Uprooted

I really enjoyed this book. I'd been looking, for a while, for the next book that would capture me, make me care about the characters and really look forward to picking it up again – which hadn't happened since I finished Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy – and this was it.

I don't know if this book is YA. It's hard to tell at a certain point. The vocabulary is good but probably not overly challenging. The subject matter borders on adult? But in a fantasy genre that appears to mark itself as “adult” by competing to show misery and depravity (“historical accuracy”), or at least requires massive tomes with hundreds of characters, a book like this feels out of place. Like Gaiman's Stardust, it's got more of a fairy tale than a strict “fantasy” feel. In the end I'd categorize this as YA-appropriate but probably not a YA book.

Like Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone series, this book opts for a Slavic backdrop rather than the obligatory Anglo-Saxon/Arthurian roots of the vast majority of fantasy, but I thought it was better executed here than in Bardugo's books (her first, at least) – it felt more authentic, for whatever reason. Even though I think largely the names and myths of the book could've been replaced with Anglo equivalents and succeeded nearly as well, the way this universe blended “real” Slavic myths like Baba Jaga into this fictional world, and built the magic and the adventure around those sensibilities (the magic wood, the creatures that inhabited it, the way the songs are sung like traditional folk melodies rather than epic castings) really worked well.

A note: with place names like Rosya, Polna, and Venizia (or something like that) I constantly found myself trying to fit this adventure into real-life Eastern Europe. At the end of the day though, my conclusion was that this world drew inspiration from ours, but was not intended to be one and the same. Maybe I missed it. But if Polna is Poland, what is its capital, Kralia (which seems closest to, say, Kraljevo in Serbia, as far as I can tell)?

Another thing I liked about the book was that while it existed in a kind of fairy-tale world, I was never fully sure what to expect. The adventure wasn't laid out before me when I started the book, and it didn't turn out to do what I did expect. Yet with that said, I rarely felt like the new developments were forced or overt maneuverings of the author – it was just a well-built narrative.

This book wasn't perfect. I felt a bit let down by the climax – by the partial explanation/history that was unveiled, and by the underlying concepts there. Not overly so, but just a little. I had been built up: I wanted to know! To know more, to understand better.

I want to give this 4.5 stars because I have read better books, certainly. But this was so fun, so well-crafted. 4 stars would be too low. So... 5 it is.

Most of the way through I thought I'd be giving this a 4.5, but the end slowed just enough that I'm leaving it at 4.

This was my first Naomi Novik book and I will be checking out her other works too after this because I really loved this story.

I loved the story of the Dragon, the Wood and of course Agnieszka. The magic was wonderful. Agnieszka was glorious in the discovery of herself and the Dragon (magician) as a real person not just some figure she has learned to love for the protection he brings to her village but also fear because he is so reclusive.

Spoiler The queen and Kasia's trial after they had been “corrupted” by The Wood. I get the Wood is evil and it leads to an exciting climax but just like Agnieszka in the story I was just waiting for something to happen and it was a tad too long of a wait.
Recommend to fantasy and magic lovers

The magic scenes follow no logic. They also include confusing, out-of-body or dreamworld descriptions

A very imaginative retelling of a classic tale.

A dark and twisted fairy story.

Hell, yes. I want the world to be filled with stories like “Uprooted” so that my girls get a taste of their own strength before they are required to use it. I cheered audibly while reading.

More of a 3.5 for me really. I really liked the beginning, but found the pace of the middle and end to be a bit too quick; this might be because I read it so quickly but I think the pace of the novel itself drove that. A lot of the major plot points seemed to just happen with no explanation such as Agnieshka's relatively sudden ability to control her magic

