A review by leahjanespeare
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

adventurous emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

4.0

First, I do not recommend reading Tess (and its upcoming sequel) without having read both Seraphina and Shadow Scale. The world is so complex it will be alienating for any new readers trying to understand it and relies a little on knowing the personalities of characters and creatures featured in those two books.

That being said, do not anticipate seeing any dragons in this story, despite the cover. I think the dragon looming over Tess represents internalized misogyny, her unfounded, societal shame and outcast status regarding a past sexual assault, and the trauma associated with it. Honestly, each of those are dragons themselves. This is a very character-driven fantasy, a Bildungsroman at its core. The pace is very slow. It deals with extremely heavy themes and could be triggering for readers. Be reassured that by the end of the book things are looking up and hopeful, and the road Tess walks on is only the beginning of her larger story of healing and regaining her autonomy in both body and mind. I did enjoy the book and her writing but I don’t think I liked it quite as much as Seraphina, and I was not expecting the heavy themes so prominently depicted. 


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