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The Stone Road
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.
Award-winning Australian author Trent Jamieson presents a haunting rural fantasy where the dead speak beneath your feet and twisted monsters hunger for their lost humanity.
On the day Jean was born, the dead howled. A thin scratch of black smoke began to rise behind the hills west of 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. While Jean’s stern, overprotective Nan has always kept Casement Rise safe from monsters, she may have waited too long to teach Jean how to face them on her own. On Jean’s twelfth birthday, a mysterious graceful man appears, an ethereal and terrifying being tied to her family’s secrets.
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 that powers Furnace, she will have to embrace her legacy, endure her Nan’s lessons, and learn all she can—before Furnace burns down her world and everyone in it.
Award-winning Australian author Trent Jamieson presents a haunting rural fantasy where the dead speak beneath your feet and twisted monsters hunger for their lost humanity.
On the day Jean was born, the dead howled. A thin scratch of black smoke began to rise behind the hills west of 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. While Jean’s stern, overprotective Nan has always kept Casement Rise safe from monsters, she may have waited too long to teach Jean how to face them on her own. On Jean’s twelfth birthday, a mysterious graceful man appears, an ethereal and terrifying being tied to her family’s secrets.
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 that powers Furnace, she will have to embrace her legacy, endure her Nan’s lessons, and learn all she can—before Furnace burns down her world and everyone in it.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
38 people are currently reading
7810 people want to read
About the author
Trent Jamieson
49 books214 followersTrent Jamieson is a science fiction and fantasy writer.
Trent works as a teacher, a bookseller, and a writer, and has taught at Clarion South.
Trent works as a teacher, a bookseller, and a writer, and has taught at Clarion South.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
November 29, 2022
A totally surprising new favorite! This is literary fantasy/horror but filled with heroism and goodness, and I loved it so much! I loved every single character, as well as the dark dream-like setting. This is a hidden gem and perfect if you love books like The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It’s about a child witch whose job it is to protect her town from the monstrous world outside, guided and taught by her grandmother. There are very cool, creepy creatures, a clever bird companion, horrible parenting, old traumas, and a very fascinating nemesis. Highly recommended if you’re looking for something really unique and well-written. The author has won awards in Australia, and it’s clear why.
March 10, 2024
WOW! That was some amazing writing. I got emotional in the end. If an author can make me cry, they get 5 stars. A different type of story, written in a unique tone. It's hard to describe. There is a praise on the cover that describes it well... "A lyrical, wavering world." Yea, that's it.
Beautifully written, Trent Jamieson! I will definitely be reading Day Boy
Beautifully written, Trent Jamieson! I will definitely be reading Day Boy
July 4, 2022
Friends, I really don't know what to do with this book, or how I feel about it.
It's a weird book. I'd call it pastoral, but it's way too dark for that. It's post-apocalyptic and I think there are vampires in the city to the north, but none of that has any bearing on the story other than to be small, world-building details, which is cool, but a little strange. It's a quiet book, almost soft, but there are rough edges to the story that made me pause.
I'm not sure this book earns its ending.
But I liked it. I know I liked it, because I read 200 pages of it in one sitting, and was so engrossed in it that I didn't notice the sun going down until it was dark around me and I'd forgotten to turn on the light. I liked it. But I can't explain why.
It's a weird book. I'd call it pastoral, but it's way too dark for that. It's post-apocalyptic and I think there are vampires in the city to the north, but none of that has any bearing on the story other than to be small, world-building details, which is cool, but a little strange. It's a quiet book, almost soft, but there are rough edges to the story that made me pause.
I'm not sure this book earns its ending.
But I liked it. I know I liked it, because I read 200 pages of it in one sitting, and was so engrossed in it that I didn't notice the sun going down until it was dark around me and I'd forgotten to turn on the light. I liked it. But I can't explain why.
August 20, 2022
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.
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.
Want to read
November 19, 2023This cover is beautiful
June 28, 2021
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;
Or
And then, bizarrely, there are times where the commas that should be there are just...not.
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.
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.
April 30, 2021
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 and what she can do with it. 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.
October 30, 2025
This was a weird one...but I'm often a fan of weird. I loved the descriptive writing, and I was able to create a detailed picture in my mind of the setting and characters. Man, the picture in my mind of some of the characters was creepy as heck, thanks to the author's details. I loved Jean's feistiness and her refusal to let anyone tell her (or make her think) she couldn't do things, even from a young age. I loved how she stared down things she was afraid of, because she was determined to not let her fears conquer her. Little did she know just exactly how much she was up against. I enjoyed her unlikely companions, and ultimately finding out why she didn't have more likely ones. There were so many moments in this book that made me uncomfortable, but in the way I want to feel when I'm reading something like this. I loved the way the book ended too. This was the kind of book I was thinking about each time I had to set it down, until I picked it up again. I was surprised to see how few people have reviewed this book, so I'm hoping to be able to expose my YouTube viewers to something they haven't heard of before, because I think this is an awesome book for anyone who enjoys some fantasy mixed with horror. It's a solid 4 stars for me.