Executive Summary: Despite a slow start, and a few other lulls, when this book had its hooks into me, I found it VERY hard to put down. 4.5 stars.Full ReviewI've been meaning to read Naomi Novik for awhile. I purchased [b:His Majesty's Dragon 16415676 His Majesty's Dragon Naomi Novik https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431943393s/16415676.jpg 726205] awhile ago fully intending on reading it, but still haven't gotten around to it.So instead I'm starting here. If her Temeraire books are anywhere near this good, I need to make time to read them soon.This book started a bit slow. Then the story felt like it really got going, and the next thing I knew, I'd read 100 pages. Things slowed down some in places, but I tore through several parts of it in 100 page chunks.I've heard this compared to a fairy tail. I guess that's true. I haven't really read any since I was a kid, so my thoughts never really went there. For me, it reminds me a bit of Tolkien. The description of the woods, and the largely unexplained magic and my sense of wonder at the world. In fact, normally I'm firmly in the [a:Brandon Sanderson 38550 Brandon Sanderson https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1394044556p2/38550.jpg] camp on magic. I like well defined magical systems where the characters stay within the rules that the author establishes early on in the book. However the fast and loose approach to magic here didn't bother me for some reason. I can see how it might bother some though. I liked the contrast and complementary nature of Agnieszka's magic compared to the Dragon's.In fact the reaction of the Dragon to her magic, is probably why it didn't bother me. He was having my typical reaction for me. Of course his magic methods weren't very well explained either, but seemed to be methodical in nature.The characters took time to grow on me, but I liked Agnieszka fairly early on, and mostly liked the Dragon by the end. I enjoy the trope of the cranky old wizard, and the Dragon largely fits that exactly, with a little derivation. For anyone tired of that trope, this may be a larger issue.I thought Kasia served as a nice contrast to Agnieszka, and that contrast is used nicely by the author to add depth to both of them. The pair of them make for a nice change of pace for the typical fantasy protagonists.The real lure for me was the forest. I've always enjoyed camping and hiking in the woods. It's something I don't do much these days, so living vicariously through characters in a book is the next best thing.These aren't woods I'd want to visit though. I was fascinated by the mystery and discovery of the woods as the story progressed. There is also some pretty interesting world building with an ancient culture that has been largely lost to time. Some of the details felt a bit rushed at the end, but I'll happily take that over this being book one in a series. This story is very well self-contained. There is plenty of room to tell future stories, but this can easily be picked up and consumed by itself, which seems rare for fantasy.Overall, I really enjoyed this, and I plan to move Ms. Novik's other work higher up on my To read list.

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.

This was the Sword and Laser book club pick for August. I feel like this book tried to do too many things and ended up not doing any of them particularly well.

The f-yeah-friends-forever plot line is one that is being heavily praised, and I can see why, but I kept waiting for the shoe to drop on Kasia as well: having been taken and subsequently rescued from the Wood, but with almost zero lasting effects? Ehh. I couldn't trust the friendship at all because I was waiting for Kasia to betray everything.

It was a quick readable tale, but not one I feel the need to reread to get into the minutiae.

Great read!

It was refreshing to have a main character that was not perfect. I greatly enjoyed this compelling fairytale.

Wow.

I've only read a little of Naomi Novik in the past, and what I read I'd enjoyed but hadn't really bonded with emotionally. This book took me a couple of pages to form an emotional bond and may very well be the best thing I've read this year.

Uprooted is a little bit Beauty and the Beast, a little bit Sorcerer's Apprentice, and a lot of unique, well-written story that stands on its own. It borrows from classics to form a very modern fairy tale, and it does so without ever reducing its characters to archetypes. Every character in this is complex, down to peasant #2's mother, and their actions have causes and consequences. Our staunch young hero (while perhaps suffering a mild case of MarySueness) is nevertheless relevant, likable, and interesting. Our antagonists, such as they are, have valid justifications for making the choices they make, even down to the Big Bad Wood. Even the blond, immaculate, would-be heroine of Kasia is granted a depth of emotion and a degree of agency sorely missing from princess archetype. We've seen a million adaptations of Prince Charming turned into a shallow, glory hound, but Novik takes it one step further by also making the thoroughly detestable Prince Marek into a grief-stricken son bent on rescuing his mother. Evil wizards? Sure! But are they “evil” because they live so long they cut themselves off from humanity on purpose, because that's the only way to function in court society without being accused of treason, because their first love was books instead of magic or people and they can't separate themselves from this idea. Novik investigates these characters to their roots (see what I did there?), and the reader is left wondering more about their fellow humans and what secrets they may hold.

