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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I reallllly wanted to like this book, after a recommend by Neil Gaiman, but I never could get into it. Made it to chapter 13; 170 pages in (almost halfway) and realized I'd rather give up and move on to something else I enjoyed more, rather than forcing myself to finish. Back to the library it goes. :)
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So many emotions about this book and I cant seem to really express them. This book took me by surprise and I almost was prepared to not like it since it seems to be kind of polarizing read come some folks. I can understand why this may not be everyone's cup of tea because there are a lot cof confusing elements and even I was lost a lot of the time. However, usually that annoys me with stories but this somehow worked for me. The writing was fantastic, and Agniezka was by far the best part. Honestly, this book kept me engaged even during parts where I thought I wouldn't be. I also think this book had one of the most beautiful displays of friendship I've ever read in a book. Oasis and Agniezka's friendship was so heartwarming and it was probably my favorite aspect of the book. The slight romance element between Nieshka and Saroyan was done in a different yet entertaining way. I like how they developed and it just kind of happened to other of them without expecting it. And the ending is so simple yet so sweet and full of hope. I'm very pleased with this and I'm so happy I gave it a chance.
I still don't know if I want to give three or four stars but will decide to go with three as there have been to many moments in the book where I was even angrier than the Dragon ever could be...
I loved the plot, the worldbuilding, the magic and the writing.
But, the main characters: what the actual f***? The ending? Come on...
I should come back to this later, to add more, I am to angry now....
3,5?
The storytelling is very good and the reader does an awesome job. The plot is a nice mix of a fairytale mood and tons of references and some typical fantasy bait and switch revelations. The villain is great and the end of the story in that sense is perfectly satisfying. The book suffers from two serious problems for me, one is the fact that the main character's magic uniqueness and limitations of lack thereof never gets well developed or explained in any satisfactory way; the other is the romance that feels ridiculous given the man's insistence on being an abusive beast. Moreover, the story would have worked even better without the romance and with a good friendship emerging and some humility poured into the dude.
Anyway, worth the listen and I may eventually read something of Naomi Novik's again, if I'm told the book doesn't fall on this sick love tale again.
The storytelling is very good and the reader does an awesome job. The plot is a nice mix of a fairytale mood and tons of references and some typical fantasy bait and switch revelations. The villain is great and the end of the story in that sense is perfectly satisfying. The book suffers from two serious problems for me, one is the fact that the main character's magic uniqueness and limitations of lack thereof never gets well developed or explained in any satisfactory way; the other is the romance that feels ridiculous given the man's insistence on being an abusive beast. Moreover, the story would have worked even better without the romance and with a good friendship emerging and some humility poured into the dude.
Anyway, worth the listen and I may eventually read something of Naomi Novik's again, if I'm told the book doesn't fall on this sick love tale again.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Als er géén romance was geweest, had dit boek 5 sterren kunnen zijn.
Unputdownable.
Read as due diligence for 2015 Hugo voting. I didn't read it during the nomination phase because it was clear to me that it was a fantasy book, and I'm a snob about only nominating sci-fi for Hugos. But on the strength of so many good reviews I knew I would read it soon either way.
Expanding further... likeable main character, interesting world (Poland and Russia in the Baba Yaga days), and a fun magic system. I liked that each magician had their own style of magic, and they might accomplish the same objectives in different ways. The plot moved along quickly. The main character was funny in her stubborn bull-headed way. And the Wood was a fascinating setting.
The only complaint I had was that the concept of being "Uprooted" didn't have a stronger presence in the story. It was mentioned once or twice toward the ending with reference to the girls who lived in the valley, but it wasn't a strong plot or even theme driver. Which was disappointing to me since it's the title of the book. Also: Book club discussion centered around the question "Why does the Dragon only take girls?" for a while, and none of us could come up with a valid answer.
Read as due diligence for 2015 Hugo voting. I didn't read it during the nomination phase because it was clear to me that it was a fantasy book, and I'm a snob about only nominating sci-fi for Hugos. But on the strength of so many good reviews I knew I would read it soon either way.
Expanding further... likeable main character, interesting world (Poland and Russia in the Baba Yaga days), and a fun magic system. I liked that each magician had their own style of magic, and they might accomplish the same objectives in different ways. The plot moved along quickly. The main character was funny in her stubborn bull-headed way. And the Wood was a fascinating setting.
The only complaint I had was that the concept of being "Uprooted" didn't have a stronger presence in the story. It was mentioned once or twice toward the ending with reference to the girls who lived in the valley, but it wasn't a strong plot or even theme driver. Which was disappointing to me since it's the title of the book. Also: Book club discussion centered around the question "Why does the Dragon only take girls?" for a while, and none of us could come up with a valid answer.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated