On the day Jean was born, the dead howled. A thin scratch of black smoke began to rise behind the hills west of town: Furnace had been lit, and soon its siren call began to draw the people of Casement Rise to it, never to return.

Casement Rise is a dusty town at the end of days, a harsh world of grit and arcane dangers. Jean’s stern, overprotective Nan has always kept Casement Rise safe from monsters, but she may have waited too long to teach Jean how to face those demons on her own. On Jean’s twelfth birthday, a mysterious graceful man appears, an ethereal and terrifying being connected to the family secrets Nan has hidden from Jean in an effort to keep her safe.

Now Nan must rush Jean’s education in monsters, magic, and the breaking of the world in ages past. If Jean is to combat the graceful man and finally understand the ancient evil powering Furnace, she will have to embrace her legacy, endure her Nan’s lessons, and learn all she can—before Furnace burns everything down.

With the lyrical cadence of The Last Unicorn and intense imagery of A Wizard of Earthsea, The Stone Road is a timeless story of hope, belonging, and growing into your power.

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It's a magical and fairytale-like book. Not everyone's taste but it still worth-reading. The cover is stunning too.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!

This is madness. It's so desperately beautiful... so dark and magical, written through a stoning prose. I loved it.
I received an advanced review copy, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest opinion.

Escrito con la gracia de un cuento de hadas, oscuro y encantador.

Trigger/Content warning: alcoholism, death of a relative, vomiting, harm against animals, death, grief

Jean March protects her village from the dead while the paw at her, begging to be heard, begging for more of their own. Her grandma was to supposed to teach her in the abilities to combat the supernatural forces threatening Casement Rise, but when a mysterious from the calamity called Furnace arrives, it’s time to speed run an education in magic and the hungry forces wanting to bring the world to ruin.

This book definitely scratched the itch that constantly chases the vibes of The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. Gothic, decaying but not bleak, with an ending that draws on hope that can only be pulled from a community’s strong bonds.

The world-building here is really cool. There are the immortal Masters, who are definitely vampires by any other name who run the Red City and maintain balance and the archives. There are towns like Casement Rise where humans live, protected by guardians like Jean and her family. There are the Husklings, strange fae-like creatures that are human-adjacent. And talking animals, specifically a very good bird. These elements come together in a beautiful world that, despite the encroaching threat of death, manages to avoid being bleak. I think it’s because of the close relationships among all the characters.

The relationships in general are charming. There’s the talking Bird, the dead boy, the neighbor girl, Alice, and more. I particularly enjoyed the Husklings and the way they interact with people, magic, and beauty. Each faction and individual is implied to have their own arcs, while not at all serving as props for Jean’s growth and development as a guardian as well.

That being said, generational trauma is baked into this book. The ability to walk the levees and traverse the eponymous road is taught from mother to daughter, but something went wrong with between generations. Jean’s teaching falls on her grandmother, and their relationship is as tender as it is tense. The love is tough, but it’s absolutely necessary, given the darkness at the edges of this world.

Overall, necromantic without being oppressively dark, I’m so glad that there is another book coming soon from Erewhon set in the same world.

This was a strange, slowly unfolding, dark story of one girl's growth to adulthood, and her fight to protect her town of Casement Rise in a bizarre land many years after something fairly cataclysmic happened there.

Trent Jamieson's prose slowly and beautifully:

-Reveals the world gradually, as sheltered Jean herself learns of what is outside the borders of her town.
-Shows us how Jean’s Nan (coincidentally named Nancy) fights the monsters that persist in trying to get into Casement Rise. Nan monitors the borders, and using knowledge, sense, and when necessary, violence, to protect the small population from terrible monsters.
-Tells us Jean’s mum used to patrol, but something happened in the past, and she spends the days in despair, drinking.
-Describes how Jean comes to knowledge of her world and her duties later than she should, as her grandmother saw how her own daughter was shattered by her duties. Consequently, Nan delayed teaching Jean, choosing to keep her safe.
-shows us Jean learning from Nan to maintain the borders, to understand the varied threats to the townspeople, and to walk the Stone Road, which the dead walk. We also see Jean learn to fight, and be taught by the Husklings, bizarrely transformed beings. The Husklings are dangerous, and artistic.

