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A review by librarianlizreads
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
4.0
Please note that this review is written for my use as a librarian and may not appeal directly to readers. Please review at your own risk.
Accelerated Reader has this book listed as being for upper grades, or readers in 9 to 12 grade. They also have listed that this read is worth 22 AR points.
I mostly liked this book, but part of me is still on the fence. I enjoyed the story and while I really disliked Tess at the beginning, I loved her by the end. There were parts of this book that made me laugh, parts that made me cry, and parts that made me scream in anger and frustration. I still have so many questions about Seraphina and what is going on with her, but those may never be answered and it isn’t Tess’s fault. I did really enjoy being able to learn more about Quigutl and their lives and beliefs. This book definitely walked a different road and showed another side of the world that Rachel Hartman created. It was good, if not aggravating.
Caution Notes*:
Sex/intimacy, sexual orientation, gender fluidity, rape, gender-based equal rights, teen pregnancy, family fueding, prostitution, and religion.
Recommended for:
Teens who aren’t squeamish but love fantasy and equality, especially young females, but really anyone who is going through an identity journey.
Summary:
-Do not read past this point if you would like to avoid spoilers-
This is the story of Tess, sister of Seraphina. Tess has had a difficult life trying to not be terrible and live up to her mother’s expectations, which could never happen anyway. Her mother is extremely against any form of intimacy before marriage and honestly, she doesn’t understand its role in marriage either. After Tess gets pregnant, she becomes the black sheep of the family and they all try to make her pay for it forever. She ends up running away from home, reconnecting with her long lost childhood friend. Pathka the quigutl takes her on an incredible journey to find a world serpent. These are great, mythical creatures that the quigutl believe created the world. They end up finding Anathuthia and both Tess and Pathka are forever changed by this incredible experience. I greatly summarize here, but Tess goes on many incredible side adventures while on her journey. She pretends to be a boy during this time in order to stay safe. After spending a lot of time stealing, an old gentleman that she helps enlightens her to the fact that she can do work in the fields or places she comes across to make some money. So she turns hay, ends up on a road crew that she grows to love, and makes her way down the road. She ends up with Josquin and falls in love with him. She tries to tell the scholars of her discovery but it backfires and the academy kills Anathuthia. Heartbroken and ill, Pathka finds his way back to Tess. She heals him and after he bites her, they both get a little better. Seraphina tells Tess that she is needed on a voyage to find another of the world serpents. At the end of this story, Tess starts out on her next adventure.
*Caution notes are not to say, don’t read the book. I only include these so that those individuals who have particular themes they do not like to read about or are not ready for their kids to read about are aware. I do not support censoring. :)
Accelerated Reader has this book listed as being for upper grades, or readers in 9 to 12 grade. They also have listed that this read is worth 22 AR points.
I mostly liked this book, but part of me is still on the fence. I enjoyed the story and while I really disliked Tess at the beginning, I loved her by the end. There were parts of this book that made me laugh, parts that made me cry, and parts that made me scream in anger and frustration. I still have so many questions about Seraphina and what is going on with her, but those may never be answered and it isn’t Tess’s fault. I did really enjoy being able to learn more about Quigutl and their lives and beliefs. This book definitely walked a different road and showed another side of the world that Rachel Hartman created. It was good, if not aggravating.
Caution Notes*:
Sex/intimacy, sexual orientation, gender fluidity, rape, gender-based equal rights, teen pregnancy, family fueding, prostitution, and religion.
Recommended for:
Teens who aren’t squeamish but love fantasy and equality, especially young females, but really anyone who is going through an identity journey.
Summary:
-Do not read past this point if you would like to avoid spoilers-
This is the story of Tess, sister of Seraphina. Tess has had a difficult life trying to not be terrible and live up to her mother’s expectations, which could never happen anyway. Her mother is extremely against any form of intimacy before marriage and honestly, she doesn’t understand its role in marriage either. After Tess gets pregnant, she becomes the black sheep of the family and they all try to make her pay for it forever. She ends up running away from home, reconnecting with her long lost childhood friend. Pathka the quigutl takes her on an incredible journey to find a world serpent. These are great, mythical creatures that the quigutl believe created the world. They end up finding Anathuthia and both Tess and Pathka are forever changed by this incredible experience. I greatly summarize here, but Tess goes on many incredible side adventures while on her journey. She pretends to be a boy during this time in order to stay safe. After spending a lot of time stealing, an old gentleman that she helps enlightens her to the fact that she can do work in the fields or places she comes across to make some money. So she turns hay, ends up on a road crew that she grows to love, and makes her way down the road. She ends up with Josquin and falls in love with him. She tries to tell the scholars of her discovery but it backfires and the academy kills Anathuthia. Heartbroken and ill, Pathka finds his way back to Tess. She heals him and after he bites her, they both get a little better. Seraphina tells Tess that she is needed on a voyage to find another of the world serpents. At the end of this story, Tess starts out on her next adventure.
*Caution notes are not to say, don’t read the book. I only include these so that those individuals who have particular themes they do not like to read about or are not ready for their kids to read about are aware. I do not support censoring. :)