Reviews

Oh my god why have I never read a book by Naomi Novik before??? I was literally hooked from the very first page; I couldn’t put this book down until the the very end! It’s been such a long time since I’ve read a page turner such as this! Kickass characters, atmospheric writing, and a complex plot all contribute to this being such a fascinating book. Absolutely loved it! <3

bookforestsprite's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

"endlessly surprising and moving" indeed! A new favourite! Naomi Novik's writing is masterful and truly magical!

Content Warnings

lbarsk's review against another edition

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5.0

GOD I so thoroughly enjoyed this. I totally get other folks’ critique about the perspective changes happening too often to get to truly know any one character. But in a way that makes sense to me — in lots of Old Stories and/or Myths of the Ancient World we aren’t getting deep character analysis so much as various looks into people’s psyches as a plot progresses. So I don’t think it necessarily dampened my enjoyment? But again I get the point about no “main character” ever feeling fully developed the way Agnieszka does in Uprooted.

I really enjoyed how all the different parties ended up being connected to each other, and 1000% loved a) the JUDAISM !!!! b) the differences between Staryk and mortal worlds/cultures and c) the way Novik canNOT resist a ROMANCÉ between a driven resourceful no-nonsense heroine and a broody angry principled man.

I think this just shows how Novik is a master storyteller and I’d love to see a third book in this somewhat series of folklore retellings. Or tbh a revisiting of all her main characters from these first two but checking in on them years later? Pretty please?

whackboy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

leekleek's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this book so much!!
Usually I don't love when a book tells the story from many different characters perspectives because I tend to be invested in just one of the characters, but this one was executed well.

Note to audio book listeners: The audio book is pretty challenging to listen to, as it's very difficult to detect when you are suddenly changing between characters' perspectives.

jyeetreads's review against another edition

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4.0

8/10 rating

Really really well-written (people were not lyin in the reviews), characters very well-developed, fairytale trope done exceedingly well... I enjoyed the story overall!

I did knock off two points because it wasn’t exactly gripping enough for me to consider it 5 stars, and I found myself rushing through slower parts.

That being said, I’m glad I decided to pick this up again after kinda forgetting about it on my first read! It’s great once you get used to the pacing, and now I want to read her other book everyone talks about.

lillithclaire's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious

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

3.75

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