This has got to be one of the stranger books I’ve read in a while, but so very compelling. The dying town(s), the threat of the vampire Masters in Red City, the monsters prowling on the town’s outskirts, the growling, furious dead below the ground, the ominous town of Furnace pulling people to it, the Graceful Man's malevolence and desperate need, Jean's loneliness, and the Stone Road that all the dead must walk on their journey elsewhere…..I really liked this book.

The lyrical prose drew me in, painting so many beautiful images in my head even while the anger and loss magnified in Jean’s. The book is unusual, but well worth it if you enjoy dark, almost fairy tale broken lands populated by many dangers and melancholy.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Erewhon Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

From the author of the highly acclaimed book, Day Boy, and obviously set in the same world( council of teeth, Dayboy references). Which unfortunately ive only read blurbs about.

The book was unique in its prose, albeit a little unconvetional. I have seen some complaints about editing and chapter omission, but I get the feeling it was intentional to give the book a disorganized feel. It adds to confusion to the world in which Jean exists.

The world building was good, and is obviously post apocalyptic with reference to the " tower on the hill" which spread electricities all over the world, and the great heat. However epic fantasy this is not....Urban fantasy a more likely genre, because its story hinges on its supernatural roots/apocalyptic background, where Nan has to force Jean coming of age to become her towns protector.

I honestly feel had I read Day boy i may have had a better grasp of the world which I did want to know more about.

I enjoyed the little adventures & Huskling King was fun in his witty banter. The ending was a little unexpected, but not a great Creschendo id hoped for.

Overall a good story with some quips, but nice to see a female character as the antihesis to the usual. As long as you dont walk into this book with preconceived expectations, you will still enjoy this book

This book should probably have its own genre designation. It doesnt quite fit any of the usual genres. The cover gave me an "epic" feel with a scifi rating and a fictional world built around one young woman's destiny. The world building was methodical and logical, and that's a good thing because the characters were the focus, and they were definitely "epic". From birth, Jean's life has been marked with portents of the battle between evil and her family. She must now fufill her destiny and save her world.

This was a very interesting take on a post-apocalyptic world (at least I think it's post-apocalyptic?), mixed in with various supernatural elements. Jean and Nan were great characters, and brought more depth into this story. Some of the supporting characters, such as Lolly and the Huskling King also added more layers to this story, without complicating it.

With that being said, I enjoyed the idea of the mix of post-apocalyptic and supernatural, but I would have liked to have read a bit more backstory to make it more understandable. Throughout the book there's bit and pieces that allude to life before and during the Years of Heat and Sadness, but it's never really revealed exactly what happened to lead to the life that everyone is living now (especially with certain supernatural creatures thrown into the mix). I think a bit more description and backstory would have contributed greatly to Jean's story overall, but otherwise this was a good book. A 3.5 star read for me.

I enjoyed reading this book, it does have a different flow from other books in this genre but I did enjoy reading this. The story was what I was looking for and I was invested in what was happening in this world. The concept was really well done and I do think it delievered on the premise. I enjoyed the way Trent Jamieson wrote the book and I look forward to reading more from Mr. Jamieson.

"After the storm, things went back to normal for a while, but Nan was restless. She’d work as she usually did—though harder, to make up for her absence—and then she’d get back to knotting that cord."

This one was a really hard pill to swallow.
I really tried to enjoy it, however I found myself wondering what was going on way too often.
From the odd beginning of the book, I should have given up, but I don't like to quit things. So I persevered and continued on. Jean March is a strange little girl, but then again so was the rest of her family. (So what would one expect, right?)
She can basically communicate with dead people, however he Nana March, protected her too much and now she has teach her all she knows in a short amount of time..
OK! that's all fine and dandy, BUT we have Jamieson give us no chapters, we have a dystopian, coming of age story with huge chunks of information and no breaks.
I don't know about you! but my ADHD means my attention is somewhere else. Not a fan of no breaks.
I Gave this book 3 stars, because no author ever deserves really bad reviews just because my taste is different.
Some people may actually love this book. I do hope his other book is better.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to view this ARC for free, my review is my own and I give it freely.

This book was really interesting, and overall I enjoyed the characters and the setting and it was a great premise. It was difficult to get into though, and I'm not really sure why? It felt like something was missing but I can't quite place what it is. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it wasn't broken up into chapters which made it difficult to separate the passage of time.

