Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Uprooted

by Naomi Novik

A dark enchantment blights the land in the award-winning Uprooted – a captivating fantasy inspired by fairy tales and steeped in Slavic folklore from Naomi Novik, author of the Scholomance trilogy and the Temeraire series.

'A great heroine, new takes on old myths and legends, and surprising twists and turns. A delight' – Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments


Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest's dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. One young village woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all they love and value behind.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked next, for she's everything Agnieszka is not – beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it's not Kasia he takes . . .

Uprooted is a stunning romantic fantasy filled with unexpected twists, beautiful friendships and fierce battles against dark forces.

Winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winner of the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel
Winner of the British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel
Shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
Shortlisted for the Hugo Award for Best Novel

Reviewed by Silvara on

5 of 5 stars

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I read this in two days. I could have finished it faster if I didn't have to go to work. It was that amazing. And now that I'm done reading it, I'm wishing that it was the first in a series and not a single book.

I loved how Agnieszka and Sarkan interacted with each other. It was funny and perfect, and totally believable. I also liked how close she was to Kasia. Their friendship was shown through everything they did together, and I liked how it changed and yet stayed the same.

The reason behind the Woods being evil and dark was unexpected and sad. And I liked how it all tied in with the world and story-line. All the characters were three-dimensional and the world was vivid and full. Even with as many pages as this book is, and how much happened in it, I wanted still MORE. Not because there was a lot of things left hanging (there weren't.) And not because something bothered me that I wanted to see fixed (it was all good!) But because it was so good I just didn't want the story to end.

I loved the magic in the world, and how Agnieszka saw it compared to the magic users she came into contact with. I also liked how there were no slow bits in the story. Nothing went by too fast either, it was just the kind of book where once you start it you're sucked in and don't want to do anything but read.

There is sex in the book, but only one scene and it isn't too explicit. The only negative thing I can think of to say about the book is that the main character name was a mouthful. Agnieszka. I kept having to call her "Ag" or "girl" in my head when I was rooting for her to do something because I just couldn't remember how her name was spelled or settle on a shortening of it for myself that I'd remember.

If you haven't read this book yet, you need to!

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 November, 2015: Finished reading
  • 5 November, 2015: Reviewed