August 28, 2025
4.5 stars. I LOVE Jamieson’s writing style. I underlined so many great phrases and quotes in this book. He writes so beautifully. I ended up really liking the story but it is really dark and weird. I felt there should have been just a touch more world building. For at least the whole first section, I was really confused at what was going on and had a hard time understanding the world. It felt like the book was the 3rd in a series and I’d missed all the explanations. What are auditors? Are masters the same as vampires. What is the age of Sun and Sorrow? Everything is vaguely hinted at but never explained. Eventually I did get used to everything and it all made sense enough to enjoy the book. I also thought the 3rd section dragged a bit and needed to be shorter. The ending was a little uneventful for the buildup but I liked it. I liked the characters a lot. The story was interesting even if it was slow and rambling in parts. Overall, great book and I’ll definitely check out more from Jamieson.
December 31, 2024
3,5⭐️
Enjoyed the story, but the lack of chapters made it a little struggling for me to read
Enjoyed the story, but the lack of chapters made it a little struggling for me to read
August 21, 2022
Read an advanced copy on NetGalley
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.
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.
October 6, 2024
3.5/5, rounded up. I was really conflicted on how to rate this.
Bizarre and fascinating. The tone is gothic, haunting; think Preacher's Daughter - gothic religious undertones and generational trauma in a small rural town, and an ominous sort of fantasy element.
It's a coming of age story. There are also no chapters. The book is just divided into 5 sections of different phases of Jean's life. I found the story very slow for like the first 1/3 of the book, as Jean grows up. Also, admittedly, I thought Jean was a boy for the first 50 pages (more on this later). During this part of the book, the writing drastically varied between beautiful flowery language, typically when describing the environment; but the internal dialogue was very stilted and awkward. Maybe this was intentional, because later as she grows up, it flows a lot better, but I found this to be difficult to get into.
The big negative for me was the characters. To me, they all come across as very flat and emotionless. They are their actions, and their actions are them. I think this is part of the reason I thought Jean was a boy at first. Interpersonal motives and explanations are pretty spelled out, and there is nothing to read into except where the antagonist is concerned.
For a story that spends all of its time feeling like something is hanging over your head, the ending wrapped up a little too nice and neat for me.
What was done really well is the worldbuilding and fantasy elements. Really unlike anything I've read before and was fascinating. I won't pretend that all the explanations for *why* things are the way they are are fleshed out very well, but I was so immersed I found myself not caring.
Bizarre and fascinating. The tone is gothic, haunting; think Preacher's Daughter - gothic religious undertones and generational trauma in a small rural town, and an ominous sort of fantasy element.
It's a coming of age story. There are also no chapters. The book is just divided into 5 sections of different phases of Jean's life. I found the story very slow for like the first 1/3 of the book, as Jean grows up. Also, admittedly, I thought Jean was a boy for the first 50 pages (more on this later). During this part of the book, the writing drastically varied between beautiful flowery language, typically when describing the environment; but the internal dialogue was very stilted and awkward. Maybe this was intentional, because later as she grows up, it flows a lot better, but I found this to be difficult to get into.
The big negative for me was the characters. To me, they all come across as very flat and emotionless. They are their actions, and their actions are them. I think this is part of the reason I thought Jean was a boy at first. Interpersonal motives and explanations are pretty spelled out, and there is nothing to read into except where the antagonist is concerned.
For a story that spends all of its time feeling like something is hanging over your head, the ending wrapped up a little too nice and neat for me.
What was done really well is the worldbuilding and fantasy elements. Really unlike anything I've read before and was fascinating. I won't pretend that all the explanations for *why* things are the way they are are fleshed out very well, but I was so immersed I found myself not caring.
February 11, 2023
Quiet and bizarre—this is a dreamlike and mesmerizing read. It’s what I might call a post-apocalyptic psychological fantasy. The comparisons to The Last Unicorn and especially The Wizard of Earthsea are apt; particularly thematically, and yet, at the same time, I have never read something quite like The Stone Road.
September 19, 2024
strange and wonderful
I really enjoyed this. It’s not a typical, formulaic fantasy novel. It has mysteries and not everything is spelled out or explained, but there is magic and monsters and a world that feels big and complex saw well as small and intimate. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!