Jean has been sheltered by her Nan but must learn quickly to take up the family business of fighting the creatures that would feed on the humans living in their town.
The pros: Jean is an engaging character struggling to find her place. The premise is intriguing, and the voice is strong.
The cons: Grammar and punctuation. The use of punctuation is inconsistent, varying between too few commas and too many. There were noticeable typos that a good editing should have caught.
While this has the potential to be a good book, I did not finish it because I found the punctuation issues too distracting. However, I am aware that not everyone will be as bothered by punctuation issues as I am, so I am giving it three stars.

Interesting and challenging until it isn't, at least for me. Jamieson has created a valuable character in Jean, who in a dystopian world, becomes a hero and protector for her town. This is kind of a fairy tale kind of a science fiction but it became confusing to me and I DNF. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm sure fans of fantasy will find something to admire.

The Stone Road is a fairy tale like book, but also not. Which in turn, made it very interesting to read.

I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to Erewhon Books and Netgalley for the opportunity.

I have my own blog now (www.daysinotherworlds.com), so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)

Release date for the physical version: 19th of July 2022.

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It's been a while for me to read a single point of view coming of age story from the perspective of a young girl. But, I found it to be interesting, and refreshing.

Jane is born into a world I can probably describe as urban dystopia before anything else. But, that seems like it'll do this book a bit of a disservice as it's also fairy tale like in its progression. With a much bigger mystery to solve, while still being fantasy first and foremost. I had a hard time categorizing The Library At Mount Char as well, and I believe that this one could fit there with it too.

The mystery of the world, how Jane actually fits in it, her training and her family's role in it. The other mentioned entities, designations, abilities and characters are some of the things I got to see throughout this journey. Trent Jamieson seemingly lent on a more of a showing form of storytelling, given that the wondering of why or what was up to me, the reader, to figure out for a bigger part of this narrative.

To me, what made it work was how fascinating I found everything to be. Yes, it didn't make a lot of sense until later. To be fair, not everything will actually get explained in the end.

But, it was still incredibly fun trying to figure out why everything is happening to this story in this world. Which, I will attribute in a bigger way to having Jane as a main character. The book shows several periods of her life, and seeing her childlike strive to please the adults around her, impress them, or prove something was great. How she depends on her own strengths, tries to figure things out or think outside the box as she got older was also awesome.

The trouble and horrible situations she gets in because of this journey were very interesting to see. It's even more so given that it's deadly too. It's not a nice place to be in, and the author doesn't shy away from showing how dangerous it could be at times either. And in turn, it made the progression so much more satisfying for me.

Although I won't say that I loved the ending, it felt somewhat easy in comparison to the rest of the book. Not bad per say, not really, just easy. After so many struggles, I believe I just expected something different as an ending, which I didn't get. It thankfully didn't diminish the experience either.

Another thing that I believed helped it out, maybe to a lesser degree than Jane's existence, would have to be the writing.

I'm not the type of reader who cares very much about prose, or pays attention to it to a bigger degree in comparison to other elements. However, there comes some books that just force me to appreciate this aspect of theirs. And The Stone Road is one of said books. There is a lyrical or magical tone to it, while also keeping a melancholic one as well.

I'm not sure what this sort of style is called exactly, of if it even has a name, but it was incredibly beautiful to experience throughout these pages. I did wish that it wasn't one big chapter for each part however. There were breakages between instances, but clearer chapter breaks would have been a great addition.

There are still some mysteries when it comes to this world, and I honestly hope the author comes back to it to showcase something else in it. Whether that's another adventure with the Marsh family, or something entirely different, I don't really care as long as it's a fun experience like this one was.

The Stone Road is a weird, dark, and twisty coming of age story. I liked this book and the characters but did find the story to be a bit slow at times. However, the story was so unique that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

Favorit character: Jean
Favorit lines: I was born mad, she said. Born with teeth, and I bit Dr. Millison's hand as he cut my cord, tasted blood before milk. Suckled hard, and gave pain before I let go of any tears.

The March women have always protected the small town Casement Rise from the dangers of monsters, but Jean's protective grandmother has always kept her from her legacy and may have waited too long to educate her.

