Tess has a mission from the Queen: sail across the oceans to the bottom of the world and prevent a war. Unbeknownst to the Queen, Tess also intends to find the last World Serpent — a once-mythical creature with the magical ability to heal her best friend Pathka from a life-threatening injury. Tess never was one to follow the rules and this self-assigned mission feels like her duty, her calling, her destiny.

Destiny has other ideas.

When someone from Tess's past makes a surprise return, old wounds are cracked open, throwing her mission — both the Queen's and Tess's personal agenda — into complete disarray. What's more, Tess's personal pain is intertwined with a history greater than her own and the mending of it threatens the delicate balance of the entire Southlands. Tess was sent on this journey to prevent a war, but she may be starting one of her own. (From Penguin Teen)

Rachel Hartman is an American Canadian writer and YA author. Her books include Tess of the Road, which won the YA category at the 2019 Sunburst Awards. Hartman was the recipient of the 2013 William C. Morris YA Debut Award which honours a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature.