Hartman has at last continued the intricate world she had crafted in SERAPHINA by composing a duology on Seraphina’s half-sister, Tess. Seraphina pops up for a glimpse once in a while, as is expected considering her position in life and her connection to Tess, but this is not her story. In fact it was incredibly interesting to read about Seraphina from such a different point of view.

TESS OF THE ROAD is a story about grief and feeling like we’ve messed up so bad and so often that there’s no going back, but more importantly it is a story about finding your way back and knowing that no matter how you may feel, you are not alone and there is always forwards even if the road is painful and long. Roiling with a surprising spectrum of vivid emotion this is a journey filled with sacrifice, heartbreak, loyalty, and disappointment. A path paved with courage, anger, healing, painful truths, and an unleashed ferocity for freedom. Overflowing with dragons, mystery, and adventure, but ignited by a girl long beaten and broken until only her hatred could bare to face the world locking all hope and softness deep within…until the day she left her prison to take a chance on the road and with each step her life forever changed.

This may be categorized as a YA Fantasy tale, but the story goes soul-deep, excavating and exploring the depth and complexity of human emotion, in particular self-destruction, guilt, sorrow, bitterness, shame, love, and heartbreak. There may be dragons in this world but Tess’ story is as poignant as any YA book written to reach out to those struggling with the burden of feeling like a mistake in the world. Absolutely riveting, heart-wrenching, inspiring, and beautifully written.
-pooled ink Reviews

Hartman's latest is set in the same universe as Seraphina and Shadow Scale, but is not a direct sequel—instead it focuses on one of Seraphina's human half-sisters, a stubborn, troubled, irrepressible young girl who runs away from home and ends up on a quest straight out of her beloved stories. I found this book to be unexpected in a lot of ways, but really appreciated the story Hartman is telling about womanhood and family and finding—or making—a place for yourself. And I loved where it ended, and can’t wait to see what happens next. Content warning for a couple mentions of sexual assault. A/A-.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a digital ARC of “Tess of the Road” by Rachel Hartman. Rachel Hartman has such an amazing voice. Her style is humorous, evokes emotions, and immediately draws the reader into her stories. Fans of her previous work will be ecstatic with her newest novel as will new readers. This story is well plotted and the characters are relatable. This book will appeal to those who enjoy fantasy and a good adventure story.

DNF @ 58%

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book started off strong for me. Tess is a trouble-maker as a child. I love her curiosity and scheming. She was a well-thought out character. When she gets older; however, I found her to be indecisive and I got bored of her. I found myself not as attached to her as I was, and she was frustrating as a main character.

I loved the writing. It's descriptive, but this book is definitely a slow burn. It was unfortunately too slow-paced for me to keep reading. The themes that are discussed are different: religion, soon, and self-discovery done in a unique way. I recommend this book to someone looking for a book to get invested in, and that has more patience than me.

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I received a copy from Netgalley for my honest review!


I’m not going to star rate this because I didn’t get past 33%. Idk if maybe it was because it was on my kindle, or what but I couldn’t get through this. The writing is very very good, whimsical and beautiful. But I just don’t think it was for me. I feel like it’s going to be a very good book for someone else. Really wish I would have liked it more...

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman is a story of Tess’s journey of finding out who she is and healing along the way. Hartman’s language and style immerses the reader into this universe and allows you to feel how hollow, heartbroken and unsure Tess truly is.

It takes the mess of her twin sister, Jeanne’s wedding night to send her running away from home. She finds Pathka, a quigutl, and they travel together. She encounters different reflections of herself and she has to face these qualities in herself head on. At first you aren’t sure how she will handle each situation she’s thrust into but you end up loving Tess for how everything turns out.

As she takes on her journey, you get insights into her past and you figure out that she’s got a reason for acting the way she had in the beginning of the book. There were parts I wanted to jump through the pages to hug Tess, then laugh, and then shake her to see reason.
This installment is definitely something every fan of Hartmann and her Seraphina will definitely want to get their hands on ASAP.

Would I recommend this book and author to others? Oh yes. It’s definitely a great read and I want to dive back in and reread Seraphina.

