Tess Of The Road by Rachel HartmanTess Of The Road by Rachel Hartman
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Tess Of The Road

byRachel Hartman

Hardcover | February 27, 2018

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Meet Tess, a brave new heroine from beloved epic fantasy author Rachel Hartman.

In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can't make a scene at your sister's wedding and break a relative's nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy. Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it's a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl--a subspecies of dragon--who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she's tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.
As a child, RACHEL HARTMAN played cello, lip-synched Mozart operas with her sisters, and fostered the deep love of music that inspired much of Seraphina. Rachel earned a degree in comparative literature but eschewed graduate school in favor of bookselling and drawing comics. Born in Kentucky, she has lived in Philadelphia, Chicago, St....
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Title:Tess Of The RoadFormat:HardcoverProduct dimensions:544 pages, 8.5 × 5.88 × 1.7 inShipping dimensions:8.5 × 5.88 × 1.7 inPublished:February 27, 2018Publisher:PRH Canada Young ReadersLanguage:English

The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN - 10:0385685882

ISBN - 13:9780385685887

Reviews

Rated 5 out of 5 by from Unique and Important "Here's an analogy I like: guilt is a runaway wagon down the mountainside. It may carry you a long way, but it usually ends in disaster. Love, on the other hand, is much slower - just your own two feet, really. But it's more likely to take you somewhere worth going." This is a very personal five star rating - I would definitely not expect everyone to feel the same as I do about this book. The plot is slow and there's very little action, but Tess's journey - her guilt, her hurt, her longing for something more - was so deeply relatable to me. I'm usually excited about sequels and ready to devour them, but in this case I don't know that I need any more. This story stands perfectly on its own.
Date published: 2018-04-05
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Very good, but darker than you may expect I received this book as a part of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program in exchange for an honest review. TW: mentions of sexual assault, teenage pregnancy, suicidal thoughts, slut shaming, and infant death. Yes, if you wanted a more fun, adventurous fantasy like the other two Seraphina books... this isn't what you're looking for. The author has stated that this can be read without reading the two previous books, Seraphina and Shadow Scale, however I think it would be best to read them first. This is because there isn't a lot of world-building - you're kind of thrust in to the story and are just kind of expected to know or figure it out yourself. Despite reading the past two books, I had forgotten a lot and this made it kind of hard in the beginning while I tried to get my bearings. I love the world, but it can make it hard to be immersed when this happens. Also, on top of this, you see a fair bit of Seraphina and hear some of the stuff that has happened in previous books. If you don't like spoilers, be warned. If you read the last two like I have, and are maybe unsure about reading this one, then please try it! I liked the other two, but honestly I wasn't too sure if I was invested in staying around. But I'm really glad I did. This book also has a darker edge and is a little more adult, I found, and touched on heavier, important themes. This book is much more character-driven than plot. This isn't so much about adventures. It's a little political... but not so much in Goredd, as more of our own world, I think, and I loved it. Tess may be unlikeable at first, but I beg you to give her the chance to open her heart to you and watch her grow and attempt healing. It's a coming of age story but also so much more than that. (On another note, I really enjoyed seeing how Tess and the others viewed Seraphina in this. It made me look at her a little differently having both accounts - how Seraphina looks at herself and how her sister, who is similar and dissimilar, views her.)
Date published: 2018-02-27
Rated 2 out of 5 by from Heavy Content I'm trying to gather and organize my thoughts on this one but let me tell you, I'm having a hard time. This book is a hard one to review in the fact that it was in total opposition of what I expected. Before I get into the review, I do want to recommend that before reading this book, read the prior two novels set in this world entitled, "Seraphina" and "Shadowscale". I have not read those novels and I think if I had it would have made everything more clear. This fantasy world is a difficult one to understand with all of the various mythical creatures, languages, and settings which the reader is sort of thrust upon as if they have knowledge or have been introduced to before. Also, although I have not read the original duology, I can guarantee that there are cameos from those characters within this novel along with mentions of those particular stories. Now, onward to my review. When I picked this novel up, judging by the summary and the fairly innocent (yet beautiful) cover, I thought I would be reading a fantastical novel surrounding a young woman's quest. Although, there is a physical quest in this book, the story is more about the character's own personal development and discovery while on this quest. This novel is HEAVY. The content is dark, it's raw, and for me I didn't see it coming. For that, I have to give some content warnings for abuse, assault, rape, death and I feel that there is probably more but I do want to avoid spoilers. Do not think that this is a light novel about a simple character's quest because it's not. It is an important novel because although it's fantasy a lot of the darker content unfortunately can play a part in reality. The writing in this novel was amazing and an obvious example of the author's talent; however, I did not find myself enthralled and captured by the story. At times I was confused with the world, the unfamiliar languages, and the timeline (as the story would alternate between now and in the past with no predictable pattern). Also, as much as I did have sympathy for the main character and her struggles, I did not find her (or any of the other characters) likeable. Personally, I do like to have at least one character that is likeable in a novel that I'm reading. I find that I say this a lot in reviews but with this novel it's especially true: you're either going to love or hate this book. It's important content fictionalized so I believe some will benefit and love the story for it's rawness and depiction of realistic events. However, there may be others whom like me expected more of an innocent fantasy quest novel. For those people, they may be drastically surprised with the actual story. ***Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review***
Date published: 2018-02-24

Editorial Reviews

One of Booklist's Editor's Choice Books for Youth 2018One of Boston Globe's Best Children Books of 2018One of NPR's Best of 2018One of Globe and Mail's 100 Notable Books of 2018PRAISE FOR Tess of the Road:"Absolutely essential." --Starred Review, Booklist"Like Tess' journey, surprising, rewarding, and enlightening, both a fantasy adventure and a meta discourse on consent, shame, and female empowerment." --Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews"Newcomers to Hartman's work will be every bit as enthralled as her fans with this companion novel to Seraphina and Shadow Scale." --Starred Review, Bulletin"Tess's ultimately unquenchable spirit, her struggles and adventures--be they at home or on the road--are a delight." --Starred Review, Shelf Awareness"[S]o awe-inspiring, smart and relatable that it seems to physically pulse." --Globe and Mail"[An] engaging companion volume to the award-winning Seraphina and Shadow Scale. . . . A picaresque road trip in a quasi-medieval, magical world, this is also a lose-yourself-in-it novel of adolescent healing and empowerment, a promise that youthful ignorance and its errors are remediable. Hartman conveys a warm sense of solidarity for girls who must fight off misogyny, sorrow and the burden of their own mistakes." --Toronto Star"There's much richness in this tale's nuanced, accessible expression of adolescent naiveté and sorrow, and in Hartman's magical imagery and practical themes." --The Horn Book Magazine"Tess of the Road is astonishing and perfect. It's the most compassionate book I've read since Middlemarch, and I love it, and Tess, fully as much as its predecessors. . . . Every step Tess takes on her road is a needle pricking the clenched parts of her heart into relief; as I read I felt those needles in my own heart, embroidering it with awe." --Hugo Award-winning author Amal El-Mohtar"This book [is] . . . pointed and poignant, sharp and true, and the kind of book I know I’ll go back to again and again.” --Tor.com"A richly detailed fantasy” --Boston Globe“This novel is action packed, yet also richly layered.” --CYBILS