bookdragonism 's review for:

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

5.0

---

im certainly late to the party but im glad all the same that i finally picked up this book. Novik is a great storyteller who knows how to conjure magic with words. I loved the fact that this book has so many layers to it, despite being a standalone. So many things happened in less than 500 pages and I'm even more amazed that nothing in the story felt rushed. Everything fell into place at a sensible pace. I also liked how fleshed out the characters are—all of them seemingly realistic in a fantasy world. This book definitely reminded me of Howl's Moving Castle (the movie). Maybe it's because I've been watching Ghibli movies lately but also because Novik weaves important underlying messages in her book (like human greed) as well as Miyazaki does. The Dragon also reminds me of Howl minus his warmth and charisma. Nieshka reminds me of Sophie with her resilience and bravery.

I'm not surprised why a lot of bookdragons claim Uprooted as their favorite. It's definitely one of the best standalones I've ever read and it's something that will stay with me for a long time.