4,5 stars

Ever since I first heard that Rachel Hartman would write another book set in the world of her Serpahina duology I knew I had to read that. I was in for a long wait but finally this book will be published in 2018. When I saw it on Netgalley I didn’t know how hard to click on request even if I doubted I would be accepted. But I was, super lucky to have been able to read this already in 2017.

As this was a book that I had been waiting on for a long time I obviously had a lot of expectations and ideas going in. I can honestly say that this book was so different from what I was expecting. But it also honestly was not a bad thing. Maybe it was even better.

Tess of the Road is a sort of coming of age story set in a high fantasy world. Tess sets out on a trip and finds many things along the way. Mostly herself. There are a lot of heavy topics being dealt with in this book. Suicide, death, grief, rape, victim blaming and so on. From my perspective these were all dealt with well but I will keep a lookout on other reviews to see what others have to say. It was heart wrenching at moments. One thing that did bother me a little was that there was another word used for homosexuals. I understand that this is a high fantasy and that a lot of other language and slang is used but even so I don’t think it should have been done with this. But again that is just how it made me, a white straight female, feel. I can’t speak for anyone else on this front.

Tess herself was a gem to follow. Rachel Hartman knows so well how to write flawed characters. She has crafted this gorgeous tale of Tess who has made mistakes and in parts almost hates herself. And she is a brat sometimes, I admit. She even borders onto the unlikeable main character. But she also made me laugh. She certainly wasn’t stupid.

It was great to set foot into this world again through the eyes of someone else than Seraphina. There certainly were less dragons in the story than I had expected there to be. And speaking of the world, I feel that the book really does bank a lot on us knowing the world of Seraphina. As one who loves this world even I had trouble remembering some of the things of the world. I don’t think everything was explained again very well. There was also a bit of referencing towards Seraphina’s tale as this is set a few years behind it. I really feel that you need to have read the Seraphina duology to be able to catch everything in this book and properly understand.
Of course Seraphina appeared in this book, being the half sister to our main character. I loved seeing her again. It was interesting to see her again through the eyes of Tess who looks at her much more hostile and different than I did. It was insightful.

I also felt that ending was working its way into this being more than a standalone. Can we please get more? How it ended feels like a next book would have a very interesting dynamic of characters. And obviously Tess has some unresolved issues with her twin sister.

Having read only the blurb of the book and never having read any books by Rachel Hartman before, when I began reading Tess of the Road, I expected somewhat of a lighthearted, possibly action-packed, young adult, fantasy book, very much like others I had read in the past.

If that is the kind of book you're looking for, a book similar to Tamora Pierce or Mercedes Lackey's writings - then this book may not be for you.

To be perfectly honest, Tess of the Road is quite unlike any other fantasy book (young adult or otherwise) that I have read before.

This is a book that will have you contemplating the nature of religion and sin, good and evil/bad, the nature of morality and whether a person's destiny is predetermined as it takes you on a philosophical adventure filled journey.

With unexpected twists and turns that I did not see coming, I highly recommend giving this book a read and eagerly await the next installment in this surprising series - because it has to be a series! I want more Tess! I want to the rest of her journey! I want more! MORE! MORE! MORE!

