Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

134 reviews

fraise's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, War, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Minor: Miscarriage and Vomit

protagonist has a sexual relationship with her much older mentor (technically they're both immortal, but she's only lived a normal lifespan for a young woman)

waterwolves's review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder and Gore

Minor: Violence and Kidnapping

esme_may's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

I adored this! It's written absolutely beautifully with gorgeous imagery, and the ending is maybe my favourite I've read this year. I'd read more by Naomi Novik in a heartbeat

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and War

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Medical content, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Genocide, Grief, Alcohol, Racism, Torture, Xenophobia, and Vomit

readingelli's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Sexual content and War

orchidlilly's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Overall, subpar. The magic and world building are far more interesting than any of the characters could ever dream of being, which is a shame because we don't get to see much of it. The premise was interesting, the plot was an actual plot, but it could have been fleshed out so much better if it only had a bit more time. The ending was a semi-refreshing subversion of the expected romance ending, but it felt a bit rushed. The romance part itself was, in my opinion, wholly unnecessary and a bit unpleasant. The main romantic interest is an immortal while our mc is... 17-ish. Not to mention the attempted rape scene.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Bullying, Fatphobia, Gore, and War

Moderate: Mental illness, Death, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Animal death, and Confinement

eharms3's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

I liked it, overall, as a fan of fairy tales and fantasy. Novik can write a page turner, and is expansive in the way she communicates the logic of the magic in her books, without being prescriptive. Selfish wish:

I wish the relationship between Agniezka and Kasia were the romantic one, rather than between Agniezka and Sarkan. It felt almost forced, with the age difference, and Sarkan’s dismissive and even cruel attitude toward Agnieszka for 95% of the story. Until he realized she had true magical power, that rivaled his own. Eye roll.  And… it was clear from beginning to end how much Agniezka and Kasia cared for one another! Maybe Novik or the editor thought the intended audience wasn’t ready for the obvious queer power couple of witch and warrior (but I definitely am always ready for the representation). 

 
I read a review on GoodReads that was highly critical of the tale in that it wasn’t necessarily rooted in actual Polish fairy tales, though, as a Polish-American who grew up with very little regional folklore (outside of the traditions of the Catholic Church), I appreciated the setting and nod to names of real places in Poland. As a result of reading this, my plan is to dig deeper into actual fairy tales and folklore, starting with The Glass Mountain (recommended by the above mentioned GoodReads reviewer). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Moderate: Sexual assault

rae_diant's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.75

Overall very fun. Don't expect well rounded characters or character development. Classic fairytale vibe. Was very frustrated with our main character it often felt like she was a Mary Sue but for the most part it worked. The plot was very strong and the ending was super inviting. Highly recommend as a fun read. I really think I'll enjoy it even more on a second read now that I know what to expect. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Confinement and Death

Minor: Sexual harassment and Emotional abuse

katiekeske's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I enjoyed Spinning Silver more than this one, but it was still well written. I just didn't like the characters or story as much. I think it was longer than it needed to be. I wish the characters would talk and communicate things more, too!

I'm glad that I read Spinning Silver first because I may never have read it if I had read this as my first Naomi Novik novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Vomit, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual content

The prince attempts to rape the MC. She beats the shit out of him thankfully, but it was a stressful scene.

thalia_r's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

3.5

I really liked the use of the Woods as this looming figure and character - it felt very 'classic old fairytale' which I enjoyed. I like Agnieszka and Kasia's friendship a lot, both were solid characters. I liked the romance in this less, mainly because it felt a little out of nowhere and I wasn't convinced of it. It could have been removed entirely and barely changed the story. I prefer their relationship as begrudging and eventually caring mentor/mentee. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual assault

jesshindes's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

I know Naomi Novik better as astolat, one of the founders of the Organization for Transformative Works and its offshoot Archive of Our Own (for whom I volunteer!). She writes tip-top fanfic (I've enjoyed her SPN and Game of Thrones works) and so I was pretty sure I'd enjoy Uprooted, which I did. It's full fairytale fantasy, set in a world where a wizard watches over a valley of villages and a cursed, magical forest threatens the lives of its neighbours. Novik's protagonist, Agnieszka, is also the novel's first-person narrator and I found her likable and interesting from the get-go, which is very important when she's your contant companion. I enjoyed her developing relationship with the sorcerer who takes her in, appreciated the fact that her relationship with best friend Kasia is treated with the same narrative weight as the romance, and found that the book in general kept up an entertainingly rollicking pitch throughout. Magic in this novel is scary, dangerous, but full of promise as well. If you like fantasy and fairytales, I recommend Uprooted. Novik knows what she's doing and it's fun from start to finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, War, and Animal death

Moderate: Mental illness and Violence