The woods have long been used as a metaphor for society's cast-aside darkness, and the Wood in this story is both a source and reflection of the corruption even the most noble-hearted of characters find in themselves. Yet Novik approaches the symbol in a unique way which I can't delve too deeply into without entering Spoilerville. It is a scary villain, made scarier by how easy it is to identify with the visions it shows.

While the novel lovingly displays and twists the tropes of high fantasy, it is not bereft of comedy, romance, or horror, and this combination of genre is what I think is making it such a success right now. I get how Ellen DeGeneres could read this and go, “Movie Rights. Gimme. Now,” although I don't think film could ever match up to the images present in the prose. This is definitely an important novel in the fantasy timeline, and I highly encourage you, whoever you are, to pick this one up.

This was originally supposed to be just a little note I dropped on Goodreads to say what I thought of the book. But then it turned into a full review. So let's get started. Note: You don't get any quotes because there was a sum total of two that I remember/like. The one about the Dragon that makes you think the book it going to be a lot more funny than it is (which was on the first page) and another entertaining quote that was on the last page. The pages between were taken up by flat words that I won't have remembered in a week.

Honestly, the more I think about this book, the less I like it. The whole synopsis is fulfilled in the first chapter and while I liked that at first, I soon realized that's because there's really no plot to the story. If anything, this is about Agnieszka's coming of age, her growing and ‘finding' herself. Which are books that I don't often enjoy. Every time something new happened, I was thinking ‘this is it, this is when it'll start getting good'. I read the book quickly, but that wasn't because I was excited and wanted to see what would happen next. It was because I kept waiting to feel a spur of excitement.

I never did. The book kept plodding along, skipping months with hardly a mention. And then Agnieszka went to the capital and the last hope I had that I would love the book crumbled. You take a peasant, dress her up in finery and shuffle her off to the capital and I don't know why, but I always find it boring and uninteresting. (Which is kind of the way I found the whole book.) It felt like nothing more than a string of barely connected events that were little more than padding to make this book seem even longer than it 438 pages.

This story is told in the first person, so if you don't like Agnieszka you probably won't care for the book - at least in my experience that's the way it goes. Well, I didn't much like Agnieszka. At first I thought I would, but then...she's too special. Girls are taken to the tower where they spend ten years - not being seen by anyone outside the tower for that length of time. Well, it felt like we were hardly a month into Agnieszka's ten years and she was already traipsing through her village. (I won't say there wasn't a reason, but it still felt like ‘isn't she so special'.) And she's ‘spunky'. I'm growing to hate ‘spunky' girls.

I do like the romance - rather, it's the hints of the romance that I like. Seeing Agnieszka and the Dragon interacting and her being all stubborn and him being all sarcastic was fun (about the only fun this book offers). But the romance was forced too quickly in my opinion. I never truly felt that they liked each other, much less loved. They never felt like they could be a couple away from all the fear and death that they fought. As a character, I do like the Dragon - but I like characters that are caustic and cynical and sarcastic (especially guys) but I don't like them as love interests.

A major driving point of the barely connected events was Agnieszka constantly rescuing her best friend from one peril or another. The ‘great female friendship' that I'd heard so much about. Honestly, I never felt it. It didn't feel so much like friendship as guilt and borderline co-dependence.

The writing style was just odd enough to leave me confused sometimes. There were many, many times Agnieszka thinks something and another person answers her thoughts. However, no one was surprised so...did she say it out loud? Why wasn't it indicated if she did? All it would have taken at the end of those thoughts was ‘and she said so'. And some of the descriptions were confusing. They were wordy, but they never really gave a clear indication as to what happened. It was like the words for what actually just happened had been danced around. And, if I'm being truthful, this is yet another fantasy book whose description/narration is way too out of balance with the dialogue. (Because I honestly like more talky books.)

