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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
4.5*
god, this was good. i can understand the criticims that it was SLOW, but, honestly, i do think that ended up working out in its favour... this is very much a character-driven novel, very interior-focused, with the plot serving as a complement to tess' own story and growth as a character, and i think that worked really well. i genuinely LOVED it. i might come back with more thoughts, but for now: i don't know who's been telling people that you can read [and understand/enjoy] this book without having read the seraphina duology first, but... i would not recommend it, i feel like you'd lose a LOT coming to this before those two, a lot of word-building and nuance to relationships and minor mentions.
god, this was good. i can understand the criticims that it was SLOW, but, honestly, i do think that ended up working out in its favour... this is very much a character-driven novel, very interior-focused, with the plot serving as a complement to tess' own story and growth as a character, and i think that worked really well. i genuinely LOVED it. i might come back with more thoughts, but for now: i don't know who's been telling people that you can read [and understand/enjoy] this book without having read the seraphina duology first, but... i would not recommend it, i feel like you'd lose a LOT coming to this before those two, a lot of word-building and nuance to relationships and minor mentions.
Better than Seriphina and Shadow Scale. A unique feminine coming of age story.
This is a competently written book. If you like road trips of discovery stories with a fantastic bent or stories that tackles difficult subjects like I'm sure it'd be enjoyable.
However I found this book a little miserable because of those themes and the over-arching religious theme that connects them together. While that religious background strongly informs Tess and her way of thinking, the whole system is a not so subtle parallel to certain forms of religion in our own world. I am sure other readers might appreciate and gain something from these strong echoes, but I found them tiring and unimaginative.
What I did enjoy was the other bits of world building - how there are different species of dragons, all cousins to one another, the quigutl culture and mythology - and the personal revelations Tess experienced, as slow as they were. (She is only 17, so it'd be unfair to expect her to be self-aware and self-reflect so deeply, but this book definitely tries your patience if you enjoy things faster paced.)
Spoiler
rape & purity culture, especially as a result of religion; the effect of losing a child, or alcoholismHowever I found this book a little miserable because of those themes and the over-arching religious theme that connects them together. While that religious background strongly informs Tess and her way of thinking, the whole system is a not so subtle parallel to certain forms of religion in our own world. I am sure other readers might appreciate and gain something from these strong echoes, but I found them tiring and unimaginative.
What I did enjoy was the other bits of world building - how there are different species of dragons, all cousins to one another, the quigutl culture and mythology - and the personal revelations Tess experienced, as slow as they were. (She is only 17, so it'd be unfair to expect her to be self-aware and self-reflect so deeply, but this book definitely tries your patience if you enjoy things faster paced.)
Soooo... Will there be another book? If so, when? Can I have it now?
Tess is a character that is hard to like at first, but then we see her grow and start to understand why she acts the way she does. Then we start to like her, then we start to root for her and by the end we want to read about all of her adventures.
And by we, I mean me obviously...
Tess is a character that is hard to like at first, but then we see her grow and start to understand why she acts the way she does. Then we start to like her, then we start to root for her and by the end we want to read about all of her adventures.
And by we, I mean me obviously...
It was fascinating to listen to this so soon after reading The Body Keeps the Score. Among other things, Hartman is asking the question, "What would it look like for someone with PTSD to live and recover from trauma in a medieval fantasy-type setting?" Our protagonist, Tess, doesn't have access to EMDR or neurofeedback therapy, but she discovers other ways of healing, from moving her body in strong and purposeful ways to reteaching her body how to approach physical intimacy slowly, in a safe environment.
This book was recommended to me by a listener of Get Booked after I wrote in asking for a book in which the protagonist has experienced a past trauma but you don't know what it is when the book opens, and who finds love that supports her in her healing but isn't healed by love itself. At first, I thought the recommender was mistaken because the source of Tess' trauma seems clear early on, but in fact, there are layers and layers of past experiences that are revealed throughout the course of the book.
I had a hard time getting into this book at first and thought about abandoning it because Tess was such an unlikable character, but I'm glad I stuck with it and got to see her transformation into confidence and healing. I could have done without the whole side plot about Kikiu because I never really understood the point of it, but I enjoyed the rest of Tess' adventures andI appreciated how Hartman gives us a chance to see what happened to all of the characters from the rest of the book via Brother Jacomo's experience following Tess' trail .
I don't feel strongly about picking up the sequel (which I don't think has been published yet anyway), but I'm glad this was recommended to me and enjoyed going on the road with Tess.
This book was recommended to me by a listener of Get Booked after I wrote in asking for a book in which the protagonist has experienced a past trauma but you don't know what it is when the book opens, and who finds love that supports her in her healing but isn't healed by love itself. At first, I thought the recommender was mistaken because the source of Tess' trauma seems clear early on, but in fact, there are layers and layers of past experiences that are revealed throughout the course of the book.
