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A review by laci
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
4.0
It happened to me multiple times in this book: I found myself thinking "well I hope you have a good reason for *this*, because I find it hard to believe". More often than not, after thinking about any of those issues for a while, I'd decided that yes, I guess they make sense, but they still broke my immersion for a while. But I won't really count it against the book, since they _did_ make sense.
The worst offender for me was that when Agnieszka finally did some actual magic, she felt she understand it immediately, and well enough to oppose the Dragon - the mightiest wizard of the realm - in argument.
One of my friends complained in her goodreads review of the book that she didn't like how the heroine was 17 (presumably to target the YA audience), even though the things she did far surpassed more skilled and knowledgeable wizards.
My gut reaction to both of those issues was the same, but after thinking about it a bit, I think they were the good choices for the book. After all, the thing about Agnieszka was that she did magic _differently_, and more intuitively, than the others. Us here, stuck in the real world, also have fifteen-year-olds that grasp math or physics or other difficult sciences on a level that only a handful of tenured professors reach - so why, then, should I not accept this could happen with magic just the same?
Moreover, I'd argue the part of the book in Kralia, the capitol, wouldn't make sense if she _was_ older. She was a village bumpkin, running around embarrassing herself. It's okay, because she lived her entire life in the middle of nowhere, playing in the woods, and never really had to mind her manners or deal with someone who _isn't_ a village bumpkin. Her rash actions and headstrong attitudes would be much less believable in someone older. Partly because that's the kind of thing that usually gets better with age, partly because the Dragon would have taught her all of that.
Other things I liked were how the Wood itself was used as the main antagonist. The Slavic bent of the story was pleasant as well. And I really liked the relationships of the Dragon with all of the girls in general, and between him and Agnieszka in particular. This is one of those books where the romance didn't seem like it was just slapped on to tick off a checkbox. It was handled well and made sense for the characters.
I also liked the Dragon's personality, who came off as a good-hearted grump. That's not an easy feat for an author to pull off believably, because more often than not we get a character that's an ass to everyone around, but we are told he Really is Good Inside. This is not the case. The Dragon is good-natured and actually quite nice, but the combination of low bullshit tolerance and a hundred years spent more or less in solitude made him a bit acerbic. He's curt, fiercely practical, but never refuses a plea for help or fails to show kindness.
The worst offender for me was that when Agnieszka finally did some actual magic, she felt she understand it immediately, and well enough to oppose the Dragon - the mightiest wizard of the realm - in argument.
One of my friends complained in her goodreads review of the book that she didn't like how the heroine was 17 (presumably to target the YA audience), even though the things she did far surpassed more skilled and knowledgeable wizards.
My gut reaction to both of those issues was the same, but after thinking about it a bit, I think they were the good choices for the book. After all, the thing about Agnieszka was that she did magic _differently_, and more intuitively, than the others. Us here, stuck in the real world, also have fifteen-year-olds that grasp math or physics or other difficult sciences on a level that only a handful of tenured professors reach - so why, then, should I not accept this could happen with magic just the same?
Moreover, I'd argue the part of the book in Kralia, the capitol, wouldn't make sense if she _was_ older. She was a village bumpkin, running around embarrassing herself. It's okay, because she lived her entire life in the middle of nowhere, playing in the woods, and never really had to mind her manners or deal with someone who _isn't_ a village bumpkin. Her rash actions and headstrong attitudes would be much less believable in someone older. Partly because that's the kind of thing that usually gets better with age, partly because the Dragon would have taught her all of that.
Other things I liked were how the Wood itself was used as the main antagonist. The Slavic bent of the story was pleasant as well. And I really liked the relationships of the Dragon with all of the girls in general, and between him and Agnieszka in particular. This is one of those books where the romance didn't seem like it was just slapped on to tick off a checkbox. It was handled well and made sense for the characters.
I also liked the Dragon's personality, who came off as a good-hearted grump. That's not an easy feat for an author to pull off believably, because more often than not we get a character that's an ass to everyone around, but we are told he Really is Good Inside. This is not the case. The Dragon is good-natured and actually quite nice, but the combination of low bullshit tolerance and a hundred years spent more or less in solitude made him a bit acerbic. He's curt, fiercely practical, but never refuses a plea for help or fails to show kindness.