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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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:
No
adventurous
dark
funny
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:
No
I didn't give this book five stars because it took me a really long time to get into the book. I thought the pacing was a little slow, but the second half of the book was very enthralling. I loved the descriptions and the writing.
It was good... but I felt like I went from being really interested to having to force myself to push through. The most Fantasy book I have read. I don’t read a ton of Fantasy, and I felt like this one was a little much for me. But I still enjoyed the escape the book brought. And the fun twist at the end.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lots to like about this standalone fantasy: lush, descriptive writing; Eastern European folklore; an independent heroine.
However, the plot failed to keep my interest and I put this book down constantly over months. I may also be at an age when romances featuring a teenage girl and a crotchety older man are no longer appealing to me.
Worth a read as a nice break from popular/mainstream fantasy.
However, the plot failed to keep my interest and I put this book down constantly over months. I may also be at an age when romances featuring a teenage girl and a crotchety older man are no longer appealing to me.
Worth a read as a nice break from popular/mainstream fantasy.
Novik escribe fácil y bien, algo que probablemente sea lo más difícil de hacer para un escritor. “Un cuento oscuro” no miente sino que es fiel a su título, pues eso es exactamente lo que vamos a encontrar entre sus páginas. Leer “Un cuento oscuro” es como volver a un viejo amigo, volver a acurrucarse junto al fuego una noche de invierno mientras tu abuela teje a tu lado, pero siendo ya adulto. Un cuento clásico que ha crecido para transformarse en una estupenda novela.
Novik nos habla de hechizos, de brujas, de dragones y de árboles malignos, pero lo hace con una facilidad tal que nada nos resulta ajeno ni extraño: parece que hubiéramos convivido con ellos toda la vida.
Si no le doy cinco estrellas es porque al final hay un momento de la narración que es un poco confuso y pierde un poco del brillo plateado y oscuro del resto de la novela. Pero me ha encantado y lo volvería a leer. De hecho, ahora necesito leerme el resto de la obra de Novik.
Sobre las críticas a la toxicidad del Dragón, es cierto que en un primer momento puede parecerlo, por lo menos hasta que conocemos al resto de la comunidad mágica y la naturaleza del vínculo de las personas con el valle. Además, es necesario, casi imprescindible diría yo un “villano” de este tipo, pues así es como comienzan muchos cuentos clásicos, premisa de la que nace “Un cuento oscuro”. Es necesario un ogro.
Y decir que la prota es una Mary Sue me parece una forma rápida y cutre de despachar un personaje que no te gusta o no te convence. Además de un poco misógino. ¿Cuántos protas tíos nos hemos comido con papas que realmente son una proyección de las fantasías del autor? Y nos han encantado porque carisma, porque encanto, porque blablabla. Si no te gusta un personaje, vale. Me parece bien. No tiene porqué gustarte, ni siquiera tiene que haber un argumento al respecto: es cuestión de afinidad. Y si vas a argumentar algo, cúrratelo.
Novik nos habla de hechizos, de brujas, de dragones y de árboles malignos, pero lo hace con una facilidad tal que nada nos resulta ajeno ni extraño: parece que hubiéramos convivido con ellos toda la vida.
Si no le doy cinco estrellas es porque al final hay un momento de la narración que es un poco confuso y pierde un poco del brillo plateado y oscuro del resto de la novela. Pero me ha encantado y lo volvería a leer. De hecho, ahora necesito leerme el resto de la obra de Novik.
Sobre las críticas a la toxicidad del Dragón, es cierto que en un primer momento puede parecerlo, por lo menos hasta que conocemos al resto de la comunidad mágica y la naturaleza del vínculo de las personas con el valle. Además, es necesario, casi imprescindible diría yo un “villano” de este tipo, pues así es como comienzan muchos cuentos clásicos, premisa de la que nace “Un cuento oscuro”. Es necesario un ogro.
Y decir que la prota es una Mary Sue me parece una forma rápida y cutre de despachar un personaje que no te gusta o no te convence. Además de un poco misógino. ¿Cuántos protas tíos nos hemos comido con papas que realmente son una proyección de las fantasías del autor? Y nos han encantado porque carisma, porque encanto, porque blablabla. Si no te gusta un personaje, vale. Me parece bien. No tiene porqué gustarte, ni siquiera tiene que haber un argumento al respecto: es cuestión de afinidad. Y si vas a argumentar algo, cúrratelo.
I really like Novak's Temeraire series and I did enjoy this book. However, some parts I felt like I wanted to just fast forward through. It's an entertaining read, but not one of her best.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Yes
Uprooted is a fantasy novel about one young woman's struggle to remain true to herself after being taken away from the home she loves. Thrust into the midst of power struggles older and more devious than she could have imagined, Agnieska must learn to embrace the strength within herself to free her home before it is too late.
