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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
I have a lot of thoughts about this book. For what the overall concept is it deserves a 5, and the overview of the entire plot and timeline and even the ending are all so good, but the execution, plot holes, and rushed descriptive scenes followed by drawn out scenes of nothing intermixed with the awkward sexual tension scenes between of a multi century old dude and a 17 year old is what got me. It was like not enough while being too much and sometimes I found myself so bored that I was skimming, other times I was so hooked I was cursing having to put the book down, and even more times I was super duper confused and just trying to figure out what tf was truly going on!
This was chaotic and inconsistent and hard to follow so I had to keep detaching from the story and skimming rather than reading through certain scenes to be able to understand somewhat what was going on because if I read straight through, I was doing all that I could to hold on to my sanity while flipping between pages and trying to get a handle on who was who and who was doing what and where we were and what was magic vs reality and so on. It was a lot.
On the contrary some scenes were so beautiful and well written and easy to follow and I was easily able to put myself into the story much more clearly, which was such a huge disappointment since it felt more like a chaotic mess that was impossible to understand than a beautiful imaginative story that I could immerse myself in.
Also…. I had an issue with how young, dumb, and naive the main character was so often described as to the point that I actually thought she was a young young YOUNG child for the greater part of the book until a friend pointed out that I missed something and that she was actually 17 lol. I didn’t feel like the writer built her character well. She went from being one of the dumbest and most unaware characters I’ve ever read about to being so efficient and powerful with her magic… sometimes more power than the dragon even!!! So I get she is a special type of witch and works more intuitively but Naomi never built her in a way that made the character feel believable or trust worthy when she started using and searching for spells and rituals that were never mentioned or elaborated on or was compared to Jaga, who also felt like an underdeveloped character. Like you can’t be both super naive and innocent and appear to be utterly vulnerable and at everyone’s mercy but also be fierce and a bad bitch and a seasoned witch who schools their own 150+ yr old mentor while doing everything naturally and organically as if you’ve done it forever. I feel like the author tried to create the kind of growth jump needed to carry this kind of story but never developed the character arch needed for a character to fully grow like she did so that it felt natural and acceptable for us.
Honestly, I think I’m mad at this book and that’s why I’m still writing about it. It had such a great story idea and overall was super amazing! The focus just got muddled on the wrong things and characters felt more like an after thought that needed to be rushed in development in order to move the story but the story never moved in a smooth, climactic manner that made us feel the expected tension but also care about the characters and storyline/plot.
I had higher hopes and am disappointed but it was a good read and I’m looking forward to reading more by Naomi Novak. I guess this is worth the read but don’t get overly excited and expect super elaborately descriptive writing that successfully immerses you into a well developed story involving fantasy, self awareness and personal growth.
Ugh. Why can’t it all be as good as the front cover art work and back description leads it to be (sad face)
This was chaotic and inconsistent and hard to follow so I had to keep detaching from the story and skimming rather than reading through certain scenes to be able to understand somewhat what was going on because if I read straight through, I was doing all that I could to hold on to my sanity while flipping between pages and trying to get a handle on who was who and who was doing what and where we were and what was magic vs reality and so on. It was a lot.
On the contrary some scenes were so beautiful and well written and easy to follow and I was easily able to put myself into the story much more clearly, which was such a huge disappointment since it felt more like a chaotic mess that was impossible to understand than a beautiful imaginative story that I could immerse myself in.
Also…. I had an issue with how young, dumb, and naive the main character was so often described as to the point that I actually thought she was a young young YOUNG child for the greater part of the book until a friend pointed out that I missed something and that she was actually 17 lol. I didn’t feel like the writer built her character well. She went from being one of the dumbest and most unaware characters I’ve ever read about to being so efficient and powerful with her magic… sometimes more power than the dragon even!!! So I get she is a special type of witch and works more intuitively but Naomi never built her in a way that made the character feel believable or trust worthy when she started using and searching for spells and rituals that were never mentioned or elaborated on or was compared to Jaga, who also felt like an underdeveloped character. Like you can’t be both super naive and innocent and appear to be utterly vulnerable and at everyone’s mercy but also be fierce and a bad bitch and a seasoned witch who schools their own 150+ yr old mentor while doing everything naturally and organically as if you’ve done it forever. I feel like the author tried to create the kind of growth jump needed to carry this kind of story but never developed the character arch needed for a character to fully grow like she did so that it felt natural and acceptable for us.