I really enjoyed this. It’s not a typical, formulaic fantasy novel. It has mysteries and not everything is spelled out or explained, but there is magic and monsters and a world that feels big and complex saw well as small and intimate. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!
December 8, 2023
Really really really really good. I love this style of writing. I love what I took from it. It was painful, but beautiful.
December 12, 2024
I didn't realize it. The writing is beautiful and lyrical, but also sparing so that it deceived me. I thought I was only enjoying the dreamlike world, which also seemed a nightmare, but I was ensnared. It scratched twines into my heart, and it's now twisted up and bleeding. My goodness, what did I just read. I'm crying.
August 15, 2021
This is a weird fantasy and I'm slowly liking weird SFF books, as of late. I'm glad Erewhon Books is providing a lot of weird SFF books for readers like me out there. I'm also glad that this book is a standalone, because ever since I learned I have ADHD since January 2020, my attention span reduced to that of a goldfish. Hence, I'm sort of glad everything sorted out through a satisfying ending in one book.
First off, the good things. I like our protagonist, Jean's voice and her way of seeing the world. She's not a know-it-all like her Nan, neither is a swashbuckling daredevil like her mum used to be. She's practical and pragmatic. She does things after thinking them through and isn't one to do impulsive things. She's also accepting of circumstances and doesn't whine or lament over the series of unfortunate events that always happen on her birthdays. She knows she's no regular kid and her family is no ordinary family and hence all the bad things in her life. But this doesn't mean she's a passive, limp noodle. She acts when she needs to and reacts when she needs to. That's what I love about her. Jean March is a cool protagonist.
I also like the supporting cast. Nan March is an affectionate grandma who possesses a rough diamond personality. She loves Jean with all her heart but doesn't pamper her or sugarcoat the truths of the world from her. Ella March is a douchebag mum with reasons. Lolly is a good friend who provides some comic relief and support whenever needed. The Huskling King is my favorite, with his witty banter with Jean and lots of sarcasm. Mark comes way too late to cut a mark on the story. The Graceful Man unfortunately feels like a two-dimensional villain whose worst, most disturbing traits makes me go "Meh". He could use some more development, IMO.
My three complaints now. First, no chapter breaks. Like none! The eARC was broken in 5 parts and none of them had individual chapter breaks. It was hard to keep on reading after the first 10-15 pages without a break. Things kept happening and kept threading into another event that kept happening. I really don't like long, long, long chapters with no breaks. Really exhausting and it just ruins your mood to continue the book.
Second complaint, the setting. I felt like most of the things in this setting happened without reason. This world has so many similarities with ours, yet nothing to explain things. Why are the March women destined to have an arch nemesis? What's the reason for this arch nemesis' existence? What if one girl was born with no arch nemesis? Other than being their evil counterpart, is there no other purpose to these nemesis' existence? What or who decides what kind of nemesis a March girl gets? What if the March family gets a boy child for a long time? Or someone is born without any abilities that make the March family the walkers? What are walkers and what's so special about them and how have they come to be? What's the In Between? How many powers do the March women get? Do they all get the same power? How powerful can you become? Is there no choice to choose a different life? So many things in this world are left unexplained and I don't like it, tbh.
Third, that ending. It felt like deux ex machina. Too easy, too brief, another thing left unexplained (or maybe I am dumb, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Anyway, if you're up for a weird fantasy of powerful women, intriguing villains, and a coming-of-age story about a girl slowly coming into her calling and her powers, this book is for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
First off, the good things. I like our protagonist, Jean's voice and her way of seeing the world. She's not a know-it-all like her Nan, neither is a swashbuckling daredevil like her mum used to be. She's practical and pragmatic. She does things after thinking them through and isn't one to do impulsive things. She's also accepting of circumstances and doesn't whine or lament over the series of unfortunate events that always happen on her birthdays. She knows she's no regular kid and her family is no ordinary family and hence all the bad things in her life. But this doesn't mean she's a passive, limp noodle. She acts when she needs to and reacts when she needs to. That's what I love about her. Jean March is a cool protagonist.
I also like the supporting cast. Nan March is an affectionate grandma who possesses a rough diamond personality. She loves Jean with all her heart but doesn't pamper her or sugarcoat the truths of the world from her. Ella March is a douchebag mum with reasons. Lolly is a good friend who provides some comic relief and support whenever needed. The Huskling King is my favorite, with his witty banter with Jean and lots of sarcasm. Mark comes way too late to cut a mark on the story. The Graceful Man unfortunately feels like a two-dimensional villain whose worst, most disturbing traits makes me go "Meh". He could use some more development, IMO.
