Uprooted

Uprooted, written by Naomi Novik, is a subverted fairy tale. Despite the familiarity of this story structure, Novik makes this her own. Uprooted could sit next to the works of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. Its a new story consisting of well-known parts.

The use of the first person throughout gives the reader access to the thoughts and motivations behind the main protagonist, trainee witch, Agnieszka. Annoyance, rage, fury and resentment fuels the plot. These emotions between the characters propel the plot forward. The noticeable difference is Agniezka's friendship with Kasia. This was the central relationship for me; full of honesty. However, I didn't really care for it.

Novik uses a malevolent Haunted Forest of European Lore as the main source of evil and conflict. The world building surrounding this was realistic and well-paced; there are a minimum of locations used. Each character which is introduced has a purpose. Novik avoids the lazy, just use this “plot solving” spell, to escape from difficult situations. The magic which used at the start of the book is woven into the world-building and provides a constraint about what is magically possible.

A criticism is Agnieszka's swift transition to a powerful witch. This is indicative of Uprooted being a standalone book. Had Novik written a trilogy then at least the first 10 chapters would have described Agnieszka's apprenticeship. Her mentor, The Dragon, moans at her and teaches her little. When she arrives at his home she couldn't make herself a dress. Shortly afterwards she's casting complex spells; almost no learning curve at all. I would have expected that there would be more education?

So in summary, this is an intelligent coming-of-age fairy tale adventure. The first half of the book is better than the second, unless you “get” Agniezka's friendship with Kasia. If you do then you'll love it all. Novik blends the familiar with the unusual and initially creates a page turning trilogy packed into one novel as a result. The second half runs out of steam and the ending is somewhat cheesy power doesn't defeat the Wood, its compassion.