Honestly, I think I’m mad at this book and that’s why I’m still writing about it. It had such a great story idea and overall was super amazing! The focus just got muddled on the wrong things and characters felt more like an after thought that needed to be rushed in development in order to move the story but the story never moved in a smooth, climactic manner that made us feel the expected tension but also care about the characters and storyline/plot.
I had higher hopes and am disappointed but it was a good read and I’m looking forward to reading more by Naomi Novak. I guess this is worth the read but don’t get overly excited and expect super elaborately descriptive writing that successfully immerses you into a well developed story involving fantasy, self awareness and personal growth.
Ugh. Why can’t it all be as good as the front cover art work and back description leads it to be (sad face)
4.5 stars
Fascinating story, with intriguing magic. Give it a few chapters, and it will show you it's not your ordinary fantasy.
Fascinating story, with intriguing magic. Give it a few chapters, and it will show you it's not your ordinary fantasy.
Loved it and it made my top ten list of recent books I read. Great story, great heroine. Fun, funny, exciting, and sad. A fairy tale told well and relatable. Highly enjoyable. Can't wait to read Spinning Silver.
I loved this Polish fairy tale retelling even more the second time around! Rereading for the win. :)
At the heart of Uprooted is an evil, haunted Wood full of darkness, corruption, and monstrous beasts that steal out of the trees and snatch up villagers. (Who or what haunts the Wood? You'll find out at the very end and it's definitely worth the wait!) While the Wood plagues and sickens the rural valley, the capital city must wrestle with power grabs, royal assassinations, and a burgeoning war with a neighboring entity. Mix in one Dragon, one peasant girl, one warrior prince, a lost queen, and another girl stolen back from the Wood. Add a sprinkling of a love story, infuse it all with Novik's spellbinding prose, and you have an enchanting fairy-tale adventure crackling with magic.
5 stars, of course. Any book that can entice me to read it twice deserves it.
Stray thoughts: I had an issue with Emma and Mr. Knightley's big age gap romance yet in Uprooted the Dragon and Agnieszka are over 130+ years apart in age and I still wanted them to be together! Maybe because theirs is a fantasy setting with semi-immortal witches and wizards and not "real life?" Or maybe I don't actually have a problem with big age gaps and just didn't like Emma and Mr. Knightley together?? I need to think about this!
At the heart of Uprooted is an evil, haunted Wood full of darkness, corruption, and monstrous beasts that steal out of the trees and snatch up villagers. (Who or what haunts the Wood? You'll find out at the very end and it's definitely worth the wait!) While the Wood plagues and sickens the rural valley, the capital city must wrestle with power grabs, royal assassinations, and a burgeoning war with a neighboring entity. Mix in one Dragon, one peasant girl, one warrior prince, a lost queen, and another girl stolen back from the Wood. Add a sprinkling of a love story, infuse it all with Novik's spellbinding prose, and you have an enchanting fairy-tale adventure crackling with magic.
5 stars, of course. Any book that can entice me to read it twice deserves it.
Stray thoughts: I had an issue with Emma and Mr. Knightley's big age gap romance yet in Uprooted the Dragon and Agnieszka are over 130+ years apart in age and I still wanted them to be together! Maybe because theirs is a fantasy setting with semi-immortal witches and wizards and not "real life?" Or maybe I don't actually have a problem with big age gaps and just didn't like Emma and Mr. Knightley together?? I need to think about this!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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
Like an untold grimm tale, wild, gripping, vividly dark.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
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:
Complicated