My three complaints now. First, no chapter breaks. Like none! The eARC was broken in 5 parts and none of them had individual chapter breaks. It was hard to keep on reading after the first 10-15 pages without a break. Things kept happening and kept threading into another event that kept happening. I really don't like long, long, long chapters with no breaks. Really exhausting and it just ruins your mood to continue the book.
Second complaint, the setting. I felt like most of the things in this setting happened without reason. This world has so many similarities with ours, yet nothing to explain things. Why are the March women destined to have an arch nemesis? What's the reason for this arch nemesis' existence? What if one girl was born with no arch nemesis? Other than being their evil counterpart, is there no other purpose to these nemesis' existence? What or who decides what kind of nemesis a March girl gets? What if the March family gets a boy child for a long time? Or someone is born without any abilities that make the March family the walkers? What are walkers and what's so special about them and how have they come to be? What's the In Between? How many powers do the March women get? Do they all get the same power? How powerful can you become? Is there no choice to choose a different life? So many things in this world are left unexplained and I don't like it, tbh.
Third, that ending. It felt like deux ex machina. Too easy, too brief, another thing left unexplained (or maybe I am dumb, who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
Anyway, if you're up for a weird fantasy of powerful women, intriguing villains, and a coming-of-age story about a girl slowly coming into her calling and her powers, this book is for you.
Thank you, NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
February 28, 2023
Strengths are weaknesses.
I am tempted to say this book is a noir fairy tale. It might be more accurate to say it is sui generis. Perhaps the most intriguing and memorable part of it is the expansive yet minimalist world-building. Overall, the prose is tight and the images stick. Jamieson is a strong writer, wittily playing to his best abilities with deceptive simplicity.
I only wish the writing took a little more time; more resonance between action & style would help guide the reader better. Then again, in a world as dangerous as that in The Stone Road, perhaps the reader can't count on a guide.
I am tempted to say this book is a noir fairy tale. It might be more accurate to say it is sui generis. Perhaps the most intriguing and memorable part of it is the expansive yet minimalist world-building. Overall, the prose is tight and the images stick. Jamieson is a strong writer, wittily playing to his best abilities with deceptive simplicity.
I only wish the writing took a little more time; more resonance between action & style would help guide the reader better. Then again, in a world as dangerous as that in The Stone Road, perhaps the reader can't count on a guide.
December 1, 2022
Just wonderful. Soul-sustaining. At once universal and very Australian. I loved it even more than Day Boy, and I loved Day Boy. I have been waiting for this book since 2015. Good things come to those who wait.
August 29, 2022
Whether fantasy is your go-to genre, or something new for you, you can be guaranteed that any novel by Trent Jamieson will be a fantastic tale with detailed world-building, complex characters and an intriguing story, no matter whether you are reading it because you love fantasy or merely because you love a great story. The Stone Road (Brio Books 2022) has enough reality to satisfy those who prefer realism, but also enough creeping dread and slightly weird alternate reality to attract fantasy lovers.
On the day twelve-year-old Jean was born, Furnace became alight and began calling townsfolk to it, and the dead howled loud enough that everyone in Casement Rise knew something dark was unfolding. On every birthday since, something malevolent or evil or unfortunate has happened, and the townsfolk learn to keep their distance. Jean’s nan is one in a long line of ancestors protecting their small village and up until now, she has been keen to protect Jean from knowing the extent of the danger. But in the year after her twelfth birthday, it becomes apparent that perhaps she has been overprotective. If Jean doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to face the demons, how will she ever do it on her own?
The Stone Road is written in absolutely beautiful, lyrical language that is grounded in reality and a possible dystopian future but is lifted with poetry, verse, luminously crafted sentences, and horror and fantasy themes. But despite the ever-present threat of monsters and evil creatures intent on harm, at its heart this is a story about the relationship between a girl and her grandmother (and the mother between them), about growing up and growing wiser, about friendships and loyalty and betrayal and sacrifice, about familial expectations and responsibilities, about childhood hopes and nightmares. It has trees that are weighed with history and talking birds. It features a time when the dead are not gone but lie beneath the earth waiting to communicate with the living. It is about defeating the monsters within as well as the monsters without.
My favourite relationship in this story is between Jean and the dead boy, who lies silently waiting for her to connect with him by touching her bare foot to the earth so he can speak.
Jamieson’s imagination is ferocious and unbridled and he truly writes fantasy genre that absolutely everyone can enjoy, because the themes he writes about are human, universal, realistic and full of emotional truth.
On the day twelve-year-old Jean was born, Furnace became alight and began calling townsfolk to it, and the dead howled loud enough that everyone in Casement Rise knew something dark was unfolding. On every birthday since, something malevolent or evil or unfortunate has happened, and the townsfolk learn to keep their distance. Jean’s nan is one in a long line of ancestors protecting their small village and up until now, she has been keen to protect Jean from knowing the extent of the danger. But in the year after her twelfth birthday, it becomes apparent that perhaps she has been overprotective. If Jean doesn’t have the experience or knowledge to face the demons, how will she ever do it on her own?