I had a hard time getting into this book at first and thought about abandoning it because Tess was such an unlikable character, but I'm glad I stuck with it and got to see her transformation into confidence and healing. I could have done without the whole side plot about Kikiu because I never really understood the point of it, but I enjoyed the rest of Tess' adventures and
I don't feel strongly about picking up the sequel (which I don't think has been published yet anyway), but I'm glad this was recommended to me and enjoyed going on the road with Tess.
I could not get through this book! I might try reading it again sometime but it just felt very weird and I didn’t like it that much
I loved this so much. This was a great metaphor for depression and attempting to deal with it. It's hard, it's painful, and some of the roads take you nowhere, but if you keep walking, you'll get somewhere in the end. This mindset really helped me figure out how to tackle my own mental problems.
Some quotes:
"'Walk on' had been her credo; she repeated it to herself every morning upon deciding to get up and exist for one more day." pg 193
"You are the traveler, taking this journey. You are the hero, writing this story." pg 355
"Experiencing nothingness had left her feeling unexpectedly full." pg 398
Some quotes:
"'Walk on' had been her credo; she repeated it to herself every morning upon deciding to get up and exist for one more day." pg 193
"You are the traveler, taking this journey. You are the hero, writing this story." pg 355
"Experiencing nothingness had left her feeling unexpectedly full." pg 398
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Growing up in the kingdom of Goredd, Tess has always had a spirit for adventure, though her mom continuously warns her it will lead to ruin and damnation. When Tess's impetuousness gets the better of her one time too many, her parents plan to send her to a convent. Tess, unable to bear the thought of being a nun, starts traveling south disguised as a boy and hoping to outrun her past. On her journey, Tess runs into Pathka, her quitugl childhood friend, and the two go on a search for the Anathuthia, the giant serpent of quitugl myth.
I did not realize until I started reading the book that Tess is the half sister of Seraphina, heroine of another series by Miss Hartman. I have not yet read the Seraphina books, but this book makes me want to check it out soon!
This book was a wonderful blend of both fantasy and character-driven plot. I enjoyed following both the quest for the Anathuthia and Tess's growth as a person throughout the story. I will be curious to see if the sequel becomes more plot-driven or if Tess still has more growing to do in the second book. I definitely look forward to reading the sequel!
Merged review:
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Growing up in the kingdom of Goredd, Tess has always had a spirit for adventure, though her mom continuously warns her it will lead to ruin and damnation. When Tess's impetuousness gets the better of her one time too many, her parents plan to send her to a convent. Tess, unable to bear the thought of being a nun, starts traveling south disguised as a boy and hoping to outrun her past. On her journey, Tess runs into Pathka, her quitugl childhood friend, and the two go on a search for the Anathuthia, the giant serpent of quitugl myth.
I did not realize until I started reading the book that Tess is the half sister of Seraphina, heroine of another series by Miss Hartman. I have not yet read the Seraphina books, but this book makes me want to check it out soon!
This book was a wonderful blend of both fantasy and character-driven plot. I enjoyed following both the quest for the Anathuthia and Tess's growth as a person throughout the story. I will be curious to see if the sequel becomes more plot-driven or if Tess still has more growing to do in the second book. I definitely look forward to reading the sequel!
Growing up in the kingdom of Goredd, Tess has always had a spirit for adventure, though her mom continuously warns her it will lead to ruin and damnation. When Tess's impetuousness gets the better of her one time too many, her parents plan to send her to a convent. Tess, unable to bear the thought of being a nun, starts traveling south disguised as a boy and hoping to outrun her past. On her journey, Tess runs into Pathka, her quitugl childhood friend, and the two go on a search for the Anathuthia, the giant serpent of quitugl myth.
I did not realize until I started reading the book that Tess is the half sister of Seraphina, heroine of another series by Miss Hartman. I have not yet read the Seraphina books, but this book makes me want to check it out soon!
This book was a wonderful blend of both fantasy and character-driven plot. I enjoyed following both the quest for the Anathuthia and Tess's growth as a person throughout the story. I will be curious to see if the sequel becomes more plot-driven or if Tess still has more growing to do in the second book. I definitely look forward to reading the sequel!
Merged review:
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
Growing up in the kingdom of Goredd, Tess has always had a spirit for adventure, though her mom continuously warns her it will lead to ruin and damnation. When Tess's impetuousness gets the better of her one time too many, her parents plan to send her to a convent. Tess, unable to bear the thought of being a nun, starts traveling south disguised as a boy and hoping to outrun her past. On her journey, Tess runs into Pathka, her quitugl childhood friend, and the two go on a search for the Anathuthia, the giant serpent of quitugl myth.
I did not realize until I started reading the book that Tess is the half sister of Seraphina, heroine of another series by Miss Hartman. I have not yet read the Seraphina books, but this book makes me want to check it out soon!
This book was a wonderful blend of both fantasy and character-driven plot. I enjoyed following both the quest for the Anathuthia and Tess's growth as a person throughout the story. I will be curious to see if the sequel becomes more plot-driven or if Tess still has more growing to do in the second book. I definitely look forward to reading the sequel!
Meh. DNF at 153 pages. It was well written, but after reading that much I expect more to have happened. It just couldn't hold my attention any longer.