Uprooted

by Naomi Novik

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
Her people rely on the cold, ambitious wizard, known only as the Dragon, to keep the wood's powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman must be handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as being lost to the wood.
The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows - everyone knows - that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia - all the things Agnieszka isn't - and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
But no one can predict how or why the Dragon chooses a girl. And when he comes, it is not Kasia he will take with him.
From the author of the Temeraire series comes this hugely imaginative, engrossing and vivid fantasy novel, inspired by folk and fairy tales. It is perfect reading for fans of Robin Hobb and Trudi Canavan.

• ISBN10: 0804179034
• ISBN13: 9780804179034
• Publish Date: 19 May 2015 (first published 1 January 2015)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

reviews.metaphorosis.com

3.5 stars

Every ten years, a sorceror named the Dragon takes a girl from the neighbouring villages as a servant. This time, everyone knows it will be Kasia - beautiful, graceful, talented Kasia. He takes her best friend Agnieszka instead - clumsy, unattractive Agnieszka. Bewildered, Agnieszka struggles to meet the Dragon's needs - mostly failing, until one day he's gone, and she has to step into his shoes.

There's a lot of evidence around these days that traditional publishers are slowly slipping under. But they do sometimes fill their traditional role as gatekeepers - now filters - separating good fiction from bad. I'm happy to say that's the case with Del Rey (one of my once favorite, now diminished publishers) and Uprooted.

I'd never heard of Naomi Novik before seeing this book on NetGalley, but the cover and description caught my interest. That lack of awareness led me a little astray. In the first few pages of Uprooted, I was sure I was in the hands of young but growing talent - a writer who was still fledging, but destined for good things. Rather to my surprise, it turns out Novik has quite a few books under her belt. That accounts for the skill she shows, but throws a harsher light on some of the book's shortcomings.

Novik seems to specialize in fantastic alternate history, and that's what she offers here. She draws on Slavic languages, which I found a pleasant change from the norm. However, it soon became evident that the setting was not just vaguely Polish, but an actual alternate Europe, complete with Baba Yaga references. Because the parallels don't really add much to the story, I found them rather disappointing - suggesting a lack of effort, perhaps. It's also disappointing that while Uprooted has a strong female lead, she lives in a somewhat traditional world - men fight silently, women dress up, though both do lead.

The broad outlines of the story are equally familiar - a teen romance of awkward but plucky young girl, handsome but distant sorceror, and circumstances that force them to become close. What makes Uprooted stand out is Novik's facility with language and character. No verbal pyrotechnics here, just a fine balance of imagery, action, and dialogue. At the same time, Novik stumbles over some genre norms that I would have expected a practiced writer to catch.

The characters, for all their stock-romance nature, feel real and sympathetic. While much of the action is predictable, we care about Agnieszka and Kasia, though the Dragon remains underdeveloped. To her credit, Novik veers clear of the Hollywood ending, and the character element remains strong throughout.

All in all, Novik has made a nice, surprisingly effective novel out of off the shelf ingredients. When I thought she was a new talent, I meant to watch for her books and hope that she reached for a little more originality in future. As it is, I assume she's reached her stride. I'll certainly be interested to consider her new books, but hope they'll dive a little deeper into worldbuilding. In any case, I recommend this book. Pluck Uprooted off the nearest shelf and enjoy it.

NB: Received free copy from Net Galley. 

[jnikkir]

Brandon Sanderson recommended this at his signing tonight. That's all I need to know. (I mean, other than the fact that it sounds right up my alley anyway. NEED.)

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This review can also be found at my blog, There were books involved...

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I've been incredibly delinquent in writing this review, because this is one of those books that I just want to shove into people's hands and say, "Just read it, you'll thank me later." What else is there to say, other than that?! Nothing, that's what.

But I really need to try, becuase if you're not convinced you need it yet, then I'm not doing my job right. So, here goes.

First and foremost: Reading Uprooted was an awesome experience, for me. I love re-reading books, and I often fantasize about being able to read an amazing book again for the first time -- obviously, that's impossible... but I think Uprooted is the closest I've ever come to what that would feel like. Reading this book felt like re-reading an old favorite, but getting to do so for the first time again. I felt such an intense familiarity with the tone, with the story, with the world and the characters -- it reminded me of my favorite fantasy books, in the best way. But it never felt overly derivative -- there were so many new twists and unique characters and such a sense of newness to the book, coupled with that old familiarity... It was just amazing.

Uprooted is told from the main character Agnieszka's perspective. Agnieszka has grown up in a small town close to the Wood -- a malevolent, dark place (and a character in and of itself) whose influence over the lands on its borders is only held back by the "Dragon," a wizard who lives in a tower on the Wood's edge. (Yes, I'm sorry, but the Dragon in this book is not a real dragon. There are no dragons.) Every ten years, the Dragon chooses a girl from Agnieszka's village to serve as his servant, and this year, as the book begins, Agnieszka (along with her best friend, Kasia) is among the girls eligible to be chosen. But Agnieszka knows she won't be. She's clumsy and unskilled and not particularly beautiful -- the Dragon has only chosen the most exceptional, the smartest, the prettiest... until that day, when he chooses Nieszka.