The Stone Road is written in absolutely beautiful, lyrical language that is grounded in reality and a possible dystopian future but is lifted with poetry, verse, luminously crafted sentences, and horror and fantasy themes. But despite the ever-present threat of monsters and evil creatures intent on harm, at its heart this is a story about the relationship between a girl and her grandmother (and the mother between them), about growing up and growing wiser, about friendships and loyalty and betrayal and sacrifice, about familial expectations and responsibilities, about childhood hopes and nightmares. It has trees that are weighed with history and talking birds. It features a time when the dead are not gone but lie beneath the earth waiting to communicate with the living. It is about defeating the monsters within as well as the monsters without.
My favourite relationship in this story is between Jean and the dead boy, who lies silently waiting for her to connect with him by touching her bare foot to the earth so he can speak.
Jamieson’s imagination is ferocious and unbridled and he truly writes fantasy genre that absolutely everyone can enjoy, because the themes he writes about are human, universal, realistic and full of emotional truth.
August 7, 2024
DNF at 25%. The rules of this world didn't make sense and I didn't feel there was a need to care about Jean or her story.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
June 23, 2022
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, 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.
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, 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.
───────────────────
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.
March 25, 2024
This book received 4.5 stars from me.
**slight spoilers ahead**
Do you ever read a book so wonderfully weird and good that you feel that you have to write a review to try and put into words why you enjoyed it? Because you can't really understand why you enjoyed it, you just know that you did. That's this book for me. I almost never write reviews, but here we are.
When I considered what earned this book 4.5 stars, really what it came down to for me is the world-building. The author was able to build a world so clearly that you read this book in a dream-like state, completely immersed in it. Yet at the same time, you have no idea why this world is the way that it is. You have some vague outlines, like it's a post-apocalyptic Australia and there are vampires and Fae-like monsters. And really, that's all you need to know. It's so well-written that I didn't really need to know the why or how of everything; I understood the world, characters, and their motivations without a lot of exposition or a lot of hard work guessing and thinking on my part.
A perfect example of the beautiful balance between exposition and flowing plot was the husklings and the Masters. Do you figure out that they're vampires? Yes. Was that ever explicitly stated? Nope! This book works very well as a standalone, and in fact, I didn't even realize that Mr. Jamieson had already written a book called Day Boy before this, which is set in the same universe. Had I read that before this book, I might have had some more details to work with and made connections quicker, but honestly, Stone Road doesn't rely on any world-building that Day Boy may have had. It works perfectly on its own and doesn't need a lot of background information, instead leaving its reader to fill in what blanks they may and providing just enough to keep you interested.
What kept this book from being 5 stars was that I wanted more. The ending was a little rushed and felt a little anticlimactic. I would have liked a little more idea about what Furnace really was, a little more exploration into what was such a dark, looming mass over the world. Instead, it turns out to be kind of a simple fix, and poof, the book is over.
Overall, this book reminded me (in the best way) of a mix between The Passage by Justin Cronin, and Enclave by Ann Aguirre (which, incidentally, remains one of my favorite YA books of all time, and if you've never read it definitely go check it out.) I really enjoyed this book and though I've done my best to articulate it, I couldn't even really tell you why. However, I'm going to go ahead and say you get a whole bunch of stars from me if you can keep me immersed in a book without explaining too much, while at the same time I can still perfectly understand motivations of characters, the world, and everything else. All in all, I'm going to go read Day Boy now and see if I can satisfy my curiosity as to why things are the way they are. I'll probably be sorely disappointed, but be thoroughly entertained while doing so.
**slight spoilers ahead**
Do you ever read a book so wonderfully weird and good that you feel that you have to write a review to try and put into words why you enjoyed it? Because you can't really understand why you enjoyed it, you just know that you did. That's this book for me. I almost never write reviews, but here we are.
When I considered what earned this book 4.5 stars, really what it came down to for me is the world-building. The author was able to build a world so clearly that you read this book in a dream-like state, completely immersed in it. Yet at the same time, you have no idea why this world is the way that it is. You have some vague outlines, like it's a post-apocalyptic Australia and there are vampires and Fae-like monsters. And really, that's all you need to know. It's so well-written that I didn't really need to know the why or how of everything; I understood the world, characters, and their motivations without a lot of exposition or a lot of hard work guessing and thinking on my part.
