A review by jesshindes
Uprooted by Naomi Novik

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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