Reviews

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

showie418's review against another edition

3.0

This questing fantasy features a unique girl who marches to the beat of her own drum. Tess is a brash, bold heroine who does not fit with any of the usual fantasy heroine I really enjoyed her character. She makes no apologies for her unique personality.
For me, the story was a bit hard to get swept into, reading it was more work than it could have been. The story has a tendency to get pushed off track, and staying focused is hard.
The characters are well developed and interesting. I did care what happened to them and want everything to turn out well.
Overall, recommend to younger readers who have the tenacity to push through to reach the eventual happily ever after.

jamestomasino's review against another edition

5.0

This was likely the best book I read all year. What a surprising gem hidden in a YA Fantasy guise. There's so much more here, honestly. It's refreshing to find an author who can write with wit and pain and a deep understanding of theme. By all accounts this is a pristine example of character-driven fantasy, but it excels because it is so much more.

I would warn readers not to pick this up if you expect any action in the least. While there is a great wealth to be found, it is almost all internal. Honestly, this book deserves either 5 stars or 1 star depending on how you approach that aspect alone.

bookmarish's review against another edition

4.0

Fresh characters (human and nonhuman) with depth and history, a journey that still carries old pain, and not taking the easy road. This is a surprisingly sweet and soulful novel that turns away from some of the more annoying/overdone YA tropes and deals artfully with themes of sexual assault, self-blame, and working through the healing process. Tess coming into her own felt natural and earned, and it was nice to see her “walk on” into her own new adventure.

gabriellecarolina's review against another edition

5.0

A worthwhile journey!

oneofthewednesdays's review against another edition

4.0

In another pre-reader review that I saw floating around on Goodreads, a reviewer argued that "Tess of the Road" had no plot. I couldn't disagree more. Though Tess's story lacked a capital-v villain and end of the world-esque stakes, "Tess of the Road" was a surprisingly refreshing look at trauma and recovery. And that should be enough. The arc of the story is the journey of a young woman's healing as she rages against the double standards of rape culture in a society where a woman's value is equated to her reproductive worth. I loved the interwoven narrative of past and present. Also, dragons. I never read "Seraphina," but I might have to give it a try if "Tess of the Road" is any indication.

evermck's review against another edition

5.0

This is one of the most complex and wonderful YA books I've read in ages.

littlehero7's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

melreadsmaybe's review against another edition

4.0

This one took me a while to finish, in part because I was in the midst of a difficult graduate class, but also because of the weight this story contained. There is fantasy in this story, but it is incidental to what is really happening. Tess is a woman like none I have ever seen before in fiction; her trials, her struggles, her perception of self has a depth that I rarely see explored in female characters. It feels strange to praise the fact that a character is allowed to despise herself, but the way that Hartman explores Tess and her faults was absolutely breathtaking. Tess is given the space and time to explore her heart and mind, something that is typically reserved for male characters. There are parts of the journey that dragged a bit while reading, but this may have also been because I kept having to take breaks while reading. I highly recommend this book.

twistkimchi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad 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

4.0

savvynn's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0