Common Sense Media Review
By Michael Berry
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teen deals with trauma on exciting, magical sea voyage.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
As IN THE SERPENT'S WAKE opens, Tess signs up for an ocean voyage to the south pole, hoping to find the legendary Polar Serpent who supposedly lives there. The passengers include a priest who once hated her, a countess on her way to heartbreak, and a ruthless abuser praised by nearly everyone. Expeditions with conflicting agendas join the hunt, and it isn't long before someone loses their life.
Is It Any Good?
The world-building remains impressive, the humor sharp, and the action well-paced in this in this dragon-studded fantasy. In the Serpent's Wake also dives deep into main character Tess' psyche. Author Rachel Hartman concocts a comedy of manners that's actually deadly serious in its anticolonial politics. The characters are diverse, vivid, and unpredictable. Predicaments set up in the first book pay off in the concluding volume. The final chapters offer revelation and resolution. Tess' tale may be over for now, but it will leave fans wanting more.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how In the Serpent's Wake presents issues of gender and identity. Is it possible to imagine a society that involves a more fluid definition of gender?
Tess was sexually assaulted at age 14. How does she deal with the memories of the incident?
Why are fantasies with dragons so popular? What do we love about them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Animals ( Ocean Creatures ) , Pirates
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : February 1, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 17
- Number of pages : 512
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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