A perfect example of the beautiful balance between exposition and flowing plot was the husklings and the Masters. Do you figure out that they're vampires? Yes. Was that ever explicitly stated? Nope! This book works very well as a standalone, and in fact, I didn't even realize that Mr. Jamieson had already written a book called Day Boy before this, which is set in the same universe. Had I read that before this book, I might have had some more details to work with and made connections quicker, but honestly, Stone Road doesn't rely on any world-building that Day Boy may have had. It works perfectly on its own and doesn't need a lot of background information, instead leaving its reader to fill in what blanks they may and providing just enough to keep you interested.
What kept this book from being 5 stars was that I wanted more. The ending was a little rushed and felt a little anticlimactic. I would have liked a little more idea about what Furnace really was, a little more exploration into what was such a dark, looming mass over the world. Instead, it turns out to be kind of a simple fix, and poof, the book is over.
Overall, this book reminded me (in the best way) of a mix between The Passage by Justin Cronin, and Enclave by Ann Aguirre (which, incidentally, remains one of my favorite YA books of all time, and if you've never read it definitely go check it out.) I really enjoyed this book and though I've done my best to articulate it, I couldn't even really tell you why. However, I'm going to go ahead and say you get a whole bunch of stars from me if you can keep me immersed in a book without explaining too much, while at the same time I can still perfectly understand motivations of characters, the world, and everything else. All in all, I'm going to go read Day Boy now and see if I can satisfy my curiosity as to why things are the way they are. I'll probably be sorely disappointed, but be thoroughly entertained while doing so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2024
I am not immune to a pretty cover. Sometimes the contents of its pages dazzle as much as the exterior, and sometimes...you get The Stone Road.
The worldbuilding is sparse to begin with; it's a stylistic choice that does not pay off for me and matches my frustration with the narrative as a whole. There are novels with naive, untested protagonists (Sabriel, Phedre from Kushiel's Dart) in which the lack of understanding or deliberate obfuscation provides the same experience for the reader--as the heroine's eyes open, so do our own. When done skillfully, the illumination can be exquisite.
It is a gamble to attempt this technique, and one that does not pay off for The Stone Road. For the first 80 pages or so of the book, Jean wanders around peeing her pants, getting neighbors murdered, and having mysterious, opaque nightmares because of her ignorance. Eventually, her grandmother decides that Jean needs to be trained.
You'd think this is where things would start to become revealed--what is the mysterious "Furnace" where people disappear to? Who is the graceful man, and what does he want? Why is Jean's mother an alcoholic who cannot help Nan with the defenses?
Unfortunately, any respite is denied through circular, deliberately ambiguous writing like this:
"This is the Long Between. It's the truth behind the real. Secrets fall away here. You will need to be careful," the king whispered in my ear... "You see without seeing, you feel without feeling, and you travel here by walking, and not walking."
Oooookaaaay. Super clear, thanks.
After finishing the novel, I still have so many questions. What exactly are the Masters, and what do they do? Who are the Day Boys? What does an auditor do? Why can the traders and Lolly's family handle living outside the levee but no one else can? What's the deal with the graceful man, really? Why do people like Nan, Ella, and Jean have these "tests?" Is there a person like Nan in every city? Why not make the marks in something more permanent than dirt????? What is a Huskling? What's the point of the tree? How did the Years of Heat and Sorrow or whatever it's called get started? What made the ten marks on the tree in the clearing? Who is the dead boy? What's the deal with the gates?
The worldbuilding is sparse to begin with; it's a stylistic choice that does not pay off for me and matches my frustration with the narrative as a whole. There are novels with naive, untested protagonists (Sabriel, Phedre from Kushiel's Dart) in which the lack of understanding or deliberate obfuscation provides the same experience for the reader--as the heroine's eyes open, so do our own. When done skillfully, the illumination can be exquisite.
It is a gamble to attempt this technique, and one that does not pay off for The Stone Road. For the first 80 pages or so of the book, Jean wanders around peeing her pants, getting neighbors murdered, and having mysterious, opaque nightmares because of her ignorance. Eventually, her grandmother decides that Jean needs to be trained.
You'd think this is where things would start to become revealed--what is the mysterious "Furnace" where people disappear to? Who is the graceful man, and what does he want? Why is Jean's mother an alcoholic who cannot help Nan with the defenses?
Unfortunately, any respite is denied through circular, deliberately ambiguous writing like this:
"This is the Long Between. It's the truth behind the real. Secrets fall away here. You will need to be careful," the king whispered in my ear... "You see without seeing, you feel without feeling, and you travel here by walking, and not walking."
Oooookaaaay. Super clear, thanks.
After finishing the novel, I still have so many questions. What exactly are the Masters, and what do they do? Who are the Day Boys? What does an auditor do? Why can the traders and Lolly's family handle living outside the levee but no one else can? What's the deal with the graceful man, really? Why do people like Nan, Ella, and Jean have these "tests?" Is there a person like Nan in every city? Why not make the marks in something more permanent than dirt????? What is a Huskling? What's the point of the tree? How did the Years of Heat and Sorrow or whatever it's called get started? What made the ten marks on the tree in the clearing? Who is the dead boy? What's the deal with the gates?
April 21, 2023
This was an excellent, top-notch story. I really can't rate it highly enough!
The author has created a fascinating, complex, very hard to classify world, it is definitely of Australian flavour, but you can't really label it easily. You could call it 'dystopian' and there is definitely a post apocalyptic element to it, but there is also a magical element to it, so magical-realism possibly? Overall though it is a cracking great story about a girl growing up in a small, remote, dry outback town. The girl is from a family that has special abilities, which her grandmother uses to keep the town safe and at the age of twelve Jean starts becoming immersed in this world: Not that she had not known about it before hand, with the dead talking to her through the ground, with the mysterious Furnace howling just over the horizon and with monsters walking.
While the main character is a twelve year old girl at the start of the book, this is a mature, nuanced story that is wonderfully written and which I found exceptionally hard to put down.
Now, I did not realise it, when I picked this book off the shelf, but I had read a book by the author before: It was one of the first pre-release copies I every got and it set the bar very high. That book was more of a YA story Day Boy and I LOVED it. So did every other person I loaned it to and for years I hoped to find a follow-up to that fascinating look at a world that is largely governed by vampires who have 'day boys' to do the daylight work for them. While I never did find that follow-up book I was delighted to find that The Stone Road was set very much in the same landscape as Day Boy was. We even meet a vampire and a day boy - though it has been so long, that I am not sure it is crossover from the book I read and enjoyed so much years ago.
No matter, this is a fascinating, complex world full of secrets and mysteries and brutalities and intricate storytelling that is as wild and dry and the landscape that was written to contain it.
The author has created a fascinating, complex, very hard to classify world, it is definitely of Australian flavour, but you can't really label it easily. You could call it 'dystopian' and there is definitely a post apocalyptic element to it, but there is also a magical element to it, so magical-realism possibly? Overall though it is a cracking great story about a girl growing up in a small, remote, dry outback town. The girl is from a family that has special abilities, which her grandmother uses to keep the town safe and at the age of twelve Jean starts becoming immersed in this world: Not that she had not known about it before hand, with the dead talking to her through the ground, with the mysterious Furnace howling just over the horizon and with monsters walking.
While the main character is a twelve year old girl at the start of the book, this is a mature, nuanced story that is wonderfully written and which I found exceptionally hard to put down.
Now, I did not realise it, when I picked this book off the shelf, but I had read a book by the author before: It was one of the first pre-release copies I every got and it set the bar very high. That book was more of a YA story Day Boy and I LOVED it. So did every other person I loaned it to and for years I hoped to find a follow-up to that fascinating look at a world that is largely governed by vampires who have 'day boys' to do the daylight work for them. While I never did find that follow-up book I was delighted to find that The Stone Road was set very much in the same landscape as Day Boy was. We even meet a vampire and a day boy - though it has been so long, that I am not sure it is crossover from the book I read and enjoyed so much years ago.
No matter, this is a fascinating, complex world full of secrets and mysteries and brutalities and intricate storytelling that is as wild and dry and the landscape that was written to contain it.
April 28, 2022
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.
This book was kindly provided to me as a reviewers copy by Netgalley.
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.
This book was kindly provided to me as a reviewers copy by Netgalley.
February 20, 2024
Something terrible always happens on Jean’s birthday and has ever since Furnace awoke on the day she was born. The townsfolk generally ignore it as her Nan is responsible for keeping the wards around their town up, deterring monsters and dangerous beings from entering. But people from the town are being called in increasing numbers to Furnace, a place no one ever returns from. Jean has no notion of what is expected from her until Nan attempts to rush her education. But is it too late for Jean to learn everything she must to protect her town? Will the weight of this responsibility crush her before she can make a difference?
Set in the same world as Day Boy (which is also a five-star read for me), the setting of this work is somewhere between fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and wild west or depression era. It makes for a wonderfully atmospheric setting that comes to life from the first page and saturates the story throughout. The monsters, creatures, and magic are also fascinating. I love how well the author incorporates these aspects, providing enough information to make them compelling while still leaving plenty to the imagination.
The characters are just as excellent as the setting. While the archetypes of Nan and Jean’s mother aren’t particularly unique, they were written well and played strong supporting roles for Jean. I also enjoyed that despite how dark the setting of this story was, friendship played an important role throughout the read.
