absolutely Yes. The way different languages are represented in the text is super interesting, and outside the usual literary conventions (the bee/beet/beer scene for instance). Given all that, the decision to italicize the pronoun ko and use he/she/it for quigutl when the proper pronoun is RIGHT THERE is really strange.
* Quigutl culture as a whole is really weird and I love it, I love a good alien culture. The way they waver back and forth between person and animal status is... uncomfortable. I don't know how much credit to give Hartman around this, but the cultural discrimination was brushing up against real-world racialized discrimination, and of course quigutl aren't human, so that starts to go some weird places? Maybe I just get twitchy about greedy anarchic lizard-people stereotypes, idk.
* Tess is quite straight, all crossdressing aside, but I love her anyway.
* Are they really just... Not... going to address who Lord M is? It's sort of obvious, and wow that's a tough place to set up the presumptive next book in the series.
* I did not think I was going to enjoy this as much as I did, and now I'm off to read Seraphina immediately. Thank fuck overdrive has it.
* I am SO BORED of fantasy that takes place in generic medieval europe, maybe with a different map, because that's where fantasy books Must Happen. TotR is, astonishingly, set in a medieval europe analogue that has a real sense of place and culture. Serfs and hedgerows, monasteries, natural philosophers and their societies, repressive religion with weird pagan roots, and even the clothes (I Wikipedia'd them). Plus dragons and quigutl, with interesting alien cultures of their own.
* Quigutl grammar is Absolutely Yes. The way different languages are represented in the text is super interesting, and outside the usual literary conventions (the bee/beet/beer scene for instance). Given all that, the decision to italicize the pronoun ko and use he/she/it for quigutl when the proper pronoun is RIGHT THERE is really strange.
* Quigutl culture as a whole is really weird and I love it, I love a good alien culture. The way they waver back and forth between person and animal status is... uncomfortable. I don't know how much credit to give Hartman around this, but the cultural discrimination was brushing up against real-world racialized discrimination, and of course quigutl aren't human, so that starts to go some weird places? Maybe I just get twitchy about greedy anarchic lizard-people stereotypes, idk.
* Tess is quite straight, all crossdressing aside, but I love her anyway.
* Are they really just... Not... going to address who Lord M is? It's sort of obvious, and wow that's a tough place to set up the presumptive next book in the series.
This was an incredible journey, literally. I loved the plot, world-building and depth of the characters. It was just everything you'd want in a fantasy book. This was amazing, and it was perfect.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, I have rarely read a book this well written. I was just constantly nodding along while reading because so many observations were just spot on, so sharp and to the point. I was rooting for Tess from the get go, she was a fantastic protagonists - headstrong, vulnerable, curious, whip-smart, self-destructive, loyal and so much more.
The story is about finding yourself on the road and as such a classic road-trip, one very well done. As such it is a bit episodic by nature and the stakes are mostly of a personal nature, although larger events taking place in this world also do unfold along the trip.
There's plenty of incisive reflection on biased gender norms and the politics of power that they ingrain into a society and its individuals. There's also a wonderful romantic relationship with with a disabled person and a friendship with someone who is not human and actually from a culture so different that it was a great canvas for exploring cultural standards and ways to deal with otherness.
This was just so GOOD, I'll definitely check out more by Rachel Hartman!
The story is about finding yourself on the road and as such a classic road-trip, one very well done. As such it is a bit episodic by nature and the stakes are mostly of a personal nature, although larger events taking place in this world also do unfold along the trip.
There's plenty of incisive reflection on biased gender norms and the politics of power that they ingrain into a society and its individuals. There's also a wonderful romantic relationship with with a disabled person and a friendship with someone who is not human and actually from a culture so different that it was a great canvas for exploring cultural standards and ways to deal with otherness.
This was just so GOOD, I'll definitely check out more by Rachel Hartman!
I didn't relate to Tess personally the way I did Seraphina, but in all other ways this book really hit me where I live. Is there a better way to deconstruct the Madonna/whore complex than by having a character remember conversations she had with a nun and a prostitute that both lead her to try masturbating for the first time as part of a pivotal moment in healing from her past trauma? I mean, maybe, but I bet they're not nearly as fun and satisfying.
I really enjoyed this book. I read Seraphina like four years ago, and remember enjoying it but forgot a lot of the details. I went into this with "it's set in the same world as Seraphina but it's not exactly a sequel" and I was sold.
This book is mostly about recovery and character growth. It's like if Eat Pray Love had a mageival setting. (Disclaimer that I haven't read that book.) There's not much plot. A lot happens over the course of the year but there's not really a cohesive thread.
This book is also distinctly feminist.
I like Tess a lot, even when she's terrible and behaving badly, I still rooted for her. She's awful in a small way. Like Eleanor from the Good Place, not Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto.
There are some wonderful philosophical musings about love and grief, and fullness and emptiness. I loved the quiet healing that she works through.
I really like Hartman's writing. There are a lot of passages that aren't like jokes exactly, but are just sort of pleasantly amusing. Like when Tess is interviewing to be a caretaker, the interviewer doesn't believe she's physically strong enough, so "Tess, tired of trying to move the immovable, ducked her head under the old woman's outstretched arm and flung [her] over her shoulder like a sack of grain."
Or: "A hand-painted sign forbade anyone but the abbot and priors to descend the stairs, which were dark and slippery and led to a meditation chamber containing absolutely no treasure of any kind. Tess wondered whether the last protestation made people want to check and see. There were contrarians on this world, and she should know."
Overall I recommend if you want young adult character growth in a fun setting.
ETA: I just reread my complaints about the second Seraphina book, and Tess of the Road addresses a lot! Everything is still a secret but everyone seems so happy. It would be nice to reread all the books closer together.
This book is mostly about recovery and character growth. It's like if Eat Pray Love had a mageival setting. (Disclaimer that I haven't read that book.) There's not much plot. A lot happens over the course of the year but there's not really a cohesive thread.
This book is also distinctly feminist.
I like Tess a lot, even when she's terrible and behaving badly, I still rooted for her. She's awful in a small way. Like Eleanor from the Good Place, not Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto.
There are some wonderful philosophical musings about love and grief, and fullness and emptiness. I loved the quiet healing that she works through.
I really like Hartman's writing. There are a lot of passages that aren't like jokes exactly, but are just sort of pleasantly amusing. Like when Tess is interviewing to be a caretaker, the interviewer doesn't believe she's physically strong enough, so "Tess, tired of trying to move the immovable, ducked her head under the old woman's outstretched arm and flung [her] over her shoulder like a sack of grain."
Or: "A hand-painted sign forbade anyone but the abbot and priors to descend the stairs, which were dark and slippery and led to a meditation chamber containing absolutely no treasure of any kind. Tess wondered whether the last protestation made people want to check and see. There were contrarians on this world, and she should know."
Overall I recommend if you want young adult character growth in a fun setting.
ETA: I just reread my complaints about the second Seraphina book, and Tess of the Road addresses a lot! Everything is still a secret but everyone seems so happy. It would be nice to reread all the books closer together.