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A review by theinquisitxor
In the Serpent's Wake by Rachel Hartman
4.0
Tess of the Road has been one of my favorite books since it was released in 2018. I've been eagerly awaiting the sequel since then. Despite the awkward title change, different book size, and different style cover art, I was excited to pick this up.
I really enjoyed this book! However, it feels quite different from Tess of the Road. It almost feels like a completely new project, not the sequel/continuation. Tess of the Road is a slower, character driven story about Tess's physical and emotional journey. This was more of a high seas adventure. The two didn't quite mesh as well as they should have, but each on its own is very good.
This book expands on the world building a lot. It also diverts from the main quest and gets bogged down in sideplots. A large part of this novel is examining colonialism and imperialism (in a 15th-16th cen. setting). While this is definitely important, the whole narrative took away too much from what should have been the main quest. From about the 30%-80% was away from Tess and Pathka trying to reach the Polar Serpent.
This novel also introduces a bunch of new characters, and expands on old ones. I never would have guessed that Spira would become a favorite, but I was always looking forward to their chapters. Every time it was a Spira chapters, I knew to expect to get emotional.
This series also has some of the best casual diversity and inclusion that I have come across. One of the main characters is a disabled non-binary person. Actually, Hartman has a lot of interplay with gender in this series. It's quite enjoyable. There are also a number of characters we would consider lgbt+.
I wish the ending was more wrapped up, and less open ended. I would have liked an epilogue set some time after the main events of the books, and with more closure on what happens to the characters. However, it does leave open more for Hartman to write about in this universe.
I really enjoyed this duology. I wish it was more popular and that more people have read it. Tess is a character I think about a lot, and her emotional journey as a young woman is so important. You do not need to have read Seraphina to read these books too. I think this series will sit up in my favorites for a long time.
I really enjoyed this book! However, it feels quite different from Tess of the Road. It almost feels like a completely new project, not the sequel/continuation. Tess of the Road is a slower, character driven story about Tess's physical and emotional journey. This was more of a high seas adventure. The two didn't quite mesh as well as they should have, but each on its own is very good.
This book expands on the world building a lot. It also diverts from the main quest and gets bogged down in sideplots. A large part of this novel is examining colonialism and imperialism (in a 15th-16th cen. setting). While this is definitely important, the whole narrative took away too much from what should have been the main quest. From about the 30%-80% was away from Tess and Pathka trying to reach the Polar Serpent.
This novel also introduces a bunch of new characters, and expands on old ones. I never would have guessed that Spira would become a favorite, but I was always looking forward to their chapters. Every time it was a Spira chapters, I knew to expect to get emotional.
This series also has some of the best casual diversity and inclusion that I have come across. One of the main characters is a disabled non-binary person. Actually, Hartman has a lot of interplay with gender in this series. It's quite enjoyable. There are also a number of characters we would consider lgbt+.
I wish the ending was more wrapped up, and less open ended. I would have liked an epilogue set some time after the main events of the books, and with more closure on what happens to the characters. However, it does leave open more for Hartman to write about in this universe.
I really enjoyed this duology. I wish it was more popular and that more people have read it. Tess is a character I think about a lot, and her emotional journey as a young woman is so important. You do not need to have read Seraphina to read these books too. I think this series will sit up in my favorites for a long time.