Uprooted by Naomi Novik
NEBULA AWARD WINNER HUGO AWARD FINALIST If you want a fantasy with strong characters and brilliantly original variations on ancient stories, try Uprooted! Rick Riordan Breathtaking . . . a tale that is both elegantly grand and earthily humble, familiar as a Grimm fairy tale yet fresh, original, and totally irresistible. Publishers Weekly (starred review) NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR BuzzFeed Tordotcom BookPage Library Journal Publishers Weekly Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows everyone knows that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
- Author - Naomi Novik
- Publisher - Random House Publishing Group
- Publication Date - 03-01-2016
- Page Count - 464
- Hardcover
- Adult
- Science Fiction and Fantasy
- Product Dimension - 5.4 H x 8.2 W x 1.1 D
- ISBN-13 - 9780804179058
Web ID: 4134137
original spin on familiar fairy tale
In almost every classic fairy tale there is usually a deep, dark wood that the heroes have to pass through at least once. This story is a fresh take on this classic theme, but it's the first time I've ever seen the Wood itself actually be the enemy, and I loved it. Great world-building, well written, good dialogue. Lots of action with an occasional touch of horror and violence. Even the side characters had an appropriate amount of depth and complexity - Novik is not one for creating one-dimensional characters to further plot points. Each person has unique personality, likes and dislikes, good and bad. The most impressive thing is how she weaves the story of the Wood, gives it presence, personality, slowly digging deeper and deeper with each interaction with the Wood and building the mystery, the dread, the wonder of this corrupted force of nature. She doesn't just describe how things look; you see, smell, feel the scene, as she expertly crafts an experience using all your senses while building tension and drama. The only reason I'm giving four stars instead of five is for two reasons - I found the romance a bit awkward when it could have been so much better, and I feel Novik's main character to be just a bit too similar to the heroine in Spinning Silver. They're both brown-haired girls, brave and clever, who are not attractive or charming or witty or traditionally feminine, who are practical and a bit stoic and also outsiders in their village. It would be nice to see her branch out a little in her next novel with a fresh, inuque main character. TL:DR - highly recommend, this may be Novik's best work yet. There were a couple things I think could have been done better, but altogether it was so well written and so original those little things are easily overlooked. Fantastic world building and even better writing. All around, an excellent read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enchanting fairytale to read again and again!
“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley.” I was enchanted from the first line of this fairy tale to the very last. Novik’s writing is beautiful. Agnieszka was not expected to be the girl picked this year by the Dragon, the wizard protecting everyone from the Wood. Not the graceful beauty he usually chooses, Agnieszka struggles to please the Dragon, fumbling every task set before her. But her gift of magic is exactly what the world needs. I loved this gruff, unyielding wizard and enjoyed seeing Agnieszka slowly grow braver during her training with him. The Wood is a malevolent presence, creating tension in this story even when our characters aren’t physically near it. Truly haunting! In this tale there were many wonderful reflections on life and love, nature and mankind’s treatment of it, violence and peaceful resolution to conflict. I’m returning my library copy and buying one of my own. I will definitely revisit this story someday. This is my second 5-star read by Novik—Spinning Silver was lovely—and now it’s time to hit this author’s backlist hard.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Uprooted book club choice May 2022
Our online Sci-Fi book club (formerly of Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach before the pandemic) chose to read this book. Every of us enjoyed it which is very unusual. I thought the writing flowed and didn't slow the reader down. The story and characters were unique and very compelling to read about.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
why was this such a letdown in the last half
Believe me, I wanted to love this. Truly. I thought from the first half it was going to be a 5 star read but no. Once the setting changed, it got weiiiiiird. I was confused for the later half of the book, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't skim the last 100 pages. It was confusing and wordy with a magic system that made no sense and was never explained.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
rich world building
What I love about ALL of Naomi Novik's work is her ability to create a rich world with detailed rules, traditions, places, & characters. Uprooted showcases this skill with the amazing cast of characters like Agnieszka, the Dragon, Kasia, Prince Merek, etc…and of course the mysterious and dangerous The Wood. I love the magic in the book and the rules around it that Novik has created. I loved this book. If you read it and enjoy it, I also recommend her novel "Spinning Silver" for another book full of world building and magical things.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Original Fantasy
I really enjoyed this book. It's hard to create a fantasy world and I feel Naomi did a fantastic job with a completely original story line. My only qualm would be the main character, Agnieszka, is portrayed as a petulant child instead of a 17/18 year old. She has some very grown up moments and I just wish the stubborn, childish features were toned down a little.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Deserves to be on everyone's favorite books list
“‘You intolerable lunatic,’ he snarled at me and then he caught my face between his hands and kissed me.” In Uprooted by Naomi Novick, Agnieszka has lived her life in a village with family and the woods that she loves. The only thing she has had to worry about is the wizard known as the Dragon who comes every decade to choose one special girl to take with him as payment for keeping a corruption in part of the wood at bay. It has been always been assumed that Agnieszka’s closest friend Kasia would be chosen because of her beauty and her bravery, but when the Dragon comes, it is Agnieszka that he chooses. And she is thrust into an entirely different world where she learns there is so much more to her than she ever suspected. This book sat unread on my shelf for far too long. I was drawn to this story from the first page, and it will be one of those stories I carry forever. Agnieska was a fantastic character to follow. She was bold, and strong. Once she found her footing, she didn’t back down. I loved that she found comfort in dressing and being who she had always been in things like appearance and how she carried herself. I adored the banter and arguing with the Dragon. The Dragon is a very gruff character, and seemed almost unlikeable in the beginning, but in a way I adored him as well. There is romance in the story but it isn’t the main focus. It’s just a beautiful and satisfying fantasy that deserves to be on everyone’s favorite books lists. I give it 5 stars.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com