Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Uprooted

, the book is written very episodically. Agnieshka is hanging out at the tower, learning magic, until someone arrives! And they do something. Then she goes back to her studies until... someone arrives! The plot doesn't progress evenly forward - it moves in fits and starts like this, and it's hard to tell what the story is supposed to be about. (Especially when the description on the back of the book only describes half of the first chapter.)

I did not find any of the characters to be particularly well-developed, and there isn't much character growth. Sure, Agnieshka's skills and power grow, but her personal character doesn't change much from the beginning to the end.

I was most upset by Kasia in this vein: she is hyped up at the beginning as being such a charming, brave, and wonderful person, but despite being by Agnieshka's side for the majority of the book, she is largely silent. In so many scenes she just serves as a tool to silently protect Agnieshka from some danger. The book emphasizes their friendship over and over again, but they never even really have a conversation.

The characters all felt so flat that the pace felt even slower, because there was no one I wanted to root for. And don't get me started on the romance... (The

teenager + centuries old magical being

romances either work or they don't, and this one just didn't for me.)

All that being said, the pace and excitement picks up immensely in the final third of the book, and the ending really is so good. I finally got what the author was going for, and what the book was about. Sure, there are other scenes that stand out (when

Kasia and Agnieshka have to deal with their unspoken animosity toward each other

and any scene with Alosha - loved her). I just wish the first 2/3 of the book had been as enjoyable!

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asunder's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.75

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the_bees_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

If you like creepy forests, grumpy wizards, and female characters who are just a general hot mess, then you should totally read this.

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littlegreen's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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foreverfoxes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Ok, yes everything comes a little easy for our MC, but thats not really what the stories about. It's more about the political intrigue and plain stubborn selfishness of those who seek to use her.
With a cool, creepy, intriguing villain/corrupting influence who uses their insidious nature to poison those around it; and has a great mysterious backstory to boot.

And can I say, that ending *chef's kiss. One of the most satisfying I have read that wraps things up well but still has you wanting to just live in that time a little longer.
The romance was a little odd, but I wasn't mad at it.
Loved Kasia and where her story went, though I felt she was a little under-used.

Highly recommend the audiobook.

Better than I expected from the synopsis, and somehow had me a bit teary eyed in the end.

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jnichols's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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september_red's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I expected something very different out of this book when I decided to pick it up, but what I ended up getting was so much better. This book is perfect for fans of Howl’s Moving Castle who wish it was tailored more for adults.

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