Agnieska has lived her whole life in the Valley, bordered in the south by the corrupting Wood and lorded over by a wizard, called the Dragon, in his tower. Every ten years he chooses a new servant from amongst the young women of the valley. Agnieska never thought she'd be chosen, but when the Dragon discovers her hidden talents as a witch, she is taken to be not only his servant, but also his pupil.
Thus begins a journey that takes us from the Dragon's tower, to the depths of the Wood, all the way to the Kingdom's capitol, and back again. The story remains engaging throughout, each new setting marking a new challenge for Agnieska, testing her skills and her relationships at every turn. In fact, one major theme of the story is connection - what it means to be a part of the world. Agnieska is a child of the Valley, deeply rooted in her home town, her family, her best friend Kasia, and the land itself. The Dragon is a man of isolation, deliberately removing himself from both the court he serves and the valley he protects. Being chosen by the Dragon means being pulled into that isolation - yet it is Agnieska's connection to her loved ones, in spite of the Dragon, that drive her to action again and again, for good and ill.
One of the things the author does so well is acknowledging the sometimes messy realities that are part of any relationship. The fear, jealousy, even hatred that can hide in even the most ardent of love are revealed during the course of the story, and it is only through accepting these uglier parts that the strength of the whole is affirmed. For this reason, Kasia, and her friendship with Agnieska, is one of the highlights of the story. She is, by Agnieska's own description, much more fitting as the stereotypical heroine of a story than Agnieska. She is graceful where Agnieska is clumsy, brave where Agnieska cowers. A wealth of secret resentment lies between the two - yet they stand together through horror after horror.
The novel Uprooted is a tale about connections, about the importance of building relationships with the people around you, and of being part of the world. It questions the imperative of punitive justice and asks what old wounds might be healed if we could see each other fully, and learn to accept with compassion the best and worst that we all hold. With prose that is at times understated and at others lyrical, rich in metaphor and yet solidly planted in fully realized characters, Novik weaves a coming-of-age story that is whimsical, engaging, and not to be missed.
Agnieska has lived her whole life in the Valley, bordered in the south by the corrupting Wood and lorded over by a wizard, called the Dragon, in his tower. Every ten years he chooses a new servant from amongst the young women of the valley. Agnieska never thought she'd be chosen, but when the Dragon discovers her hidden talents as a witch, she is taken to be not only his servant, but also his pupil.
Thus begins a journey that takes us from the Dragon's tower, to the depths of the Wood, all the way to the Kingdom's capitol, and back again. The story remains engaging throughout, each new setting marking a new challenge for Agnieska, testing her skills and her relationships at every turn. In fact, one major theme of the story is connection - what it means to be a part of the world. Agnieska is a child of the Valley, deeply rooted in her home town, her family, her best friend Kasia, and the land itself. The Dragon is a man of isolation, deliberately removing himself from both the court he serves and the valley he protects. Being chosen by the Dragon means being pulled into that isolation - yet it is Agnieska's connection to her loved ones, in spite of the Dragon, that drive her to action again and again, for good and ill.
One of the things the author does so well is acknowledging the sometimes messy realities that are part of any relationship. The fear, jealousy, even hatred that can hide in even the most ardent of love are revealed during the course of the story, and it is only through accepting these uglier parts that the strength of the whole is affirmed. For this reason, Kasia, and her friendship with Agnieska, is one of the highlights of the story. She is, by Agnieska's own description, much more fitting as the stereotypical heroine of a story than Agnieska. She is graceful where Agnieska is clumsy, brave where Agnieska cowers. A wealth of secret resentment lies between the two - yet they stand together through horror after horror.
The novel Uprooted is a tale about connections, about the importance of building relationships with the people around you, and of being part of the world. It questions the imperative of punitive justice and asks what old wounds might be healed if we could see each other fully, and learn to accept with compassion the best and worst that we all hold. With prose that is at times understated and at others lyrical, rich in metaphor and yet solidly planted in fully realized characters, Novik weaves a coming-of-age story that is whimsical, engaging, and not to be missed.
Content Warnings
The protagonist suffers an attempted rape.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This took forever to get going. I try not to DNF so I trudged through and around halfway through the book it started to actually move along. The writing is good and I like the author, there was just a lot more setup than there needed to be.
It’s not a super romance book if you are looking for that kind of fairy tale. But there’s monsters and princes and maidens. A tiny bit of romance, like a few pages worth, most of it is focused on the growth of the main character
It’s not a super romance book if you are looking for that kind of fairy tale. But there’s monsters and princes and maidens. A tiny bit of romance, like a few pages worth, most of it is focused on the growth of the main character
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes