Book Review: Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

  • Source: I bought this book because I am a big Rachel Hartman fan

  • My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)

Back when Seraphina first came out, I was a fledgeling book blogger and was thrilled to read it in ARC form. I was absolutely enthralled. I waited eagerly for Shadow Scale and devoured it in turn. I voraciously consumed the companion short story The Audition and raved about the entire series to anyone who would listen. So when I learned that Rachel Hartman was writing more books in this world — weirdly enough, by discovering a Tess of the Road hardcover at Half-Price Books — I was thrilled! Yet, as many books on a TBR shelf do, it languished unread for a while until I got approved the an advance copy of In the Serpent’s Wake on NetGalley. YES, this is a long-winded way of telling you how I came to this series and why I read this book NOW, haha.

So. It’s been a while since I read the first couple of books in this world, which means I didn’t remember AT ALL that Tess was Seraphina’s younger sister. This was closer-to-home than I expected, but also somewhat welcome because it helped to place me in the world of the story a bit more easily. And I appreciated that early on, Tess is established as very much her own person with QUITE a different life from her older half-sister.

“You feel whole when you’re doing things, Jacomo. When you’re in your body,” said the nun slowly, as if Tess were stupid. “The mind may hare off in all directions, but truth is centered in the body, ultimately.”

Look, I was not expecting Tess of the Road to be such a punch the gut. This is not a typical fantasy fiction novel. This is a sort of coming-of-age tale about a girl who has been through a lot of shit in her life, and it just happens to be set in a fantasy universe. I can’t tell you how many times I was bowled over by the traumas, learning experiences, personal connections, and moments of deep emotion that Tess experiences in this book. This is an exploration of a woman’s experience in a world run by men, in a world where there are religious zealots and saints who tell women every aspect of their bodies and behaviors is sinful. I highlighted so many choice quotes in this book, but it’s hard to choose what to share.

Needless to say, this is another strong entry in the series and I continue to admire Rachel Hartman’s incredible writing skills. I can’t wait to dive into the next book.

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