Uprooted

by Naomi Novik

[inlibrisveritas]

Uprooted has been one I actively avoided since it came out, because the hype was very big and I just sort of wanted it to die down a bit before I tried reading it. I didn’t want a bunch of random reviews praising it rattling around in my head while I was trying to form own opinions. I’m glad I did because I went into this one fresh and curious, and it was so good!

Uprooted is a mix of fairy tale and epic fantasy that had a real dream like quality to it. It is a stand alone novel, but it has a rather complex magic system and some very rich world building. I love the way this is written especially! It has a real fairy tale feel to it and despite all the details it feels “light” and has a really dark whimsical quality to it. I’m actually quite curious to see how the audiobook is because I think listening to it would be really awesome! It does move a little slowly in parts as it takes time to flesh out some of the story and characters, but I think all the character interaction is worth it.

Agnieszka is a messy and strong willed girl who is forced into servitude to the Dragon. I freaking loved their beginning, and how utterly frustrated he is with her uselessness in the kitchen and with organization. I wasn’t expecting the connection between them, and surprisingly I quite liked it. Where he is meticulous and rigid in his methods, she is more free flowing and intuition based and it provides a good balance not to mention a lot of great little moments between them. Agnieszka and Dragon are amazing characters to follow, and I love them both for their differences.I love that Agnieszka doesn’t play by the rules with magic, and thrives in the situational chaos that comes with improvisation.

Uprooted turned out to be quite the treat! I definitely recommend it for those who love fantasy, especially those not looking to add another series to the mix.