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francesco_lanza 's review for:
Uprooted
by Naomi Novik
This is a very good book, it feels like a familiar tale, even if it isn't, deeply steeped in Slavic tradition as it is, but spun completely from the mind of its author, who got her inspiration from a series of fables.
This won't be a review, but more a list of impressions. There are reviews enough of Uprooted floating around.
Why should you read it?
Well, the premise is compelling, the characters interesting. I feel we don't know them enough, and I would have liked to pass a little more time with them, given che choice. The first person POV and the style of the tale denies us any kind of insight on anybody who isn't the protagonist (which is a point sometimes circumvented by magic), and the MC makes for a believable 17 year old. It has gripping pace for most of it, a nice slow-burn start - which is not overlong - and the right kind of conflict to let you wonder about the nature of the plot.
Main gripes people had with this book are about how old-fashioned it is, or isn't. Is the MC mary-sueish? Well, I think this is complicated. She is, but so would be every other "peer" of her. Is the Dragon a jerk? Yes, he is. I suppose you can have characters who aren't really perfect people, right? Is this book sexist? ...have you read any kind of fable that is NOT? But this sexism is subtly and repeatedly addressed (note: not magically resolved) by the author in non-invasive ways. It is a book chock-full of interesting female characters who pass any kind of Bechdel test you could throw at them, and whoever deny that is a bit silly.
Yes, Uprooted has some less bright moments. The book slumps around the middle, and picks up speed again in the last 100 or 80 pages or so. The secondary characters tend to vanish in the sidelines when not directly useful. Poor Kasia, in particular, which starts off as a wonderful ally, seems to be used more like a plot-resolving crowbar than a character for most of the book, once she and the MC resolve their big "together" issue.
All this is only relevant to be a laser-focused critic. Uprooted is written in such a bright, captivating way I can forgive every problem. It hooks you, if you like modern retelling of a fable as a genre, or if you like fantasy as a genre. This is not a book about magical system, or very special kinds of problems, or Naruto-esque powers, it's about understanding fairy tales and seeing humanity hidden behind the fancy colors and illustrations and "happy ever afters".
This won't be a review, but more a list of impressions. There are reviews enough of Uprooted floating around.
Why should you read it?
Well, the premise is compelling, the characters interesting. I feel we don't know them enough, and I would have liked to pass a little more time with them, given che choice. The first person POV and the style of the tale denies us any kind of insight on anybody who isn't the protagonist (which is a point sometimes circumvented by magic), and the MC makes for a believable 17 year old. It has gripping pace for most of it, a nice slow-burn start - which is not overlong - and the right kind of conflict to let you wonder about the nature of the plot.
Main gripes people had with this book are about how old-fashioned it is, or isn't. Is the MC mary-sueish? Well, I think this is complicated. She is, but so would be every other "peer" of her. Is the Dragon a jerk? Yes, he is. I suppose you can have characters who aren't really perfect people, right? Is this book sexist? ...have you read any kind of fable that is NOT? But this sexism is subtly and repeatedly addressed (note: not magically resolved) by the author in non-invasive ways. It is a book chock-full of interesting female characters who pass any kind of Bechdel test you could throw at them, and whoever deny that is a bit silly.
Yes, Uprooted has some less bright moments. The book slumps around the middle, and picks up speed again in the last 100 or 80 pages or so. The secondary characters tend to vanish in the sidelines when not directly useful. Poor Kasia, in particular, which starts off as a wonderful ally, seems to be used more like a plot-resolving crowbar than a character for most of the book, once she and the MC resolve their big "together" issue.
All this is only relevant to be a laser-focused critic. Uprooted is written in such a bright, captivating way I can forgive every problem. It hooks you, if you like modern retelling of a fable as a genre, or if you like fantasy as a genre. This is not a book about magical system, or very special kinds of problems, or Naruto-esque powers, it's about understanding fairy tales and seeing humanity hidden behind the fancy colors and illustrations and "happy ever afters".