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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
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:
No
Excellent storytelling, strong female characters, I was afraid she'd leave us hanging for a sequel but I am pleased with the ending!
This novel is like a warm hug from your grandmother. Reading Uprooted was like being plunged into an old folkish fairy tale and finding magical but realistic characters with all sorts of secrets to tell. The main character, Agnieszka, is a normal girl with a too long nose and a habit of stumbling into things. Hooray for normal girl main characters! By the end of this book I just wanted to go live in the woods next to a magical spring! So Good!
I realized during a battle scene that I’d read it before (three years ago). The narrator of the story is a wonderful character. Well-written scenes draw you into the action. I liked the explanations at the end of how things started.
3.5?
I have a hard time forming an opinion of this book. The story, world-building and magic were all amazing and well done, and there was a diverse cast of characters, each driven by their own cause. In particular I really liked Kasia and Alosha.
But the thing I disliked most about this book was the Dragon, which is unfortunate because he's a big part of the story. To me, he was very plain, uninteresting and boring. There was nothing special about him and I feel like I would've liked this book much better without him in it.
I had a really hard time with the "romance" part of the story, small as it is, because of him, because I just couldn't understand what was so great about him. Also, what the hell was up with
I'm really disappointed because Naomi Novik's writing is so good and she's a master in world-building. Her second book, Spinning Silver, was one of my favorite books from last year, so I still have high hopes for her and I'll be on the lookout for her next book, I'm just sad that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would've if it weren't for the "romance".
I have a hard time forming an opinion of this book. The story, world-building and magic were all amazing and well done, and there was a diverse cast of characters, each driven by their own cause. In particular I really liked Kasia and Alosha.
But the thing I disliked most about this book was the Dragon, which is unfortunate because he's a big part of the story. To me, he was very plain, uninteresting and boring. There was nothing special about him and I feel like I would've liked this book much better without him in it.
I had a really hard time with the "romance" part of the story, small as it is, because of him, because I just couldn't understand what was so great about him. Also, what the hell was up with
Spoiler
Kasia and Nieszka's relationship? They hold hands in almost every scene they're in together, Nieszka doesn't shut up about how beautiful Kasia is and how much she wants to be her and how much she cares about her, and somehow this just means they're friends? Meanwhile, Nieszka is over here having sex with a centuries-old wizard, who's so bland I'd prefer even Marek over him, and he's seen as the love interest? Nieszka and the Dragon have no chemistry whatsoever and it just confused the hell out of me. Why go for the Dragon when you have Kasia?? From my point of view, Nieszka seemed very in love with Kasia, I didn't understand the "romance" part of this book at all. Also, there's never any acknowledgement of feelings, nor for Kasia nor for the Dragon, so how am I supposed to know what Nieszka's feeling? What she sees in the Dragon? Please explain. Anyway.I'm really disappointed because Naomi Novik's writing is so good and she's a master in world-building. Her second book, Spinning Silver, was one of my favorite books from last year, so I still have high hopes for her and I'll be on the lookout for her next book, I'm just sad that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would've if it weren't for the "romance".
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am half way through the book and I am utterly enchanted. It is one of the fews books where I am torn between devouring it and trying to hold off to prolong the experience. (hence the reason I am here instead of reading it right now. )
In Uprooted, Novik manages to create a world that is both fantastical and real. Unlike many high fantasy stories where the element of magic makes the characters and plot too far removed, this story is very much realistic. The character act in accordance with human nature, no one is unerringly good or utterly evil. They are selfish, vain and capable doing both great good or great evil. This makes the story a bit dark at times, and tinted with a bitter sweetness.
The narrative of the story is focus on Agnieszka. And her utter ignorance of the world and life outside her simple village really grounds the rest of the world. In many sense she is being introduce or more like throw into a whole new world the same as the readers. The narrative is thus very immersive and explanatory.
This books really reminds of me of the first few books of Novik's Temeraire series. It is filled with the same balance of realism and fantasy. And the focus of the story is on the human nature of the characters and their struggles. I stopped reading Temeraire because it got a bit too depressing and felt dragged out by book five, so I hope this doesn't happen with the characters in Uprooted. Although from what I gathered this is meant to be a stand alone story.
