4.0 stars

This book is...odd. Not in a bad way, but it's not what I expected after Seraphina/Shadow Scale. I can understand why some people, on finding a story they didn't expect, might dislike it. I don't love it the way I did Seraphina and Shadow Scale, but once I shifted my expectations, I did enjoy it a lot.

Let's get one thing out of the way: if you're looking for dragons because of the cover or because of the Seraphina books, they aren't here. A different kind of megafauna is central to plot and theme, but dragons themselves are almost completely absent (and are completely absent in their non-human forms). I know some people will be disappointed, but that's the fault of the publisher, not the author.

This is a road trip book. And because it's a road trip book, the plot is not strong or complex. It's about what Tess discovers about herself and the world while on her journey. It's episodic, and though the Hartman is a strong enough writer that everything ends up having some kind of resonance, the events aren't part of an unfolding plot. We're going on an emotional journey with Tess, we're slowly discovering the details of her backstory, we're watching her learn and shift her perspective. If that's not enough of a plot for you, you might be disappointed because the search for the worldserpents is really just a frame for the emotional stuff.

This book is also about the patriarchy, which sounds heavy-handed but is presented with the specificity of one girl's story: how she was presented with only one option of how to be a girl; how when she tried to reach beyond that, her life was destroyed because of the sexist expectations of those around her; how she has no idea how to continue; how she figures out a way to go forward. Tess starts out as a mess, to the point that she's clearly abusing alcohol (which I can't remember seeing in a YA fantasy protagonist before). When you find out her backstory, you understand why. And then you are even happier for her when she decides to live (her suicidal thoughts are present without being in-your-face) and starts to learn another way to be. Some of her choices and thoughts can be frustrating, but she's just a teenage girl trapped in a world that won't let her use her talents or pursue her passions.

Hartman's prose is delightful: clear but enjoyable. I also appreciated that she at least tried to touch on the power of faith (in both positive and negative ways) and while I don't think she had any particularly deep insights on that front, it's rare enough to find any exploration of religion that I appreciated its presence--a book in which the word "vocation" appears, and more than once! (I will never understand why writers don't take advantage of speculative fiction to explore more about religion and how it shapes us. But that's another topic.)

My one major complaint--that we don't really find out what the problem between Pathka and Kikiu is--will, I'm sure, be fixed in the next book. I have enough faith in Hartman to wait till then.

I think this is a book I'll enjoy when I reread it in a few years because then I'll know what to expect and won't demand that the story be something that it isn't. If you go into it understanding that you're going on a geographic and emotional journey with Tess, I think you'll be much more equipped to appreciate the book for what it is.