Uprooted

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although i know, with my logic-brain and my experiences and my readers’ advisory training, that not every book is going to “work” for every reader, i always feel a little bit guilty, a little bit broken, when a wildly popular book i had every expectation of loving falls short for me. He was on me in an instant, thrusting me flat down against my pillows. "So," he said, silkily, his hand pressed down upon my collarbone, pinning me easily to the bed . . . I was terrified . . . He shoved me hard against the bed and bent low. 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.

Within a short time, Agnieszka and Sarkan realize that the Wood has taken on a new level of power. Agnieszka exhibits her abilities, which are different from Sarkan's but equally powerful. Together, they rescue Kasia from the Wood. When Prince Merek of the kingdom learns about this miraculous rescue, he forces them to rescue his mother, Queen Hannah. It seems the rescue is successful, but Queen Hannah is not herself, and she soon creates situations that kill all the adults of the royal family along with 6,000 soldiers. When the battle is over, Agnieszka and Sarkan realize they have to go into the Wood and bring an end to the situation if they want the kingdom to ever be truly free. If you like the fantasy worlds you read to be centered around a realistic and relatable character then you will love Uprooted. Don’t even get me started on how many times I had to reread a paragraph because I lost count on how many times my mind wandered while I’m reading this book. This situation almost never happened before; even on books I disliked, I didn’t have much trouble finishing them. I legit thought about the process of turning a raw potato into French Fries out of nowhere while reading this, and hey, it’s more interesting than what the pacing and romance this book put me through.Not only has this novel been nominated for the Nebula, but it has also been nominated for Hugo for 2016 as well! Wild, thrilling, and deeply, darkly magical. An instant classic." Lev Grossman, author of the The Magicians Instead of being tired, though, I actually looked forward to learning the magic and discovering how all of it worked, or didn't work in her case, and I plainly enjoyed the dichotomy as it revealed itself. Words and reason versus song and intuition. This is one of the few books in the last year that managed to captivate me. From the opening paragraph this story grabs and hauls you off into the wonders of darkly wooded world and just as sincerely holds you captive. Ms. Novik did everything right here. There’s no learning curve, as the story starts small, simple, and yet captivating. The the reader is introduced to a pleasant and likable young woman, whose life is drastically altered, not in some horrible way, but rather in an unexpectedly nice way. Such things don’t usually happen in fantasy stories. Nice characters, nice places, pleasant events—almost sounds boring, only it isn’t. Quite the contrary, I was far more fascinated and riveted by this not-miserable place and kindly people than in any other fantasy book I’ve read in decade.

The writing style for me was below average. It was mediocre, tiresome and there was absolutely nothing special about it. There were so many unnecessary paragraphs in the book, mainly consisting of pointless descriptions that I quite easily could have done without reading. The Wood herself becomes a character, fierce and vengeful, creepy and cunning, and so powerful. Magic pours out of this beautiful story about villages and woods, towers and castles, armies and witches, and the more we learn of this world, the more we want to know. There are many aspects of the book that demand deeper examination, but I’m going to focus on the three things that sang to me the most: the rules of magic in Agnieszka’s world (and related to that, overall worldbuilding and deep-rooted corruption at the heart of the Wood), the subversive thematic elements (especially concerning female characters and traditional notions of heroism), and the powerful relationships that define each of these characters.As Ana says, Uprooted is at its core a fairy tale. It’s a fairy tale that uses familiar elements that lure unsuspecting readers in – the great and powerful Wizard/Dragon, who demands tribute of a village daughter every 10 years (as Dragons from fantastic tales are wont to do); the headstrong heroine, whose fate seems sealed and dedicated to a provincial life but is suddenly uprooted; the encroaching darkness that must be stopped before the world is lost to the forces of evil.

If you like Fantasy that really lays out the groundwork for their worldbuilding, with detailed descriptions about people groups and places then you will love uprooted. I'll freely admit that I was immediately caught within its grasp, and remained spellbound from beginning to end. The main characters and their romance were some of the worst problems for me in this book. Kasia, the side character, would’ve been a much better choice for a protagonist compared to Agnieszka; I’ll dub her as Agony because it captured my feeling towards her. Agony is a Mary Sue, and she’s the epitome of Special Snowflake Syndrome. To make things worse, the Dragon, Skunk, Skank, or whatever his real name is was an ultimate asshole just for the sake of being one. From the beginning to the end, no organic development to these characters occurred. The flatness of their characterizations was even worse than a skateboard.But of course, there's more to Ag-noying than meets the eye, why, she's got magical power that's just waiting to burst from her like a rose from a fermenting pile of steaming poop. My strength welled up through my body and fountained out of my mouth, and where it left me, a trembling in the air began and went curling down around my body in a spiraling path.Yeah, yeah. I've read this shit before, and I say no, thank you. I like my main characters average, thank you very much. I like my "Dragons" with humanity.

all of that and there’s nothing overt that i can point to and say “ that’s where it lost me. that’s what i didn’t like.” it wasn’t that it was unenjoyable or a chore to read, it just never made my readerheart sparkle. There are those well-drawn, vivid books that have great world-building, beautiful descriptions without being overly descriptive, and get lauded by critics. Then there are those books that are delicious chocolate-ice-cream-with-sprinkles pieces of entertainment that drag you in and just provide so much enjoyment. Uprooted is a rare beast - because it's both.

Yet… this quibble is minor. Uprooted is a beautiful, nearly-flawless read, and I loved it wholeheartedly from first chapter to empowering and heart-rendering finale. Uprooted tells the story of a young village woman named Agnieszka, born in a year where she is eligible to be taken by the Dragon – a powerful wizard who protects her village and the rest of the kingdom from the encroaching evil of the poisoned Wood. Every ten years, the Dragon leaves his marble tower and selects a girl from the villages of the valley to live with him. No one knows what the Dragon does with these girls during their servitude – just that after ten years, the girls emerge from the tower, free and healthy, but always determined to leave the valley and village behind for bigger and better things. Let me preface this review by getting something off my chest straight away: I loved this book with the intensity of a thousand supernovas. After hitting two for two, Naomi Novik has turned into a must-read author for me. I can't wait to dive into more of her books. ONE STAR to character developments. I cannot stand any of them. Nearly all of them are as flat as a cardboard cutout. None experienced huge break throughs and if they did, it did not show in the book. The characters are none I can connect with and none I could care less about.