Agnieszka might sound like a heroine that we've all seen too often -- the one who thinks she's not pretty, the one who's overly clumsy, and who's self-confidence is pretty much nonexistent... That is not Agnieszka. Agnieszka knows she's clumsy, and she doesn't care. She owns who she is, stands up for herself, takes joy from her life any way she can, and she knows she's strong and resilient. I loved this.

I was a glaring blot on the perfection. But I didn't care: I didn't feel I owed him beauty.

eARC, 8%

So when she gets chosen as the Dragon's servant, and her stubbornness and strength is matched against his own... well, let's just say he really didn't understand what he'd signed up for. :P The two of them end up clashing more often than not throughout the book; their personalities are just so different. But when they work together... UGH. I have so much love for them and their partnership. I can't say too many details because spoilers, but they just... they're fantastic.

One thing I loved about this book was not only the character development, but also the way the characters all stayed true to themselves. Agnieszka grows into someone who finally finds her place in the world, but she's always herself, if that makes sense. And the Dragon is irritable, set in his ways, and doesn't have much patience -- that's just him. It's always him. And as Agnieszka gets to know him, their relationship grows into something more. But it's not one of those situations where the love interest has these completely jerkish tendencies that magically seem to disappear once the girl gets to know and "understand" him, which I really appreciated.

Another thing that surprised me about Uprooted was Nieszka's best friend, Kasia. I can't say much (again, spoilers!!) but I was thrilled to see her play an actual, important role in this book. Kasia was fantastic.

In addition to the wonderful characters, I really loved the worldbuilding. It's not complex or sweeping, but you get the clear sense that this piece of the world you're seeing through the eyes of Agnieszka -- her small village, the Wood, the Dragon's tower -- is just one part of a much larger whole. And that's one of my favorite kinds, where you can feel the world around the story's setting, but in the periphery.

I also adored Naomi Novik's writing. It's beautiful, and so reminiscent of old fairy tales. It's a little bit dense -- Uprooted isn't YA -- but if you give it the time it deserves, it is so worth it.

 
In conclusion...

Uprooted is easily one of the best books I've read in 2015 so far, and I have no doubt that it will be in my top-ten list at the end of the year. The characters are amazing, the worldbuilding is wonderful... It's got a bit of romance (and it's marketed as an Adult title for a reason), but there's more to it than just a "fantasy book with romance". Uprooted is about love, but also about friendship and strength and courage, about holding on to your friends and not letting go, about having faith in people, and in yourself... and it's truly, truly deserving of all the hype that surrounds it.

If you're a fantasy fan, pick up this book. Just read it, you'll thank me later. ;)

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There were books involved...

[Beth C.]

Those who live near The Wood are careful and cautious. People go in, and they never come out. Creatures, however – they come out. And when they do, it is the stuff of nightmares. The Wood appears to have only two goals – to harm humans, and to grow. The only thing saving Agnieszka’s village from The Wood is The Dragon. And while this Dragon may actually be human instead of a giant lizard, he is still a wizard. A wizard who takes girls from the village – one girl every 10 years. No one knows why, or what he does with them. They all swear that he never lays a hand on them – but when he’s done with them and allows them to leave, often with a purse of silver, they leave and never come back. Now it is time again – time for the Dragon to pick another village girl to take to his tower. Everyone knows who he will pick, and they have been preparing. It turns out, however, that what everyone thinks they know is quite often wrong. The Dragon doesn’t care – but The Wood does. It is watching and waiting, and when the time is right, it will act.
The initial blurb about the book makes it seem like The Dragon is the main focus of the book, but as the story goes along, it becomes quite clear that he is not. Yes, he is a main character along with Agnieszka, but if ever a place could be a character, then The Wood is one. It has motivation, it thinks and plans, and it believes in revenge. The Wood is the main motivation for the entire story, and what a wonderful story it is.
I will say that I had a little bit of trouble getting into it at first, to the point that I hesitated to jump back into the story when I had put it aside for a few days. I convinced myself to try, just one more time, and I’m so glad I did. Once the story picked up and The Wood became so much more than a bystander, I had a hard time putting the book down. The Dragon and Agnieszka are fairly well-written as characters, and they come into their own as the story progresses. However, The Wood feels the most like a living, breathing, *morphing* creature – one with evil intent and the patience man lacks to watch its plans come to fruition.
In Uprooted, Naomi Novik has created a world where magic flows freely and can be used to both harm and to heal. The fact that she created not one, but two different magic types for the story is impressive, and they are woven together to excellent effect. Uprooted is one of those wonderful stories that easily stands alone, with a conclusion that couldn’t be done any better. I truly enjoyed reading it, and can see myself buying a hardcopy of the book to enjoy over and over again.