I think when it comes right down to it, my problem was that I always felt a distance to the people. I don't know if that's because of Agnieszka or because of the writing style. I just never felt a connection to the people. The whole valley could have been destroyed by the Wood and I'm not sure I would have even cared. (Except to get angry that I wasted my time.) I have no connection so I can't sympathize or relate. Or, maybe I can't sympathize or relate so I don't have a connection.

(Originally posted on my blog: http://pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com/)

Uprooted is the story of Agnieszka, a girl who learns she has magical powers after being chosen by “the Dragon” - a mysterious wizard who protects Agieszka's village from the evil woods. The Dragon chooses a young woman every ten years as payment for his services. While most of the young women he chooses tend to act as his personal servant, Agnieszka's abilities make her life with the Dragon quite different. Agnieszka must learn to use her magical abilities to help the Dragon to fight against the evil woods, while trying not to upset the political issues of the realm.

The novel contains many of the elements of a classic fairytale - a grumpy wizard, a mysterious evil wood, a young person who must learn to use her powers and save the day. Where it differs significantly from a traditional fairytale is in the attitudes of the characters. Agnieszka is no damsel in distress. If anything she is the rough and tumble tomboy getting her hands dirty kinda of a character. The Dragon is a bit like Sherlock Holmes - trying to uncover the mystery of the woods while really just wanting to stay in his bachelor pad, and annoyed by the incompetence of everyone around him. He's kind of an ass, but does just enough cool things that you end up liking him anyway. You've also got the perfect best friend, the ultimate frat boy, and “rival detective” running around keeping things interesting.

Despite how modern the characters feel, they didn't seem out of place in a distinctly fairy tale world. The writing allowed for a perfect blend of traditional tropes and modern ideas to blend and create a rather enjoyable story. It contains a lot of traditional Polish folklore (some of which has been stolen by other fantasy stories over the years), while weaving a lot of modern issues (gender roles, sexual consent, etc.) into the story without being preachy. The book is still about telling the story. The only strong complaint I have is that the pacing of the novel feels a bit inconsistent. I found the start of the novel quite engaging - despite the limited, terse interactions between the Dragon and his apprentice, this portion of the novel felt fairly fast paced. However, as the novel wears on and Agnieszka is tested with ever more challenging foes, the length of the battle scenes seems to stretch on a bit more than necessary. It is one of those things where I can understand the desire to not trivialize death and to give the situation its due, but, on the other hand, when there are a bunch of previously unknown characters fighting a huge battle it is sort of hard to feel an emotional connection to them as a reader. We see the battles from Agnieszka's view - not exactly removed from the action, but not always the center of it either. Which makes sense, but isn't the most engaging thing to read. The battles also felt a bit like an annoying roadblock - can we please let the main characters get on with more important things, like magic-ing some evil trees? - which is possibly another reason that these scenes felt so stretched out. My level of attention wavered from fully engrossed to mildly interested at different portions of the books. The smaller, more intimate scenes involving just a few characters are extremely well done, but I don't know that I cared as much when there were thousands of people on the page.

Overall I thought this was a really enjoyable book. Definitely well worth a read, especially since it is gathering such a buzz at the moment. It is a fun story with an interesting mix of classic and modern elements. Highly recommended.

This was one of those books where after reading it, you give a great big sigh of satisfaction, enjoyment, and longing. Wonderful story, satisfying ending, wish there was more.

DNF 51%



Es mucho para mi maltratado cerebro. Siento que a quienes les guste el señor de los anillos o libros así de largos pueda gustarle Uprooted. No leí LOTR, pero siempre me imaginé que sería algo así como este libro.

No eres tú soy yo, querido libro. No esta vez.