In Uprooted, Novik manages to create a world that is both fantastical and real. Unlike many high fantasy stories where the element of magic makes the characters and plot too far removed, this story is very much realistic. The character act in accordance with human nature, no one is unerringly good or utterly evil. They are selfish, vain and capable doing both great good or great evil. This makes the story a bit dark at times, and tinted with a bitter sweetness.
The narrative of the story is focus on Agnieszka. And her utter ignorance of the world and life outside her simple village really grounds the rest of the world. In many sense she is being introduce or more like throw into a whole new world the same as the readers. The narrative is thus very immersive and explanatory.
This books really reminds of me of the first few books of Novik's Temeraire series. It is filled with the same balance of realism and fantasy. And the focus of the story is on the human nature of the characters and their struggles. I stopped reading Temeraire because it got a bit too depressing and felt dragged out by book five, so I hope this doesn't happen with the characters in Uprooted. Although from what I gathered this is meant to be a stand alone story.
Oh, I loved it. I loved it so much. Uprooted is reminiscent of those novels that made me fall in love with reading, think Sevenwaters meets The Enchanted Forest Chronicles. It was filled with strong heroines, laughter, beautiful friendships, a broody love interest, multilayered villains and so much more. Words can barely do it justice. Hands down one of my favorite books of all time.
Full review to come.
Full review to come.
there were some really good n spooky scenes in this but i found myself being totally lost as to what was actually going on so frequently, along with getting bored and skimming because other scenes would be so detailed and just go on, and on, and on. there were several times that i would flip back and forth between being invested and bored in the same chapter
Finishing [b:Uprooted|22544764|Uprooted|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480121122s/22544764.jpg|41876730] was an experience. I had this book in my bookcase for close to 6 months before I picked it up and started to read it. I was in between some series books and needed something that wasn't part of a long string of books, and this fit the bill. From page freaking one I was hooked. Now, I know that is a phrase that gets thrown around pretty often during book reviews, but I genuinely cannot think of a better one to use. [a:Naomi Novik|8730|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1206646770p2/8730.jpg] has written something that will go down as one of my Top 10 Favorite Books of all time. Maybe not a huge milestone for her, but it definitely means something to me.
I keep looking for a word to describe this book and the one that keeps coming back to me in full swing is captivating. The world building was great, even considering how small the kingdom was, and Novik gave just enough information to create this place in my head. The magic system was simplistic and really fun to watch come alive, and the characters were believable and interesting.
Most things that Novik got right are staples of a fantasy novel: great setting, magic system, interesting characters. But what I believe to be her greatest creation was The Wood. Novik's description of The Wood in the novel is something out of a dream/nightmare. It's easy to boil something down to one specific description, but The Wood embodied so many things. It was creepy, yet beautiful. It was vast and open, but also enclosed and a place of entrapment.
I won't post any spoilers because I want people who haven't read this book to see this review, and hopefully, it will give them a reason to pick this book up. It's been a really long time since I read a fantasy novel that whisked me away like [b:Uprooted|22544764|Uprooted|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480121122s/22544764.jpg|41876730] did, and it leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth, as do all books that touch your heart. I will be picking up Novik's first book of a series [b:His Majesty's Dragon|28876|His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376392909s/28876.jpg|726205] just to get back to her writing style. I highly recommend picking this book up and delving into some fantastic literature.
I keep looking for a word to describe this book and the one that keeps coming back to me in full swing is captivating. The world building was great, even considering how small the kingdom was, and Novik gave just enough information to create this place in my head. The magic system was simplistic and really fun to watch come alive, and the characters were believable and interesting.
Most things that Novik got right are staples of a fantasy novel: great setting, magic system, interesting characters. But what I believe to be her greatest creation was The Wood. Novik's description of The Wood in the novel is something out of a dream/nightmare. It's easy to boil something down to one specific description, but The Wood embodied so many things. It was creepy, yet beautiful. It was vast and open, but also enclosed and a place of entrapment.
I won't post any spoilers because I want people who haven't read this book to see this review, and hopefully, it will give them a reason to pick this book up. It's been a really long time since I read a fantasy novel that whisked me away like [b:Uprooted|22544764|Uprooted|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1480121122s/22544764.jpg|41876730] did, and it leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth, as do all books that touch your heart. I will be picking up Novik's first book of a series [b:His Majesty's Dragon|28876|His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire, #1)|Naomi Novik|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1376392909s/28876.jpg|726205] just to get back to her writing style. I highly recommend picking this book up and delving into some fantastic literature.