An arc of this book was generously provided to me by Netgalley and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As a HUGE fan of Seraphina's story, it was a delight to get back into this entrancing world. Tess of the Road is a treat every fan of the series has to devour, It will definitely resonate with both old and new fans. From the beginning, I fell in love with this majestic tale because Tess has a fresh and real voice that is irresistible. Her story will intrigue you so much because she just has a way of being bewitching. Tess and her twin sister Jeanne have always been uber close from childhood, they share an unbreakable sister bond that transcended as they grew. Now both teenagers, them being there for each other never changed. Tess having manoeuvred Jeanne into a respectable position at court, got her a suitable engagement with a man that loves her and can provide for her. Tess went through a lot but she held on because her mind was set on being free when her sister was finally married and taken care of, She planned to just leave and go where her heart takes her. But her mother threw a wrench in her plans as usual. Tess was to go to the convent but through a timely interruption by Jeanne, it was decided Tess will move in with Jeanne and her new family and will become the future governess of Jeanne's heirs. From childhood, Tess never had it easy at all. It's very illuminating seeing their childhood from this perspective, it certainly births new meaning to everything. Things go bad for Tess once again when she ruins her chances with Jeanne's in laws due to her bad habits and ‘reprehensive’ past and she HAS to go to a convent, this leads her down a part where she decides to run away from her life and it's shackles. While I like Tess, I do admit she has a lot of flaws. She is a drunk, brash, headstrong and too stubborn for her own good sometimes but she does have this fire that I do admire. Before she flees, She comes in contact with her quigutl (a specie of Dragons) friend Pasha. They both decide to go on their grand adventure. Tessa's journey is quite different from Seraphina's but no less enjoyable. I loved the ending because it's definitely the best way to end such a great book. Rachel Hartman has made an amazing return into this phenomenal world with Tess whose emotional journey is plagued with self doubts and pain, but seeing her progress through the book is so worth it. Tess of the Road is a book every fan of the series will devour and love, It has all the trademark that makes a fantasy book amazing. An intriguing storyline, enchanting characters, top quality writing, a beautiful breathtaking cover, vast and lush worldbuilding, really deep character developments, adventure and action.
Rachel Hartman remains one of my favorite authors in the industry. I can't to read more books from her in the future.

P.S: It was nice to catch up with Seraphina and see what she's been up to.

Normally I don’t read high fantasy books, because honestly, I’m not smart enough. With Tess of the Road… I don’t know what to say, It was beautiful, this books is a “must have” for everyone. I found myself feeling as desperate as Tess through her journey, I was rooting for her, and she didn’t disappoint.

Fair warning: read Seraphina before Tess, otherwise you gonna get spoiled as I did haha

I’m happy how It ended, but honesty I want more from Tess.

Are you ready? I'm going to caps lock for emphasis. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I had not previously read anything by the author and now I want to go back and read her other books, so I hope that's a strong indication of how much I enjoyed this. If you are a fan of fantasy novels from authors lke Sarah Maas, Leigh Bardugo, etc then you must read!

What I enjoyed MOST was Hartman's seamless integration of a fantasy world with the sexism, misogyny, and rape culture that we experience in our modern real world. She was able to illuminate and highlight these significant issues with our culture but with Tess's world as an allegory. It never felt heavy-handed but it <i>did</i> hit the bullseye emotionally, at least for me as a female reader.

I also loved the world-building outside of this theme. All the information about dragons and quigutl was so interesting and entertaining. Tess as a protagonist was flawed yet so endearing and I enjoyed how well-developed the secondary characters also were. The plot, with Tess's journey (both literally and figuratively) was very engaging. It's incredibly rare that I feel touched and empowered by a book, but I definitely did with this one.

My only complaint? The ending seemed to have uneven pacing compared with the rest of the book and it was very open-ended. I'm hoping that's because the author is leaving the door open for more Tess books :)

Thank you to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for an ARC!

Looking forward to the next book and travels with Tess, Jacomo, Pathka, and Kikiu!

Full disclosure: I've read Seraphina but not Shadow Scale and I had no idea this book was set in that world until I began reading.
Having said that, I don't think readers of Seraphine will be disappointed. Tess presented as a somewhat more unlikeable heroine than Seraphina, but her journey was rewarding and different in tone. This is an adventure story, a on-the-road novel about finding yourself. Yes, there are dragons and giant worms and hybrids, but it's more about Tess' internal struggle to overcome her mother's teachings and come into her own.
For a companion novel, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Seraphina and other familiar characters we got to see. It really felt like a natural extension of the world.
As with Seraphina, I felt not entirely satisfied at the end. That may be because there was room for the story to continue or because much of the story's conflict occurred in Tess internally. I was very invested in and pleased with Tess' growth, especially seeing her relationship with her sisters change, but the physical and fantastic elements didn't feel necessarily realized to me because they were all episodes on the road.
Overall, a good read from a great author.

I really enjoyed the writing in this one! The author had the knack of drawing me in, and I could visualize everything! Great world build and charcters in this awesome book!