I hate, hate, hate when I don't know how to talk about a book. It just drives me crazy. Uprooted is one of those books. It really needs to be experienced, rather than described. It's completely familiar, but doesn't do what you expect. It's traditional, yet subversive. It deals with timeless stories, but feels contemporary. Utterly fantastic, but so often, feels real.In short, Uprooted is magical.I saw someone describe the protagonist and narrator, Agnieszka, as a mix of Katniss Everdeen and Jane Eyre. I like that – not only is it catchy, but it's pretty accurate. She also reminds me a bit of Belle (especially the Disney version) and Julia from Grossman's The Magicians.Uprooted doesn't grab you like a suspense novel, where you're glued to the action, the adrenaline. It's actually more effective and thorough – it draws you in and won't let you go through the depth of storytelling, Agnieszka's voice, the people and the world. You just want to live in those words.On the one hand, I want to gush about this one. But it feels like this one needs to toot its own horn. Read the [b:Uprooted 22544764 Uprooted Naomi Novik https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420795060s/22544764.jpg 41876730] description, if it appeals to you at all, get your hands on it. It'll be one of your favorite reads of the year.

Still my favorite book of the year. I wonder if something will come along and sweep me off my feet the way Uprooted did. So far, its number 1 spot on my 2015 list is pretty secure.

My full review can be found behind this link

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2015/06/review-of-uprooted-by-naomi-novik/

reviews.metaphorosis.com

3.5 stars

Every ten years, a sorceror named the Dragon takes a girl from the neighbouring villages as a servant. This time, everyone knows it will be Kasia - beautiful, graceful, talented Kasia. He takes her best friend Agnieszka instead - clumsy, unattractive Agnieszka. Bewildered, Agnieszka struggles to meet the Dragon's needs - mostly failing, until one day he's gone, and she has to step into his shoes.

There's a lot of evidence around these days that traditional publishers are slowly slipping under. But they do sometimes fill their traditional role as gatekeepers - now filters - separating good fiction from bad. I'm happy to say that's the case with Del Rey (one of my once favorite, now diminished publishers) and Uprooted.

I'd never heard of Naomi Novik before seeing this book on NetGalley, but the cover and description caught my interest. That lack of awareness led me a little astray. In the first few pages of Uprooted, I was sure I was in the hands of young but growing talent - a writer who was still fledging, but destined for good things. Rather to my surprise, it turns out Novik has quite a few books under her belt. That accounts for the skill she shows, but throws a harsher light on some of the book's shortcomings.

Novik seems to specialize in fantastic alternate history, and that's what she offers here. She draws on Slavic languages, which I found a pleasant change from the norm. However, it soon became evident that the setting was not just vaguely Polish, but an actual alternate Europe, complete with Baba Yaga references. Because the parallels don't really add much to the story, I found them rather disappointing - suggesting a lack of effort, perhaps. It's also disappointing that while Uprooted has a strong female lead, she lives in a somewhat traditional world - men fight silently, women dress up, though both do lead.

The broad outlines of the story are equally familiar - a teen romance of awkward but plucky young girl, handsome but distant sorceror, and circumstances that force them to become close. What makes Uprooted stand out is Novik's facility with language and character. No verbal pyrotechnics here, just a fine balance of imagery, action, and dialogue. At the same time, Novik stumbles over some genre norms that I would have expected a practiced writer to catch.

The characters, for all their stock-romance nature, feel real and sympathetic. While much of the action is predictable, we care about Agnieszka and Kasia, though the Dragon remains underdeveloped. To her credit, Novik veers clear of the Hollywood ending, and the character element remains strong throughout.

All in all, Novik has made a nice, surprisingly effective novel out of off the shelf ingredients. When I thought she was a new talent, I meant to watch for her books and hope that she reached for a little more originality in future. As it is, I assume she's reached her stride. I'll certainly be interested to consider her new books, but hope they'll dive a little deeper into worldbuilding. In any case, I recommend this book. Pluck Uprooted off the nearest shelf and enjoy it.

NB: Received free copy from Net Galley. 

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. I loved this book right from the start! I love reading books that are about fairy tales. Agneiszka lives in a small town near The Wood. Every once in a while something evil will come out of The Wood and corrupt someone in a nearby town and a wizard will have to be called to root the evil out. Now The Wood wants to take over the land once and for all. Who will win? There is so much more to this story, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. I highly recommend this book.