This rarely happens, but I DNF this book and stoppped at 51%. I really don't know why, but I think I just didn't understand the story and the world building.
But first the good things:
I liked all the characters. The protagonist, Jean March, is strong minded and acts according to her own beliefs, regardless of what others may think of her. She knows that she and her family are different from the other people of the town, but she doesn't struggle with it. The supporting characters are great too, particularly her grandmother, who is sometimes harsh and doesn't pamper Jean, but cares deeply for her and tries to prepare her for her tasks the best way she can.
My main issue with this book were the writing style and the world building. I know that I got to read an ARC and that this isn't the finished copy, but there were only 5 parts and none individual chapters or even chapter breaks. Sometimes it feels like a huge Info dump, but with no real information at all. The world building is way too vague and at the same time too complex. There are the unexplained powers Jean's family has, protecting their town from monsters, talking with dead people trough connecting with the earth, Walkers, Husklings, trees with magic (?), a mysterious event called the Furnance which blinded the death and called people to it which are never been seen again, and a nemesis each of the March women has.
Maybe everything connects and gets explained at the end, but this was too exhausting and frustrating for me to pull through.

A bit dystopian, a bit alternate timeline, a bit coming of age story--I felt this novel had a hard time figuring out what it really wanted to be. Overall, not a bad story, but the prose is at times choppy (it's not lyrical, and it almost felt as if English is not Jamieson's native language, with odd phrases that felt just off instead of interesting). There were multiple times in the story that there was just a disconnect, like it needed to have an editor go over it one more time with a fine tooth comb.

The story is about a young girl who can hear the dead and who was born into a lineage that protects the town through some sort of magic or manipulation of the energy. The world building is very vague, and that made it much harder to connect with the location in the novel. The main character ages from 10 to 20, and there are times where I think the author forgot how old she was at the given moment. The characters were engaging enough, but none that will stick with me now that I'm done.

I also struggled with the lack of chapters--instead we have four parts, and they aren't short. It was difficult to read when I didn't have an hour or two to sit and read a part straight through. Not a huge issue, but one that would make me leery of picking up another book by this author.

Overall, not a bad dystopian story about a young girl coming to understand her place in her world, but not one that I would suggest as a stellar piece of fiction.

The Stone Road is not your typical coming of age story to be read in a few days. The language and story are a puzzle you have to piece together just as Jean starts to piece together what her life is supposed to be. If you're brave enough to stick with it you'll be rewarded with a most unique adventure filled with love and loss, heart break and redemption.

I received an ARC of this title via NetGalley (Thank You!) in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this world once it got about halfway through. The beginning was enjoyable too but so much new terminology is thrown at you with no pause that it is hard to keep up at first. And it in a dystopian world vastly different from ours it can leave you in the dark. With so much thrown in at once it felt a bit rushed. However if it was longer and more drawn out I would have easily have given it five stars. The world has an ambiance reminiscent of the world of Sabriel. One that is sad and well acquainted with death and taking on family inherited jobs. This would be an especially good read for an autumn evening curled by a fire.

I envy those readers who can enjoy a good story even when there's something not quite right with the writing...for alas, I am not one of those readers. Which made The Stone Road pretty excruciating.

ARCs often have typos and things; that's okay, we all know an ARC isn't the same as a finished copy. And part of me wants to say that this issue is just down to the fact that this isn't the finished copy of The Stone Road. But I don't think it is; it's just too prominent.

Here's the problem: The Stone Road is packed full of commas that should not be there. Jamieson uses commas where semi-colons or full-stops are required - and then throws in a bucket-more of commas just to be safe. I made it 21% of the way through this book - what my Kindle estimates to be around page 90 - and it was just pages and pages of sentences like this;

"there was a nearly empty bottle of bourbon in there, it had been full the last time I saw it, I unscrewed the cap and had a whiff: it made my eyes water."

Or

"And Nan, would be mad, but she'd know what I was."

And then, bizarrely, there are times where the commas that *should* be there are just...not.

"A hundred little things maybe more that kept this place alive."

All three of these quotes are from *one page* of this book.

It's a real shame, because if you lifted away the commas that shouldn't be there - and dropped them into those places where they *should* be, instead - I think this could be a really lovely book. I read the entirety of Part One, and there was enough groundwork laid that I was interested in seeing where the story was going. But the rhythm of the writing is just so jarring that I can't stand it.

DNF.