I read this book much quicker than I meant to. I wanted to savor it and enjoy being lost in the world the author created, but I found myself so entranced in the story that I tore through it in just a day. If you’re interested in literary fantasy set in a dark, post-apocalyptic Australia, then this is worth checking out.
Set in the same world as Day Boy (which is also a five-star read for me), the setting of this work is somewhere between fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and wild west or depression era. It makes for a wonderfully atmospheric setting that comes to life from the first page and saturates the story throughout. The monsters, creatures, and magic are also fascinating. I love how well the author incorporates these aspects, providing enough information to make them compelling while still leaving plenty to the imagination.
The characters are just as excellent as the setting. While the archetypes of Nan and Jean’s mother aren’t particularly unique, they were written well and played strong supporting roles for Jean. I also enjoyed that despite how dark the setting of this story was, friendship played an important role throughout the read.
I read this book much quicker than I meant to. I wanted to savor it and enjoy being lost in the world the author created, but I found myself so entranced in the story that I tore through it in just a day. If you’re interested in literary fantasy set in a dark, post-apocalyptic Australia, then this is worth checking out.
September 1, 2025
I like the tone of this story. What easily could have been a romantic and self-pitying FMC is instead someone world weary and open to her challenges. This book has one foot in fantasy and one in horror. There is magic and a sense of medieval community in the small farming town where this takes place. But instead of having a character raised by plucky elders with stories of wonder and hope, the tone of the characters is closer to horror films like Witch or The Lighthouse (someone said it was pastoral but too dark to be called that and this is the vibe I get. Like a small town exorcism). This also reminds me of one of those beautiful but dark and depressing video games.
The characters are shown in high definition and have a brutal and honest way of speaking. This easily could have become a self-indulgent cruelty that would add a layer of romance to the story but the characters are not cruel. Just hardened and tired. This makes the monsters they fight all the more terrifying to think of.
While I loved the vibes and the characterizations, the plot was a little weak. The world didn’t end up coming together in a satisfying way (or even a clear way) and the climax for our MC was building to something really big for her town/world/herself but ultimately felt like a small personal lesson she learned.
I’ll definitely grab more from this author and hope they build to more depth in future stories!
Quotes
Remember this: We’re not here to comfort the living, we’re here to protect them.
No, we weren’t going to be friends. But what did I know of friends?
You are this town and we will hold you.
A dream is a lie stretched until it’s true.
Effortless was only an appearance. Effort was all we had.
This was the real world, and having seen its shadow, it shown even brighter.
I was its bane, and it was mine, and in that we shared a weakness and a strength.
The truth was that I was twelve, and I was frightened, so I let it happen. It wasn’t me who should have known better.
I snorted at that, the idea of the dead seeing the future. They were all past, no matter what Dickens might say.
It was as though I had never been born, as if I had always been Jean, whole and powerful.
For the first time, we knew whom we were holding, and we did it anyway.
The characters are shown in high definition and have a brutal and honest way of speaking. This easily could have become a self-indulgent cruelty that would add a layer of romance to the story but the characters are not cruel. Just hardened and tired. This makes the monsters they fight all the more terrifying to think of.
While I loved the vibes and the characterizations, the plot was a little weak. The world didn’t end up coming together in a satisfying way (or even a clear way) and the climax for our MC was building to something really big for her town/world/herself but ultimately felt like a small personal lesson she learned.
I’ll definitely grab more from this author and hope they build to more depth in future stories!
Quotes
Remember this: We’re not here to comfort the living, we’re here to protect them.
No, we weren’t going to be friends. But what did I know of friends?
You are this town and we will hold you.
A dream is a lie stretched until it’s true.
Effortless was only an appearance. Effort was all we had.
This was the real world, and having seen its shadow, it shown even brighter.
I was its bane, and it was mine, and in that we shared a weakness and a strength.
The truth was that I was twelve, and I was frightened, so I let it happen. It wasn’t me who should have known better.
I snorted at that, the idea of the dead seeing the future. They were all past, no matter what Dickens might say.
It was as though I had never been born, as if I had always been Jean, whole and powerful.
For the first time, we knew whom we were holding, and we did it anyway.
January 2, 2022
I got this from NetGalley to preview.
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.
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.
July 20, 2022
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Erewhon Books.
I never thought it odd that the world could, on a whim, just yank people away. That's what I grew up with.
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.
Maybe that's the way is is when you walk the Road. You lose something of yourself. Isn't that what life is, too? Each day a gaining and a loss.
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 never thought it odd that the world could, on a whim, just yank people away. That's what I grew up with.
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.
Maybe that's the way is is when you walk the Road. You lose something of yourself. Isn't that what life is, too? Each day a gaining and a loss.
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.
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